Aviva Romm, MD discusses in her article titled “3 Healthier Stress Responses” about some techniques to change your body from stressed to calm. To get your body into a more relaxed state, it is necessary to activate your parasympathetic nervous system, which is the “rest and digest” system. It can be difficult to take the time to rest our bodies during stressful situations due to time constraints. If you take time to relax after a stressful experience, then it can lessen the effects of stress. The best approach is to incorporate a time of relaxation into our daily schedules, rather than only relaxing when stress occurs. Romm suggests setting up a nightly routine that activates the rest and digest system. This can be done by eating dinner approximately three hours before you go to bed in order for your body to digest all the nutrients from your meal and repair your body during sleep. Electronic devices should be turned off at least one hour before bed in order to avoid the emitted light that can keep the body and mind awake. Some additional techniques to activate the parasympathetic system include breathing deeply and slowly for at least five minutes, spending 30 minutes outdoors, taking a bath, going to yoga, and meditating for at least 10 minutes.
Having strong relationships with others can also assist when you’re experiencing stress. Shelley Taylor, a UCLA researcher, calls this the “tend and befriend” stress response. During a time of threat, adrenaline and cortisol is released within the body, along with a small release of oxytocin. Oxytocin can help us feel connected to others. During Taylor’s research, they found that women are better able to ask for help during times of need. This could be due to evolution because when women were pregnant or caring for children long ago, they needed support from others to stay safe from predators. For men, they can also benefit from social relationships and with the fewer oxytocin receptors they possess, social interactions can go a long way for them. It can be easy to feel like we shouldn’t share our concerns with others, but doing something social and connecting with others can assist with relaxing our bodies.
Having a “learner mindset” as detailed by Marilee Adams, PhD can help us face stressful situations by being curious rather than shutting down. We can become curious about our potentially stressful situation by asking questions and using it as a chance to learn something new. For example, if a person is being rude to you, you can pose the question to yourself about what may be going on in that person’s life that could be causing their behaviors. In doing so, it can lead to having more compassion on them before making judgments and becoming stressed. When developing a spirit of curiosity during these types of situations, it can assist you in possessing the best parts of stress, which include alertness, energy, and focus. Some of the questions Adams suggests asking yourself during these times include: “What’s really happening here, what else might be going on that I’m not seeing, and what’s interesting about this situation?”. To find out more ways to keep your mind and body healthy, please visit our website at www.oxborochiro.com/.
Source: https://experiencelife.com/article/3-healthier-stress-responses/
