Simple Solutions to Stress-Less

Stress and anxiety, we all experience it and have various coping mechanisms…some healthy and others not so healthy. While short bursts of stress are not harmful, it is the continual, long-term, chronic stress that’s damaging to our health. There are over 1400 chemical reactions that occur in our bodies body as a result of chronic stress.

According to Dr. Hans Selye acknowledged as the “father” and pioneering endocrinologist in the field of stress research, stress plays a role in every disease and induces hormonal autonomic responses. Over time, these hormonal changes can lead to ulcers, digestive dysfunction, high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, arthritis, kidney and heart disease, depleted adrenals, allergic reactions and even cancer.

According to John Hopkins University, the typical American goes through more physical, emotional and chemical stress in thirty days than their grandparents did in their entire lifetime! Long-term stress and anxiety is linked to excess belly fat, low libido, disrupted sleep, immune dysfunction, increased risk of allergies, depression, autoimmune diseases, cognitive disorders and memory problems, hormone imbalances, adrenal fatigue and thyroid dysfunction, digestive problems, fatigue, heart disease, shorter telomeres and accelerated aging, even cancer…and the list goes on.

When you’re stressed out, your body produces excess stress hormones secreted by the adrenal glands, which leads to premature aging, oxidation, inflammation, bone loss, thyroid dysfunction, memory loss and excess belly fat. Over time, when cortisol stays up, DHEA goes down and telomeres shorten and the aging process accelerates. Individuals with the highest levels of perceived stress have the shortest telomeres, indicating that they have a cell age 10 years ahead of their biological age. Excessive levels of cortisol prevent the immune system from functioning properly and lead to diseases of aging – the three killer insults: inflammation, oxidation and immune dysfunction.

According to the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation, the more stress in a woman's life, the greater her weight. Another study in Molecular Psychiatry found that women are more sensitive to the stress hormone cortisol and are less able to adapt when levels are high. When cortisol is released in high amounts, production of sex hormones come to a halt and instead more stress hormones are produced. This is why it’s especially important that women prioritize healthy functioning adrenals before entering into menopause since the adrenal glands produce 40 percent of sex hormones before menopause and 90 percent after menopause.

Corticotrophin releasing factor (CRF) which acts as both a hormone and a neurotransmitter is triggered during stress and attaches to receptors on cell membranes in the brain's alarm center leading to an aroused mental state. Compared with females, male brains need more CRF to become agitated. In males, the receptors retreat inside the cells eluding CRF to minimize stress. Even in the absence of any stress, the researchers found the female stress signaling system to be more sensitive from the start. It’s well known that women have higher incidences of anxiety and depression.

Sources of stress 

* Physical stress – digestive distress, leaky gut, nutritional deficiencies, inflammatory foods, imbalanced hormones, food intolerances, chronic illness, disrupted sleep, excess body fat, toxic overload, glyphosate, GMOs, pesticides, gluten, sugar, excess carbohydrates, processed foods, chronic infections, pharmaceutical and OTC drug use, overuse of antibiotics, antacids, and anti-inflammatory drugs, extreme heat or cold, noise pollution

* Mental stress – economy, jobs, finances, retirement, disrupted sleep, noise pollution, processing all the information we see and hear from overstimulation from smart phones, texting, email, video and computers

* Emotional stress – relationships, divorce, hormone imbalances, depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, negative thoughts, toxic relationships

* Environmental stress – electromagnetic stress from computers, cell phones, microwave ovens, toxic chemicals, environmental toxins, plastics, glyphosate, GMOs, extreme heat or cold

* Spiritual stress – unhealthy beliefs, false statements, inauthenticity, negative mindset, not living out of integrity, lack of passion or purpose, drug and alcohol abuse, denial and not taking full and complete responsibility for one’s actions, words, and thoughts

A child or fetus in the womb that experiences stress and trauma whether physical, emotional, electromagnetic, environmental or psychological will have a lower stress threshold in adult life. It’s important to remember that the nervous system, endocrine system and immune system are all interconnected.

Although stress is life and life is stress, we have the capacity to change our mindset, perception and thought process (something we all have control of), and build resiliency when inevitable challenges arise. Stress management is identifying and recognizing the healthiest way for you personally to respond to challenges that will inevitably occur in life. “Life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it.” ~ John Maxwell

Rest and relaxation are essential to our overall health and well-being, and may take the form of meditation, relaxing in a bubble bath with Epsom salts and essential oils, restorative or yin yoga, listening to relaxing or classical music, walking your dog, spending time in nature, gardening or reading something spiritual or uplifting.

