Beat Stress: Take Some Time for Yourself

As you know, I’ve been on an extended vacation and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. When I take time off, it takes about two or three days for my body and mind to relax. It’s amazing the difference I feel when I’m fully relaxed. We all experience stress in our daily lives and while two-week vacations aren’t always in the cards, we can manage our stress with small fixes.1. Take time early each day for quiet prayer, meditation or affirmations. Before you take in information from your phone, computer, or newspaper or start responding to someone else’s agenda, spend some time to focus on you.2. Exercise! There’s no better way to burn off cortisol brought on by stress than to exercise. Any form of movement, whether its walking, dancing, yoga, tennis or CrossFit has ample benefits for reducing stress in your body and mind.3. Monotasking (the EXACT opposite of multi-tasking!) has been shown to calm down the mind and the body. Some research suggests that our brains are not designed to multi-task. Reading, playing an instrument, or producing art are great ways to focus and make the world melt away.4. Eating a balanced diet filled with healthy fats, fruits and vegetables, and organic humanely raised protein keeps your blood sugar stable, your cells healthy, and your mind sharp. Major disruptors to your brain include artificial colors, flavors, and sugars (excitotoxins, MSG, etc.). Sugary foods and unhealthy fats such as trans-fat also cause more stress to the mind and digestive system.5. One of the most influential tools to pull your nervous system out of fight or flight is chiropractic care. Adjusting the top and bottom of the spine helps the body relax, digest, and heal. Studies have shown powerful changes in heart rate variability, lower blood pressure, and improved function in the brain after a balancing adjustment.