Have you ever noticed your pulse beginning to accelerate when you watch the news? This is your body’s automatic response! Your human body was built to detect danger and keep you safe and alive. Although you may not be in danger watching the news, your body is built to react as though you are. You see, your body perceives the stimulus as a threat and triggers the sympathetic nervous system to flood the body with hormones, elevate heart rate, boost energy, and prepare for a “fight, flight or freeze response”.
In modern culture we are exposed to high amounts of stress in our everyday experiences. And so, stress relief isn’t really an option anymore… it is essential! While your body is built to trigger preparation for “Fight, Flight or Freeze mode”, you can train your body to experience more calm and relaxation, while decreasing the amount of time in your day that your body is drenched in those stress chemicals. You can do this through self-care routines.
One thing you can do to promote your self-care routine is to create a stress tool-kit, as a foundational support system for your life. Gather and collect some things and make your resources easy to access. This is not like a First Aid Kit that warrants use only in an emergency! No, you can frequent your stress tool-kit regularly. I would even encourage you to do so! Get those tools out and put them to use, maintaining your self-care and training your body to experience relaxation more so than stress or anxiety.
Here is how you can build your very own top-quality Stress Reduction Tool-Kit:
1) Get a box or a suitcase (enjoy making it fun, get crafty) and add things to it that might soothe you in times of high tension, anger, sadness, and stress. Tuck it away in a cupboard or under your bed.
- Favorite tea
- Music cd’s or a playlist that you can navigate to your favorite songs, that compliment your mood but also work to lift your mood.
- Instructions for breath work, such as inhale for 7, exhale for 11
- A favorite blanket, or soothing texture
- Pictures of happy times
- Poems, stories, art, movies, letters…collect what will boost you here
- Notebook paper to journal
- Anything else you can think of to add that will boost your mood
- Write gratitude and things that have been good and helpful to you.
- Hypnosis audio- downloads, from your favorite Impact Hypnotherapist, purchased at ImpactHypnotherapy.life (or contact for a customized audio).
2) Mind your eating…stop eating stress-inducing foods. Foods with Sugar, Artificial Sweeteners, Processed Carbs, alcohol, caffeine are the main culprits, but if you have known or unknown food allergies you may want to observe how your stress levels shift when taking in other foods.
3) Move your body – pick a fun way to do it……..skip, play basketball…whatever makes you smile. When you “make yourself” go to the gym and work out on the treadmill for an hour your body generates those stress chemicals that can negatively affect your mood. So pick something fun to avoid this.
4) Make Face-to-Face Connections: Set up coffee with a friend – don’t focus on problems (but that’s not to say don’t talk about them). Laugh and generate ideas for resolving issues. Acknowledge your appreciation for the moments you have with your friends.
5) Connect with nature – take walks, stop and smell the roses, make a snowman, etc.
6) Schedule a relaxing, stress-busting, Hypnotherapy Session with your favorite Hypnotherapist, Amy Ross of Impact Hypnotherapy!