Stress-Less Solutions taken from my books, The Power of 4 and Fat Loss Revolution

By reducing internal stressors (imbalances inside the body and mind), one will be more able to handle all kinds of stress that comes from outside.

Breathe. Deep breathing releases endorphins that create feelings of happiness and activates the parasympathetic (calming) branch of the nervous system. The breath is the foundation to de-stressing, lowering cortisol and healing. Deep breathing revitalizes and energizes every cell in your body.

Practice full, deep belly breathing using your diaphragm versus chest breathing. Start with just five minutes in the morning and again in the evening. Empty your mind of your day-to-day activities and focus on a 1-5 word phrase (mantra) that resonates with you and repeat it over and over again, or just surrender into the silence.

Breathe into your heart to the count of four, hold two counts, exhale to the count of eight and hold two counts before you inhale. Try alternate-nostril breathing, a simple yet powerful technique that deeply relaxes the mind and body and balances energy. Imagine yourself breathing in harmony and relaxation, and as you exhale let go of stress and negativity.

Studies show breathing exercises improve problem solving, lower cortisol, reduce blood pressure, release healing hormones into your body, increase creativity and productivity, and enhance one’s ability to handle stressful situations.

Yoga & other Mind-Body techniques can actually turn on and turn off specific genes linked to stress and immune function.

A study published the medical journal PloS One showed that just one session of relaxation-response practice was enough to enhance the expression of genes involved in energy metabolism and insulin secretion, and reduce expression of genes linked to an inflammatory response and stress. There was an effect even among novices who had never practiced before.

Just 12 minutes of daily yoga meditation for eight weeks has a positive effect on mental health, cognition and increases telomerase activity by 43 percent, suggesting an improvement in stress-induced aging. 

Move Your Body. Aside from strengthening your heart and lungs (two organs that can become affected from too much stress), exercise is highly beneficial for your mental health too. Exercising increases endorphins, which stimulate the immune system and has a positive influence on mood.

Don’t overdo it though! Include daily exercise such as weight training or interval training paired with yin-style parasympathetic activities such as yin or restorative yoga, Qi gong and walking, preferably outdoors in nature. Exercise bouts of 30 minutes (but not longer than 60 minutes) appear to have the best stress-reducing benefits. Moderate to vigorous activity reduces stress better than low intensity activity.

You must be healthy, nourished with nutrient-rich foods and well-rested with balanced hormones to benefit and recover properly from more intense exercise. Working out too hard, too much and too often without addressing these other important variables compromises the immune system and endocrine/hormonal system.

Restful Sleep: the fountain of youth. During sleep, the stress hormone cortisol is lowered, but when we’re sleep deprived cortisol levels rise. Lights out by 10:00pm. According to the National Institutes of Health, the physical body repairs between the hours of 10:00pm and 2:00am. The mind/emotional/spiritual body repairs between the hours of 2:00am and 6:00am. Aim to get 7-9 hours of restful sleep every night. It’s important to remove all electronic devices from your bedroom to eliminate electromagnetic stress. Helpful Tips for a Better Night’s Sleep

Digital Detox. Unplug. Take time off from constant, non-stop connection. This includes checking email, your cell phone, computer, social media, youtube, television and iPad. Doing so will minimize mental, electromagnetic and physical stress, reduce anxiety, increase energy, focus and concentration, and induce sounder sleep.

Get rid of clutter. Clutter will make your life feel more complicated than it needs to, while a clutter-free space is one where you can truly feel at peace. Commit to eliminating anything or anyone that is not improving the quality of your life. Manage your to-do list and set boundaries.

Real food nutrition and hydration. Providing your body with the nutrients and water it needs is crucial to reducing stress. Stress actually depletes your body of nutrients. Make sure to include plenty of protein, vegetables and tons of leafy greens, healthy fats and a little bit of low-sugar fruits. These foods contain stress-reducing nutrients such as magnesium, zinc, calcium, vitamins C and E, folate and B-vitamins.

Zinc and magnesium are the first minerals to be depleted under stress. Follow the lifestyle principles in The Power of 4 and Fat Loss Revolution.

Consume adequate protein at every meal. The importance of clean protein cannot be underestimated because under any type of stress your body requires more protein. 

