Wellness Wednesday: The Mind / Body Connection

If I had a dollar for every time I took a three-month hiatus from writing, well… I’d probably have enough to buy myself a Venti Starbucks latte. (not that I frequent Starbucks very much anymore because, well, #coffeesnob)

Irregardless, here we are! I still exist, I promise!

So this year’s tax season was…. dreadful, to put it nicely (and keep it PG-rated). The deadlines were all screwy and no one seemed to know which way was up. Thankfully, we’ve just about made it through the home stretch, and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel… somewhere up ahead. I think.

But with tax season (and quarterly reporting and year-end) usually comes longer hours, less sleep and lots of added stress. True to form, I think my average night’s sleep these past few weeks was 6.5 hours, and my stress eating has been at an all time high (hello to the five pounds on my thighs). I’ve been in a constant state of near panic, plowing through emails and crossing tasks off my to do list. To be honest, I haven’t thought much about how I’ve been feeling or what effect it’s been having on my body.

And right on cue, my anxiety has started to rear its ugly head.

Appropriately, April is National Stress Awareness month. So I thought it might be a good time to talk about how stress affects the body — and share photos of me doing yoga, pretending to be totally zen.

All of our bodies come equipped with a natural “fight or flight” response, meant to protect us from dangerous situations — you know, like when we’re being chased by a saber-toothed tiger. Oh wait… not relevant? Exactly. We developed this survival mechanism hundreds of thousands of years ago, when “fight or flight” was truly the difference between life and death.

Fast forward to 2019. Our bodies still take “fight or flight” very seriously, but they haven’t quite adapted to the normal stressors of this day and age. For example, say you get an ’emergency’ email from a client at 4pm on a Friday, with a request that needs to be addressed ASAP. AND you’re trying to leave by 5pm. What is your reaction? Frustration, panic and most definitely STRESS. And what do you do? Scramble like a maniac to get that shit done, and bolt out the door at 5:01pm to make your dinner date across town. Because you are a rockstar and that is what you do, of course.

Does this situation feel familiar to you? Samesies! Hand is fully raised over here.

So have you ever thought about what is going on inside your body during said ’emergency’? Stress hormones (hello, cortisol!) rush into your bloodstream, increasing heart rate & blood pressure. You feel a surge of adrenaline, which is likely what helped you power through that client request so quickly. In the days of our caveman ancestors, that same adrenaline rush would have helped us outrun the saber-toothed tiger… or something like that.

But what about in the hours and days afterwards? Chances are we all experience stressful situations pretty regularly. From work obligations and never-ending to do’s, to family drama and relationship issues — stress is literally attacking us from all angles. And unless we are proactive in managing and releasing that stress, it lives on in our bodies. Prolonged stress can wreak havoc on your health. I’m talking things like anxiety, depression, adrenal fatigue, insomnia, weight gain and digestive issues. Doesn’t sound so fun, right? (Trust me, it’s not)

So I have a couple of activities up my sleeve that I turn to when I start to get carried away with the stress of life. Most of these are tried-and-true — the practices I turn to regularly to help manage stress. Others (like journaling & mediation) are proven to have lasting, positive effects and aid in stress reduction. I dabble, but haven’t yet made a habit of them.

I challenge you to try some of these for yourself! Let me know how it goes :)

Talia’s Tips for Managing Stress

– Sleep!! I think this is the #1 most important tip of all time (and the one I struggle the most with, ironically). Even beyond stress management, adequate sleep allows your body the time it needs to repair. The benefits include reduced inflammation, improved mood, mental clarity and weight management. Science shows that adults should aim for 7-9 hours each night (or whatever works best for your body).

– Movement. Even something as simple as a 15 minute walk can be enough to clear your mind and leave you feeling (slightly) more centered.

– A regular yoga practice. This has been my saving grace for the past 10 (plus!) years – no joke. Whenever I feel my anxiety start to creep in, I know I need to create time to step on my mat. When I take the time to focus on my breath (and something other than my emails), magical things happen.

– Journaling. I tend to live in my own head, so this is a practice I need to really dive into ASAP. I’ve noticed that when you start to get your thoughts onto paper, you tend to feel less restricted by them. I’m pretty sure there’s some sort of voodoo at work here, but I’m into it either way.

– Therapy. I’m not sure if I’ve plunged too deep into this topic with you guys yet, but I’m a firm believer that everyone can benefit from therapy at some point in their life. This goes along with the idea of journaling; the more you’re forced to see (or hear, in this case) the insanity thoughts spinning around in your head, the more clarity you have around them. It’s easy to get stuck in the cycle of deadlines and work events and emails and family obligations, and then wonder why you are an emotional mess or an angry beaver like 95% of the time. As soon as you take some time to talk through what’s going on — and get an unbiased perspective on it all — you can start to see patterns emerging and take steps to become more mindful about how you choose to spend your time.

– Meditation. Okay, so I might be the world’s worst meditator (not sure that’s even a word, actually). However, in the short spells I’ve been able to successfully mediate, I’ve experienced enough of its magic to know that IT WORKS. So my suggestion to you (and to myself) is to start small – try meditating for 2 minutes at a time. At the end of those two minutes, assess how you feel and see if your stress level is any lower. The more often you practice, the more lasting and positive your results will be.

– Laughter. Cliché or not, laughter truly is the BEST medicine. Make plans with your friends, go to a comedy show or even watch a funny movie! Humor has a interesting way of tricking our bodies into thinking we are happier and less stressed. I don’t know, maybe it’s science or something.

Are you guys noticing some recurring themes here? When stressed, we tend to ignore our thoughts and emotions, often forging ahead to complete the task at hand. If we take the time to talk it through, these thoughts and emotions ultimately have less control over us. Additionally, I think movement & breath are more powerful than any of us are willing to admit.

I hope you guys can all take a couple of minutes today to practice some stress management. Like it or not, we are ALL stressed out. The best thing you can do for your mental & emotional health is to just take a second and breathe through it. Trust me, your future self will thank you!