What it Actually takes to reduce stress
I spent MANY years attempting to de-stress. I realized a few years into my healing journey that the reason I was covered in a full-body rash was that I was stressed out. Leading me to search high and low for a real solution. Along the way, I realized there isn't a lot of good information out there on how to reduce stress. There are lots of blogs, videos, and Instagram posts that share the top 5-10 ways to reduce stress. You get some tidbits of information that you may apply to your life but generally, it doesn't help much. Why? Because stress is so much deeper than us just needing to release it. It is hard-wired into our nervous systems, our brains have become addicted to the constant cortisol drip, our bodies are living in a state of constant fear, and uncertainty and we need to stay in the stressed state to stay alive (or so we are programmed to believe).
There are 4 keys to Real Stress Relief
#1 Why is the body stressed?
Now other people may describe this a little differently and beat around the bush, but that’s not me. I’m going to tell ya how it is. It starts as a traumatic event or events in our lives that make us feel unsafe, the body responds by activating the stress response, and because no one ever taught us, or showed us that we are okay to let go, we stayed in that heightened, on guard, stressed out place. The longer we stay here, the more this gets wired into our nervous system and we end up stuck. We call this Sympathetic Dominance when we are predominantly in our Sympathetic nervous system state and can't easily shift out of it. From this place, the body will slowly break down. This process uses a lot of nutrients, has a huge demand on the body, is inflammatory, and creates internal damage. Not to mention the constant release of cortisol will eventually wear out the adrenal glands. The lack of nutrients means the body doesn't have what it needs to survive, and this is stressful. The inflammation creates stress on the organs and cells, and this is biologically stressful. The organs not functioning optimally causes the rest of the body to not function optimally, and this is stressful. Now if you add other things from the environment like toxins and pathogens when the body's internal defences are down (like in the case of stress), these bad boys will be able to make homes in our bodies, and this is stressful. A slippery slope that all feeds together - stress creates more stress creates more stress creates more stress. We gotta understand and determine where the stress started to be able to fully release it.
#2 Time to Regulate
If the main reason stress is present is because of past trauma or wounding, we gotta start there. We need to release that old program, beliefs, and emotions, and teach the body a new way of being. Teach the body we are safe here and now. Teach the body to let go of what it is holding onto, and release it so we no longer need to carry it. While training the nervous system to easily shift into the resting or parasympathetic state. (This is also the state where the body heals). The goal isn't to never get stressed but rather to teach the body to easily shift out of that state once the stress is over. Releasing the old and teaching the body a new resting position to live from.
#3 Support the Physical Body
Trauma may have created this present state of stress but we now have stress coming from all directions. The organ imbalances, gut issues, pathogens, toxins... the whole body is stressed. So to truly eliminate stress, we need to also eliminate the physical stress. Improving digestion by chewing our food, and slowing down when we eat so we can digest and properly absorb the foods we are eating - getting the nutrients into the body. Potentially doing some detoxs to eliminate the pathogens - candida, H Pylori, parasites - that may be creating internal destruction! And then we have our organs, our sweet sweet organs that were only trying to do their jobs when stress attacked them and made it hard for them to keep up. The adrenals, liver, thyroid, gonads, pancreas, gallbladder, etc may all need support, drainage, and specific nutrients to help them get their power back! Nourishing, eliminating toxins, and helping the physical body get back to balance.
#4 A Stress-Free Life
There isn't a day that goes by when I don't have my stress foundations in place. Even if I'm travelling, with friends, or just off my normal routine, I always ensure I keep my key lifestyle principles in check. I lived so many years in a stressed-out place, a state of survival, living on overdrive, not taking care of myself and that was all part of what led to my breakdown. A big part of really eliminating stress is to eliminate the ways we create stress in our daily lives. The routines, patterns, and ways of being. In my life now, I have time in my morning and night that is just for me to relax and connect. I balance my meals to properly nourish and energize my body. I get my eyes in the morning sunshine to balance cortisol. I drink herbal teas instead of caffeine. I walk and exercise as it feels good. The goal isn't to do what I do, the goal is to find your rhythm. What you need to feel balanced. Try some things out, and see what works for you! Find your daily and weekly routines that create your ease-filled life!
The goal of real stress relief is eliminating the life that created stress and stepping into a life that fuels health and ease. Where are you creating stress in your life? How would it feel to make some shifts? What resources or support do you need? You already have the answers inside… It’s time to find!
And support is just a click away - email breanne@breannequeen.com to learn more