Avoid all sugar, white flour and wheat products, vegetable oils, artificial sweeteners, processed, junk foods, GMOs and any food item that your body is sensitive to, which actually increase stress hormones, inflammation and damage your body. Eliminating these items helps regulate insulin levels, lower cortisol and reduce digestive stress. When blood sugar drops, adrenaline is released to compensate which increases anxiety.

Drink a minimum of half your weight in ounces of clean, filtered water daily. Add a pinch of unprocessed sea salt to your water. Many people are chronically dehydrated which may reveal as dry skin, brittle bones, back pain, hunger which is actually thirst and even depleted brain chemistry (neurotransmitters function in water).

Hydrate sufficiently, eat mindfully, chew your food thoroughly and enjoy mealtime. Eliminate news, television, loud music, cell phones, computer and stressful conversations during meals.

Hugging is good medicine. Get your daily dose of hugs lowers cortisol levels, increases oxytocin, lowers blood pressure and heart rate, and is a natural stress reducer. 

Music. Listening to slow, quiet and classical music, is a natural healer proven to release dopamine, lower cortisol and proven to have a calming effect. Countless studies have shown that music's relaxing effects can be seen on anyone, including newborns. Music can help you get into the zone when practicing yoga, self hypnosis or guided imagery, can help you feel energized when exercising and recover after exercising, help dissolve stress, and promote relaxation when you're soaking in the tub. Upbeat music can take your mind off what stresses you, and help you feel more optimistic and positive. This helps release stress and can even help you keep from getting stressed over life's little frustrations in the future. Researchers discovered that music can decrease the amount of the cortisol produced by the body in response to stress. Beautiful relaxation music for you and your pet.

Vitamin N” – Nature. Children and adults are spending more and more time indoors. As a result, we are seeing more problems such as ADHD, isolation, depression and obesity. Spending time in nature creates a positive effect on mental, emotional and physical well-being, induces a sense of connectedness, spirituality, meaning and purpose.

Environmental psychologists have demonstrated that contact with nature restores attention and mental focus and helps the mind to recover from mental fatigue. (Kaplan & Kaplan, 1989)

Aromatherapy. Relax with Water. Water has been used since the dawn of humankind for reduction of stress. Water is our connection to life itself. Spend time near the ocean, the beach or a lake.

Schedule time to soak in a relaxing Epsom salt bath. The magnesium from the Epsom salts will be absorbed into the skin aiding in muscle relaxation. Add 10 drops of your favorite essential oil or rub the oil into the temples and back of the neck (lavender, bergamot, rose, frankincense or sandalwood). Aromatherapy is very powerful for inducing relaxation. Light candles around the tub, a powerful way to relax and connect to your mind, body and soul.

Dark Chocolate. A study in the Journal of Proteome Research found that eating about an ounce and a half of dark chocolate a day for two weeks reduced levels of stress hormones in the bodies of people feeling highly stressed. Or, enjoy a cup of hot cocoa made with raw cacao, water, coconut cream and stevia. 

Identify underlying causes of stress. This will be different for each and every one of us. You may be completely unaware of certain stressors such as digestive distress, imbalanced hormones, food sensitivities, toxic overload, chronic infections (Candida, viral or bacterial) or negative self-talk, unhealthy relationships, and the impact on your overall health.

Release attachment to control other people, events or circumstances. Direct your energy into things in which you can control such as your thoughts. Be aware of your emotional state and the fact that you have the choice to change it.

Genes are plastic based on environmental epigenetics. You can turn certain genes on or off depending on what you’re doing in your environment. Turn off your stress genes and turn on your bliss genes modulate epigenetics. We are what we see, act, think, believe and feel.

Man’s Best Friend. Research shows that owning or just spending time around a dog is healing, lowers cortisol and reduces stress.

Build Strong Friendships and Relationships. Connect with others emotionally, spiritually and mentally. Stress can lead to feelings of depression and isolation. Surround yourself with like-minded people who make you feel good. Decide who and what is most important to you and center your life around those people and items. Resign from negative influences, situations, energy vampires and commitments that are not fulfilling to you. It’s okay to say no to invitations and events you really don’t care to attend.

The Stress Institute’s founder, Dr. Kathleen Hall states: “Friendships are strong indicators of mental, physical and spiritual health. Friendship is not a luxury, but is essential to work-life balance and your health. Studies show that isolation decreases immune functioning and increases mortality risk.”

Balance Neurotransmitters & Replenish Nutrient Deficiencies. Stress causes digestive dysfunction and depletes hydrochloric acid (HCL), zinc, magnesium, B vitamins and many other important and essential nutrients. Consider natural stress-relieving nutrients.

