What is Stress Exactly?

We all suffer from stress to a greater or lesser degree in modern life. The stress response - fight flight fright - is our body’s way of trying to protect us from danger. It worked well when we were caveman, as it does for my cat. He sprints indoors, upset because another cat has threatened him, tail like a bottle brush, eyes wide, yowling - obviously stressed - the next minute he's flopped over on the floor asleep. This is how it's supposed to work for us: we get stressed because a tiger is stalking us, our body releases stress hormones from the adrenal glands (cortisol, DHEA, adrenalin and more), diverting energy from areas of our body that don’t need it (digestion, immune system) to areas that do need it (muscles, heart, blood – for a quick escape) giving us extra strength and focus. So, your digestive system may stop working, giving you butterflies or diarrhoea, your breathing and heart become faster, taking in more air and get blood around body, you get tunnel vision to help you focus on an escape. Cortisol also helps us release energy from our muscles and lowers immune function - then when danger has passed we should feel drained and relax/sleep to recover, then the stress hormones return to normal levels.

When we were cavewomen/men, our body released stress hormones for a few dangerous situations maybe once a week or month. However, since then, our brains have evolved a Frontal Cortex, which allows us to worry about past events and future problems - this creates daily stress, along with problems of modern life, such as deadlines, traffic jams, kid’s homework, FOMO, lack of sleep, work emails 24/7 etc.

Small amounts of stress are good for us, it keeps us alert and focussed on a task. However, if the stress events become to big or too constant, it can have a big long-term negative impact on our body and mind.  These hormones are a big burden us: they take energy to produce and they need a lot of resources, which they steal from other areas of our body, as they were only designed for short-term, occasional use. Our clever brain is constantly trying to keep our body functioning in prime condition, so when it gets the feedback that we are producing and using the stress hormones far more often, it thinks that this is normal and, instead of the hormone production dropping, once the perceived threat is over, it keeps producing them at a high rate. This could save our lives if we were in a long-term war, but isn't useful in our modern life - this can cause Adrenal Fatigue, because your Adrenal Glands get tired of producing hormones that were only meant for occasional use. It can also then lead to longer term health problems affecting any area of your body, as well as feelings of anxiety, overwhelm, isolation, depression and, eventually, burn-out.

As stress puts a huge strain on your body and drains your resources, it makes you very hungry – not just for any food, but for a food that can give you lots of energy very quickly: yes, something high in fat and sugar, like chocolate or cake. Low carb or sugary foods will increase your blood sugar levels, which in turn causes your body to release more of the stress hormone cortisol, driving up your stress levels even more.

What Can I Do About Stress?

An essential part of our approach is about identifying and tackling the stressors in your life, these may include situations, people and the way you stress yourself. Most people have stress in their life to a greater or lesser degree, but many don’t realize when it has become a problem, as it gradually builds up over time. We offer a number of excellent workshops to give you simple yet effective techniques to alleviate stress, as well as a mindset to handle situations better. If you work with us on a 1:1 basis, we can explore your particular stressors, evaluate the impact on your life, and provide tailored solutions for you.

Here are a few simple steps you can take to reduce your stress hormones:

Try these Stress Management methods daily:

Meditate/ practise hypno-relaxation regularly - preferably daily, even if it's for only 5-10 minutes

Practise slow deep breathing - Try one of these patterns for a few minutes each day, whichever suits you best: 4:6 (in for a count of 4, out for a count of 6), 4:2:4 (in for 4, hold for 2, out for 4), 3:4 (in for 3, out for 4). Professor Robinson of Trinity College, Dublin, a leading expert in the science of well-being, has said 'Slow breathing is an incredibly potent way of giving yourself a mini-tranquilizer, yet, we forget to do it.' It is best done daily, so that we can use it more easily in stressful situations.

Have some you time every day - maybe just 15-30 minutes. Adults often get too wrapped up in rushing around doing the next thing on the list for work or family. You need to have fun and relax - anything where you lose track of time is ideal.

Haven't got the time? How about spending a few minutes less in front of the TV, laptop or phone. Spend it doing things you enjoy such as: reading, gardening, yoga, listening to music, take up a hobby.

Each evening tell yourself at least 3 great things that happened AND 3 great things about you - be your own cheer-leader!

Emergency De-stressing:

If possible, remove yourself to a quiet place for at least 5 minutes - eg. say you need the loo.

Do some gentle exercise - This can help to get use up some of the extra energy/ stress hormones generated. If you’re at work, you could go to the toilet and do some brisk marching on the spot in a cubicle.

Deep/slow breathing - see details above. It is best to practise this regularly, so that you can more easily do it when you are very stressed

When you work with us, you will learn a group of simple, effective techniques, to alleviate immediate stress and reduce long-term stress.