Stress is a normal part of the human experience and can even be positive. The right amount of stress can give you the short-lived boost you need to tackle your to-do list, meet a deadline, or escape from a dangerous situation — but there’s a catch. While your body and mind are designed to process these short bursts of stress, the demands of modern living have mutated stress into a lifestyle instead of an event. When left unchecked, stress can push your physical, psychological, and social well being out of balance and over the edge. Setting aside even a few minutes to practice self-care can help to reduce your stress levels and improve your overall health.
The Impact of Stress
In simple terms, stress is your brain’s response to a challenge or perceived threat. To prepare you for action, your brain activates your sympathetic nervous system (known as your fight-or-flight response, or SNS), triggering a rush of cortisol and adrenaline (your stress hormones). As your breath quickens, muscles tense, and heart rate increases, your body diverts fewer resources toward other vital functions, such as digestion, elimination, reproduction, and immune function.
Once the demand or challenge is complete, your body is designed to recover from stress via the parasympathetic nervous system (known as your rest-and-digest response, or PNS). In this state, your hormones stabilise, pulse and respiration normalise, muscles relax, and organs return to their vital work of digestion and elimination.
Stress begins to take its toll when that “burst of action” is not a burst at all, but rather a marathon with no finish line in sight. Long-term activation of the fight-or-flight response and overexposure to adrenaline and cortisol can interrupt the optimum function of your body’s systems and processes, increasing your risk of physical and mental health problems.
How to Counteract Stress and Improve Wellbeing?
In today's fast-paced world, many modern and evidence-based strategies like meditation, yoga, and even high-intensity interval training (HIIT) are widely recognized for their effectiveness in reducing stress, lowering anxiety, normalizing blood pressure, and enhancing overall physical and mental wellbeing. These practices not only help manage stress but also promote a more balanced, healthy lifestyle.
Mindful movement practices such as yoga, Pilates, or mobility exercises are invaluable tools for recognizing when you're feeling overwhelmed, stressed, or unmotivated. These practices encourage a heightened awareness of your body’s signals, helping you identify physical and mental tension. Once you've mastered mobility, movement, and breathing techniques, incorporating them into your daily or weekly routine can work wonders to soothe stress, sharpen mental clarity, improve sleep, and allow you to navigate life with greater calm, resilience, and harmony.
While it’s tempting to always go ‘fast and hard’ with your workout routine, this approach can sometimes be counterproductive—especially if you're constantly tapping into your sympathetic nervous system (SNS), which can lead to burnout. To bring balance back, consider integrating a simple mobility or stretching circuit to restore energy and reduce stress. This gentle approach helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system, promoting relaxation and recovery.
Ultimately, self-care isn't just about relaxation—it's about nurturing your body and mind to unlock your full potential for physical health and mental wellbeing. Taking time for mindful practices can equip you with the tools to handle life’s challenges more effectively, empowering you to thrive both physically and emotionally.