* Adrenal Support	* ABD5 Plus	* Magnesium
* Rhodiola Rosea	* Bio3BG	* BioGlycozyme Forte
* Vitamin C	* Probiotics	* Zinc
* Ashwagandha	* Maca powder	* HCL; Digestzymes

Schedule a consultation for a nutritional protocol specific to your unique biochemistry (it’s not a one-supplement-fits-all).

Listen to your heart.  Turn off your brain and quiet the monkey-mind chatter. Meditate. Listen to the voice of your heart, your essence. The adrenal glands listen to what the heart tells the brain. Your true heart is not subject to chaos or limited by pain, fear and neuroses, but is joyful, creative and loving. Some believe the heart can be too uncertain and even misguided, but that’s the head talking! The heart is the core, the essence of your being, a reservoir of joy, powerful love and infinite compassion that lies within each one of us.

The magnetic field of the heart is 5,000 times more powerful than the magnetic field of the brain and reaches out several feet from out body. Connect with and nourish your spirit by listening to your heart.

Be charitable. Charitable acts have been shown to decrease stress, improve quality of life, and increase lifespan for the giver, while a person who receives but does not practice charity, doesn’t experience the same benefit. Dr. Kathleen Hall, a world renowned expert in stress and founder of The Stress Institute, says that “altruism creates a physiological responses or helpers high that makes people feel stronger, more energetic and counters harmful effects of stress.”

Journal Exercise. This exercise is from the book “59 Seconds.” According to scientific studies, when you do this exercise every day you will quickly notice the difference in your mood, energy and level of happiness….changes that may continue for months. If you feel the effects wearing off, simply repeat the exercise.

Daily, Monday through Friday, for 59 seconds, perform the following exercise:

• Monday, Gratitude. List things, people, etc. that you are grateful for
• Tuesday, Terrific Times. Write down 3 moments in your past that you really had a terrific time.
• Wednesday, Life in the Future. Write what you’d like your life to be like in the future. Be realistic.
• Thursday, someone Dear to You. Write a small letter to this person.
• Friday, in the past 7 days, write 3 things that went well for you.

Attitude of Gratitude. Being grateful for what you have allows one to focus on the positive elements in life and value the gifts you’ve already been given. Every night I pull out my gratitude log and list 5-10 things, events or people I am grateful for or things that went well during day. Studies tell us that daily gratitude exercises result in higher levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, optimism and energy.

The simple act of appreciation and gratitude have a positive influence on hormones, reducing cortisol by 23 percent and increasing DHEA up to 100 percent!

Read something positive every night and listen to something helpful every morning.

♥ Love, Appreciation and Gratitude have a profound effect on your health.
Love, Gratitude and Appreciation increase vitality and vigor, boost your immune system and increase chemical production; reduce stress hormones; lower blood pressure and feelings of anxiety, guilt and burnout, and increase glucose metabolism in diabetics! ♥

Vitamin “L” Love. One of the most important nutrients for optimum health is a daily dose or more of vitamin L. This vital human emotion, expression and experience is necessary for the optimal functioning of people and all of their cells, tissues and organs. It is found in most of nature, in foods, domestic animals, friends, and family and is used to heal a wide variety of diseases.

Hundreds of major medical studies have shown that an active sex life leads to a longer life, better heart health, a healthier immune response, reduction in chronic pain symptoms, lower rates of depression and even protection against some cancers. Men who engage in sex (just 2x/week) have half as many heart attacks as men who only have sex once per month. In fact, a healthy sex life has been shown to extend life by as much as ten years. People who enjoy a meaningful sex life are less anxious, fearful and inhibited.

Take the Stress Test. I am not sure exactly how it works, but this test is amazingly accurate. Read the instructions before looking at the picture. The image below has 2 identical dolphins. It was used in a case study on stress levels at St. Mary's Hospital.

Look at both dolphins jumping out of the water. The dolphins are identical. A closely monitored scientific study of a group revealed that in spite of the fact that the dolphins are identical, a person under stress would find differences in the two dolphins. If you find any difference between the two dolphins, you may be experiencing a great amount of stress.

Look at the photograph and if you find more than one or two differences you may want to take a vacation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

No Need to Reply. I'll be on Vacation!   

Laugher releases feel-good endorphins, your body’s natural pain killer. Laughter lowers blood pressure, reduces anxiety and stress hormones, and boosts immune function, mood and feel good neurotransmitters.

Have a Happy, Healthy, Stress-free Day!

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