#96, Why Stress Derails Healthy Choices

Stress can play a huge role in how our fight for healthy changes plays out. In today's episode I want to break down both the biological and mental components of this and then give you some great tips to curbing that stress even when there might be factors in your life that you don't have 100% control over. Life is busy and the world is chaotic, so understanding stress and then working to curb the effects it has on you is an important topic. 

In 2017 Micaela developed epilepsy. If you are the parent or a family member of someone with epilepsy, or have epilepsy yourself, I just want to send you armfuls of love right now. Through all the trauma that my family has been through with a difficult pregnancy, losing loved ones, having babies in the NICU, and learning to have a child with medical complexities and special needs, I have to say, epilepsy is the hardest thing we have ever gone through. That constant vigilance, not knowing when a seizure is going to hit or how hard or long it will be. That was rough. So, from the beginning of 2017 to the about the end of 2019, Micaela had nocturnal seizures that were difficult to stop. We took multiple ambulance rrides and air care flights and stayed in Children’s Hospitals trying to figure out if she would qualify for different therapies or procedures that might help. 

Whenever I work with women who are undergoing seasons of stress or simply coping with the normal wear-and-tear stress of life, I always approach them from a standpoint of deep empathy. Today I want to first help you understand why working on stress is important for our body and mind, then I want to give you some practices and tools to use that might help. 

First of all, when we are stressed our muscles tighten, our digestive system might slow or even struggle with diarrhea, and our cortisol levels rise putting our system on red-alert. Some women find that they might struggle to lose weight in this state and have much higher levels of cravings for quick-energy foods. 

Mentally, when you are stressed, your lower brain becomes more active, looking for ways to avoid pain, find pleasure, and be more efficient. It will start to yell for doughnuts and scream that you absolutely shouldn’t go work out right now. It is doing it’s best to protect you. Your higher brain still knows that healthy food would give you more long-lasting energy and that working out will build muscle and reduce stress, but with the lower brain making so much noise it is harder to make the reasonable choice. 

Okay, so, you get it. Stress has a lot of negative side-effects. However, it is also in our everyday lives at some level. So, while I could go on and on about what high or chronic levels of stress can do to you, let's just talk about ways you can reduce stress. 

• Cultivate Positive Habits

Habits are things that you can do on auto-pilot. You don’t have to think about it. Your lower brain loves routines because they conserve energy. So, if you have healthy habits in place you can simply follow-through with what you always do, protecting your health. Also, rhythms and routines can be soothing. This can be your calm in the storm, an anchor in the chaos. So, develop habits that you follow through with no matter what and be proud of yourself. 

• Move

Exercise relieves stress and helps your body become stronger and better able to cope with stress. I personally feel that exercise is like the steam valve on my pressure cooker. As I pound my feet into the treadmill or pull up into another sit-up, I can feel the pressure in my mind and body start to go down. Plus, I also know that when I’m in shape, I simply have better endurance and my body can cope with a lot more situations without feeling over-taxed or giving out. That prevents extra stress from building up as well. 

• Get a massage--Ooh, yes! Either going to a professional or using an at-home device, getting a massage sends all kinds of signals to our brain that we are okay. Long after a situation has been delt with or the day has ended, our muscles can remain tense, sending continues signals of stress to our brain. A massage works out the tension, letting the muscles disengage and then send signals of pleasure and comfort to the brain. Stand down, red alert! In fact, this is so powerful, that it can relieve tension and stress even when the situation is ongoing. Your body-brain connection is epically powerful. 

 

• Meditate or do Breath Prayers

Deep slow breath calm down our systems and connect us to present moment. My favorite are breath prayers developed by Bill Gaultiere. For example, you can breath in “Thy Kingdom Come” and breathe out “Thy Will be Done” for a few minutes. This reconnects me to the present moment, my body, and God who is always with me. One reason this is so powerful is that it can be done anywhere and doesn’t require a huge investment of time. I also enjoy meditating. I use the calm app on my phone and often lie in my bed for a self-guided five minute meditation while I listen to ocean sounds while concentrating on my breathing. I also feel rejuvenated and refreshed afterwards. 

• Get physical

If you are a hugger, go get a hug. I love embracing my children or snuggling up with my husband whenever I’m stressed. I am always amazed at how quickly it changes how I feel. Now, one of my love languages is physical affection so this makes a lot of sense for me. But even women that I work with who are not physically affectionate, find that spending some time stroking a family pet or sitting next to someone they love can do a lot to calm their stress levels down. 

• Sleep

Lastly, sometimes the best healer to stress is simply sleep. Go to bed instead of trying to trick your way into everything being okay by watching that next episode of Grey’s Anatomy or playing one more game on your phone. Instead, let your brain and body rest. I have found that during more stressful seasons or times, I might even need more sleep than normal and can sleep 9 hours or more if I give myself the chance. This is hard for me as a high achiever, but I also know I’m more kind and productive when I’m getting enough sleep. 

I hope that today’s episode gives you some clarity and tools to use when tackling your stress and some understanding that addressing this issue is very important. 

All my love to you! We’ll talk again next week. Goodbye for now.

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