The toll that chronic stress takes on our bodies is real. These strategies will help you focus on relief, repair and total-body health
Written by Denise Sultenfuss
I recently discovered the centuries-old art of kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery. When something is broken, we apply adhesive to rejoin the pieces to camouflage the mishap.
To preserve the artwork, the kintsugi technique seeps powdered gold, silver and platinum lacquer into the serpentine vein-like crevices of the fractured ceramic artwork. As a result, the design breathes shimmering new life into once-shattered ceramic pieces. The golden sinews mark a creative transformation from fragmented, cracked pottery to seams of golden beauty that reflect flaws and imperfections.
At my house, cracked vessels land in the recycling bin; however, the kintsugi’s charming technique of revitalizing and repairing fractured wares resonates with the health-wellness coach in me. Metaphorically speaking, the body functions as a vessel. Therefore, interminable, chronic stress can infiltrate the body systems and negatively impact the gastrointestinal, immune, cardiovascular, endocrine and nervous systems.
Months and, for some people, years of chronic stress weaken the body until fractures in various systems begin to develop. So, it’s no surprise that 75%–90%of visits to the physician relate to stress. Physician/psychiatrist Dr. Jeff Brantley categorizes physical, psychological and psychosocial stressors.
Whether it is a confounding illness, relationships, work, finances or the disease of busyness, overcoming stressors requires intentional stress-management practices to heal, not conceal, the brokenness.
Nourish Your Body
Nutrition plays an essential role in managing and regulating stress. Evita Basilio, RD, asserts that “foods naturally rich in magnesium may help a person to feel calmer.” In addition, spinach, pumpkin seeds, legumes, bananas and oats are excellent sources of the amino acid tryptophan, which converts to serotonin in the body and promotes relaxation and anxiety relief. As you navigate ways to combat stress with a nutritional eating plan, include recipes rich in B vitamins, calcium, iron, vitamin C, fiber and omega-3 fatty acids.
Eliminating caffeine would be best if you are trying to manage chronic stress. Caffeine increases cortisol levels, so switch to herbal tea. Try drinking herbal teas that contain adaptogens.
The practice of using adaptogens, a group of herbs that assist in helping your body adapt, respond and reset during times of stress, is apart of Ayurveda medicine. Ayurveda is one of the oldest approaches to wellness.
Flavored adaptogenic herbal teas are available. These teas can provide “a sense of calm, improve mental clarity and memory, and reduce stress.”
Exercise and Movement
Research indicates that being physically active improves the way the body handles stress because of changes in the hormone responses and that exercise affects neurotransmitters in the brain, such as dopamine and serotonin, which affect mood and behaviors.
Exercising just 30 minutes a day not only helps you feelgood and maintain health; it also builds resilience “as you move between states of relaxation and safe mobilization.” Moderate to vigorous aerobic activity allows the body to recover and manage stress.
Steven Southwick and Dennis Charney conducted studies of individuals who dealt with traumatic experiences and discovered that consistent exercise habits played an enormous role in their recoveries.
Many resilient individuals interviewed for the study believed that “staying fit helped them, both during their traumatic ordeals and during their recovery.”
Exercise helps your body adapt to stress evoked by the challenges of life.
Breathing and Mindfulness Exercises
When you encounter a stressor or something/someone triggers a stress reactivity, respond with breathing. Mindful pauses support you in stressful moments and can be done anytime throughout the day. For example, the 4-7-8 breathing technique (relaxing breath) starts with inhaling for four counts/holding for seven counts/exhale for eight counts.
Another mindful pause includes the S.T.O.P:
S: Stop what you are doing
T: Take a few deep breaths
O: Observe what is going on with your body.
P: Proceed with something that will alleviate the stress
Yet another mindful exercise is meditative walking, which incorporates a slow, intentional pace in a quiet place where you focus on the movements of your body and breathing. This exercise can be done inside or outside. A simple walk along the beach or under a thick canopy of pines offers relief and restoration from stress.
Often, ruminating thoughts compound stress. The mindful exercise of Thought Labeling helps you to listen less to the thoughts that trigger stress.
Journaling
Charles Dickens said, “Reflect on your present blessings, on which every man has many, not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.” Gratitude journaling nurtures the practice of counting blessings rather than burdens or stressors.
Sleep
Like food, sleep is a necessary human function. Sleep health or sleep hygiene is acritical determinant of health and well-being and managing stress. Cultivating a sleep routine is one way to ensure you get at least seven hours of sleep. A sleep routine includes establishing a consistent bedtime, creating a sleep-inducing environment in your bedroom, avoiding late night eating and kicking the evening glass of vino or caffeinated beverage.
Once you settle yourself into bed, relax, do a body scan and try a mindfulness practice.
Putting Things Into Practice
Managing stress takes practice. As soon as you notice how stress manifests, embrace and apply a few suggested techniques. Like the practice of kintsugi art, you aren’t striving for perfection; instead, you are repairing what’s broken, thus creating a unique, more resilient vessel. CS
Editor’s note: Denise Sultenfuss is a certified health-and-wellness coach, writer and owner of Soulful No-FUSS Healthy Living. She lives on her family farm in Centreville, MD, where her family implements sustainable farming practices in raising beef cows, crops and maintaining conservation projects.