Stress is defined as a response of the body for any demand for change. Change is constant, therefore, stress is unavoidable - especially as life gets busier. How we react to the change is the determinant of its impact on our mental & physical health. Stress is not, by definition, negative. Consider a deadline - for some, a deadline pushes performance, but, for another, it causes anxiety and decreases effectiveness. It is not the stress that has the negative impact, but, rather, the response to it.
 
Our bodies actually learn from stress. Pulling away from a hot burner, protects us from being burned. Seeing a snake in the grass protects us from the venom. Over time, the human brain has developed the release of adrenaline to prepare the body to run from danger, which aids in self-preservation. Manageable levels of stress actually push athletes, for example, to improve performance, but when the demands on the body exceed manageable levels, physical and psychological symptoms develop.
 
                                Image above: Illustration of the Yerkes-Dodson human performance and stress curve
 
It is important to remember that stress is a hormonal response of the body. Stress triggers the release of chemicals into the brain which prepares the body for fight, flight, freeze, or fawn in response. The brain does not distinguish between a life-threatening stress (a lion) and a non-life threatening stress (a work deadline)  - the body responds the same to both. Essentially, the human body was designed to manage short-term stress. We can outrun a bear, but not marathon with the bear. We must regularly balance stress with relaxation (non-stress).
 
Once the stress has passed, hormone levels naturally return to normal. Chronic and unmanaged stress leads to anxiety, insomnia, muscle pain, high blood pressure, and a weakened immune system because stress hormones never return to baseline and the body never returns to a state when it can rest, repair, and digest. We must balance our stress with relaxation to maintain equilibrium in the body.
 
Here are 5 EASY STRESS MANAGEMENT TIPS that encourage balance in the body.
 

• Prioritize sleep (6-8 hrs is recommended for most adults). Sleep removes stress hormones from the body.
• Drink water (caffeinated and sugar-sweetened beverages do not count) to aid the kidneys in removing stress hormones.
• Walk or exercise whenever possible to reduce stress hormones. Harvard studies show that as little as 10 minutes of walking a day can reduce stress levels and improve health.
• Take a breath to trigger the brain’s rest response, which lowers heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing rate, and allows the entire body to relax.
• Rest to allow the body to heal, repair, and regain equilibrium. Rest has gotten a bad wrap in today’s fast-paced, gotta-do-it-right-now culture, but rest is essential for balance.

 
These tips all target the removal of stress hormones, such as cortisol, from the blood. Cortisol is produced by the adrenal glands and releases into the bloodstream when you are stressed. Too much cortisol can lead to weight gain and diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease, mood swings and fatigue, acne and female facial hair.
 
Branches of Growth Mental Health Counseling offers 5 additional modalities for managing stress. These include:
 

• Counseling: One-on-one therapy allows individuals to work through childhood trauma, relationship challenges, emotional triggers, everyday stressors, and more.
• Yoga: Yoga promotes relaxation and targets the 3 epicenters of stress - body, brain & breath.
• Meditation and Mindfulness: If anxiety is the anticipation of the future and depression is replaying the past, then stress relief is found in the present moment. Meditation and mindfulness focuses the mind on this state to relieve stress.
• Sound Healing: Studies show that sound can replenish brain energy, reduce muscle tension, and promote rest and relaxation.
• Reiki: Reiki stimulates the body’s natural healing abilities aiding in restoring energy flow and achieving equilibrium.

 
Visit www.branchesofgrowth.com for more information about these modes of holistic stress management. Be well.

Life is stressful. For a moment, I invite you to close your eyes. Notice the things running through your mind.
How do you feel? Did your distress level rise?
Take a minute to notice how you turn down your distress. Do you know how?
As adults, we have an abundance of daily stressors- from the kids, work, finances, home, the government, safety, the list goes on and on. That is A LOT for adults to handle. 
Now pause and think about how a young brain might be feeling in today’s world. They have A LOT of pressure and stress that even most adults didn’t have to deal with as kids.
Our kids are struggling in today’s world and we need to find ways to help them. 

According to psychcentral.com, mindfulness has been around for generations, originally created by Buddha. The concept comes from the Buddist concept “sati” meaning “moment to moment awareness of present events”. Jon Kabat-Zinn brought mindfulness to the states creating Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in 1979 at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. 

Mindfulness is a technique that helps bring awareness to the current moment. I invite you to give it a try. 
Close your eyes for a moment and notice the breath coming in and out of your body. 
What does it feel like? What is the temperature of the air coming in and out? What do you smell? Can you breathe in a little slower and exhale a little longer? Take 5 breaths in this way. 

What did you notice internally? Did your stress level increase or decrease? 
Our children learn how to soothe when they come into this world through the assistance of their caretakers and even how to self-soothe with pacifiers, stuffed animals, rocking, etc. As they get older, we typically remove those skills or safeties. As caregivers, we need to teach our kids healthy ways to self-soothe to help protect their future. Mindfulness is a practice that can be taught at all ages. It helps disconnect from the “stories” our brain is creating and be in the moment. It is a treatment modality that is often used at Branches of Growth.

I recently published a book “Mindful Maddie” that helps people of all ages learn about mindfulness and gain awareness into the current moment. It is available at both office locations and Amazon. Give mindfulness a try and let us know what you think!

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