For YOU: Tiny Habits to Stop Stress

In case you haven’t noticed…

Stress is not just an emotional experience. It can disrupt just about every aspect of our physical health as well—mainly because we have a physiologic response to stress no matter what the trigger. It can contribute to:

✖️ belly fat

✖️ trouble losing weight

✖️ period problems

✖️ blood sugar swings

✖️ sleep struggles

✖️ groggy mornings

✖️ digestive issues

But we have the power to stop stress in its tracks—every day and all day, with tiny habits. Like…

❣️ Pausing for 30 seconds to focus on your breath

❣️ Getting up from your desk for a 2-minute stretch break

❣️ Going for a walk around the block

❣️ Shaking out your arms, legs, and whole body

❣️ Snuggling or being intimate with a partner

❣️ Tapping around the eyes or under your collar bone

Here is your challenge:

Tap ❤️ to like this post and then pick one thing from that list and do it now!

#stresshormones #hormonehealthmatters #everythingsconnected #elementsnatmed

For the Meditation-Curious 🧘‍♀️

Science-backed benefits of meditation👇

I’ve been talking a lot about mindset, and one of the most common questions coming up is: 

How do I change my mindset? 

There are lots of ways to go about this, but one science-backed way is through meditation! 

Research shows that meditation literally changes the brain to:

✔️ Calm the “lizard brain” (amygdala)

✔️ Reduce anxiety

✔️ Manage eating behaviors

✔️ Increase pain tolerance

✔️ Improve sleep

✔️ Relieve stress

If you’re meditation-curious, you can dip your toe in (just 5 minutes a day!) with an app like HeadSpace of Calm.

References

Review of research by the NIH. 

Goyal M, Singh S, Sibinga EM, et al. Meditation programs for psychological stress and well-being: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Intern Med. 2014;174(3):357-368. [link]

Kral TRA, Schuyler BS, Mumford JA, Rosenkranz MA, Lutz A, Davidson RJ. Impact of short- and long-term mindfulness meditation training on amygdala reactivity to emotional stimuli. Neuroimage. 2018;181:301-313. [link]

Stress Stoppers: Try These!

Stress Stoppers 👉👉

You know that moment when your heart races, your muscles tense, your mind checks out, and everything in your body just wants to escape wherever you are?

It’s our acute stress response, and we call it “fight or flight.”

When I notice this happening (the first step is awareness!), here are some things I do:

💡 Notice my thoughts or emotions.

☀️ Reframe negative thoughts to the positive.

👣 Put my feet to the earth to feel grounded.

🌬️ Take some deep breaths.

⛰️Change my location.

💃 Move my body (dance, shake, jump, walk).

None of this is easy.

It takes practice.

But learning to stop stress in its tracks is one of the best things you can do for your current health and your future self.

Which of these ideas do you like best?

Have You Heard of Left Nostril Breathing?

Have you heard of left nostril breathing?

🧘‍♀️ Yogic traditions teach that the left relates to moon energy: cooling, calming, and reflective. The right relates to sun energy: fiery, energizing, and awakening. So, the yogic practice of left nostril breathing is thought to have a calming effect on the body.

🧠 A more science-y way of explaining this is that left nostril breathing puts the body into a parasympathetic state (instead of the “fight or flight” mode of the sympathetic state). Studies have even shown that left nostril breathing changes brainwave activity on EEG. Pretty cool!

Left nostril breathing is simple:

👍 Just press your right thumb against your right nostril, and breathe slowly and deeply through the left nostril.

That’s it!

You can combine it with other breathing practices, like box breathing (inhaling for a count of 4, holding for 4, exhaling for 4, and holding for 4) or just breathe deeply.

Will you try it?

Reference

Niazi IK, Navid MS, Bartley J, et al. EEG signatures change during unilateral Yogi nasal breathing. Sci Rep. 2022;12(1):520. [link]

Exercise & Stress: Good or Bad?

Should I exercise when I’m stressed?

There are a lot of mixed messages out there, so let’s look at some facts. 

Intense exercise causes a temporary increase in stress hormones BUT:

✅ The cortisol spike during intense exercise reduces the cortisol response to subsequent stressors in life AND

✅ Exercise releases endorphins, which naturally combat stress AND

✅ Regular exercise over time supports a healthy cortisol rhythm. 

Some exercises, like yoga and tai chi, combat stress by putting the nervous system into a more parasympathetic state.  

So, for most people, exercise helps to combat stress. 

Exercise only becomes a problem when it’s extreme and intense—particularly in people who are already stressed by other things in life. 

It’s all about looking at the big picture!