HANDLING STRESS

Stress is a big deal, we all have it. This comes at us in multiple forms.

The first thing that often is thought of is emotional stress. I don’t need to give examples here as I’m sure we all could do that.

Physical stress isn’t always a bad thing. When we train or exercise, we are putting stress on our bodies, which then helps us improve and grow. However, it can go over the top. The obvious example is an injury.

Nutritional stress shows up in what we eat. Seriously! If we eat the things our bodies function best on, it’s good. Otherwise an inflammatory response can be triggered. Puking, bloating, stomach cramps, diarrhea. We’ve all been there and can agree our GI tract is stressed.

Chemical stress is closely related to the above. These are things our body is exposed to. Sometimes self induced, or externally induced. Might be internal or external.

Environmental stress is another form. This is a wide category and could be temperature or surroundings.

All of these create a reaction in the body. With the exception of the physical stress, they usually do more harm than good. These then increase cortisol, which is the appropriately named stress hormone, or I like to call the anti-hormone.

How to mitigate:

Emotional stress is tough. Tons of techniques but some of the things I do is focus on associations. Who builds up and who tears down, then increase or limit accordingly. Certainly exercise and good nutritional habits make a difference. Sleep, walking, relaxing and limiting the negative noise in our lives.

Physical stress again is a good thing but can go over the top. Listening to your body and not overdoing it. Going 100 percent all the time is not only not sustainable but unrealistic.

Nutritional stress can be reduced by sticking with foods that agree with you and are high quality. Staying away from inflammatory foods (this can differ for everyone). Gluten is good for me, not for my wife.

Chemical stress means watching what you’re putting in and on your body. I’m all for medications but I’ve known some to overdo it. Plus the more important outside toxins are usually the culprit.

Environmental stress is best handled by being smart. Know your surroundings. Pay attention (accidents involving being distracted from our devices). Dress appropriately.

We need stress in our lives, but the key is to mitigate. Keep an eye on things like blood work, wearable tech, your body biomarkers such as sleep, heart rate, blood pressure, hair, etc, to find out if things are getting out of hand.

Handle appropriately and can never go wrong with a good hammock.