Stress more often than not is bound to keep us on our feet. Over the years, most of us have allowed it to become a Frankenstein within each of us. If you are feeling numb, indecisive, suffering from weight issues and unable to manage regular sleep, then I am certain that you are on the way to allowing Stress to overcome you.
Most discussions in my “Wellness Seminars” inadvertently come back to this one topic, which according to me is the number one reason for people failing in their professional & personal lives.
What stress does is more important to know. We then need to, tame it and make it insignificant in our lives. According to me, the biggest damage from stress is the release of the cortisol hormone, which does long term damage to the brain & the immune system.
Since this is an external factor, there are quite a few actions which can be done by each one of you to work your way through. I will guarantee you that in no time, you will be seeing some significant changes. To begin with –
Change your physiology:
Change your external state & automatically your internal feelings will begin to change. If it is possible, break the state that you are in when you are experiencing stress. A simple shift in your body like getting up & walking around or better smiling at someone will make a big shift. Remember by doing this over a period of time you will tend to get better.
Therefore fake it, if required in the initial stages, before you begin to do it naturally.Physiology plays a critical role in each of us in managing our Stress Levels.
Develop an Attitude of Gratitude:
When you do something for someone, without expecting anything in return, the shifts are more than radical. Being gracious in my opinion, creates the neural pathways in the brain which is very similar to an “Emotional high”. This negates the harmful hormones in the bloodstream.
Look at doing small things to begin with. Even donating to a cause, plays an important role in the feeling high (Positive way) department.
Rework on your food habits:
Include more whole grains & fruits in your diet. The simple logic for this is that other than making you healthier, it spikes your blood stream with serotonin which is a powerful natural neurotransmitter, associated with calm and positive feelings that last.
When these foods are included through the day it is most likely to ensure a positive surge through the day.This plays a critical role in ensuring your Emotions are in check, through the day irrespective of the environment.
Focus on your breathing:
I have made this point many times in my writings, that most of us do not breathe properly. We tend to breathe in short durations which does not help to de-stress. Deep breathing is crucial to a feeling of Tranquility. The most important aspect, in this is breathing out.
Spend double the time on breathing out, compared to breathing in(this is critical component of Yoga).Even doing this for ten minutes a day, brings in a tremendous change in your heart rate which is connected to your stress level.
Move around in chunks:
What I have seen, with most people is that even though they do some kind of physical activity, they still manage to be sedentary for long periods of time either while commuting or sitting at their desks. Take out a 10 minutes timeout and move around. Do anything which will increase your heart rate.
Walk up to the washroom, climb stairs or do box jumps (if you work from home, like me). This will ensure that there is a surge of dopamine & serotonin, which are powerful neurotransmitters. This will then negate any traces of cortisols in the blood stream, naturally. In my experience & opinion this is the best antidepressant, which works wonderfully for both men & women.
All of us go through Stress & each one of us has developed our own way of channelizing it. Some do it in an Empowering way & others in a Disempowering way. Eventually it is you, who is in the driver’s seat.Take control before it begins to derail your life.
As always I would love to hear from you on your thoughts on this Blog article on my mail Id Coach@satishrao.in or on my Face Book Fan page.