Stress is an inevitable part of life. Each of us deals with potential stressors, or external stimuli, on a daily basis; however, that does not mean you have to succumb to your stress or get stuck in stressful situations. You have the power to increase your stress threshold, so that you can deal with a variety of stressors AND bounce back after a stress response.

Stress is a normal bodily response to an external stimuli or daily pressure. It becomes unhealthy when stress interferes with your day-to-day functioning, when you are stuck in stress response. This stuck-in-a-stress response, over a period of time, is called chronic stress. Your body is unable to bounce back after a stressor has passed and so you continue to feel the effects of stress anyway. When the body experiences stress, the normal response, also known as the fight or flight response, is for the body to release the hormones adrenaline and cortisol. Adrenaline increases your heart rate, energy supplies and blood pressure while cortisol suppresses your digestive system, immune system, reproductive system and overall health functioning.

These hormones tell your body to shut down normal functioning so that you can deal with the stressor. The stressor is the most important issue right now – to face it, to remove it.

For example, imagine you are eating out on your patio and a bear walks into your yard. This will most likely evoke a stress response. Yours palms sweat. Your heart races. You must separate yourself (and anyone else with you) from the bear, immediately. You quickly go inside, shut and lock the door, and watch the bear from the window. The bear strolls through your yard and moves on. Your body begins to relax. Maybe you are still surprised, but your heart rate begins to slow and the fact that a bear tried to join you for dinner seems silly, funny even, a story to tell your coworkers the next day.

What if your body stayed in that stress response after the stressor passed? How would an increased heart rate, panicked breathing, compromised body functioning affect your system overtime?

You might notice increased blood pressure at rest.
Or digestive issues such as IBS, constipation or bloating.
You might notice reproductive issues such as having a hard time conceiving; or as a female, loss or sporadic menstrual cycles.
Or having trouble fighting off external illness.
You might be diagnosed with a chronic or other dis-ease such as diabetes, stroke, immune-compromised, overweight, hypo/hyperthyroidism.

When it comes to sustained stress, the effects tax your body in silent ways. That is why it is so important to know how to manage the stressors in your life.

You might wonder, how can I manage stress? Or you might have tried things in the past, but they aren’t working currently. The good thing is there are multiple avenues to stress management and increasing your stress threshold.

One of the most important of these is teaching your body to bounce back, to tap into your parasympathetic nervous system, the rest and digest state, after a stress response. Acupuncture, massage, shadow work, counseling, somatic healing, chiropractic and other body/system healing modalities are great tools for encouraging your body to find homeostasis so that you can bounce back into wellbeing after a stress response. Opposite of fight or flight, this response is our state of optimal bodily functioning and wellbeing.

Calming breathwork, meditation, yin yoga and restorative yoga can also help stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system. Think of them as tools to tap into after a stress response or before a situation that often leads to stress so that your body can continue to function optimally. After practicing breathwork, meditation or yoga, even for as little as five minutes per day, on a more regular basis, you’ll notice you can bounce into rest and digest faster than before and that the effects are longer lasting.

Interested in guided yoga, meditation or breathwork, but unsure where to start? We’d love to support you through our sessions available on-the-go. Check out our Virtual Membership to learn more.

Not sure if on-demand is for you? That’s ok! We provide complimentary support through our Stress Less guide that includes a step-by-step calming breathwork practice + other tools for managing stress and optimizing your wellbeing. Download it for free here.

In health,
Lindsay Coward, MPH
Founder of Yoga Nut

What to do about Stress.

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