7 Trauma-Informed Ways to Ease Stress
Everyone feels stressed sometimes, but prolonged periods of feeling stressed out can have a major effect on your physical and mental health.
Stress can cause different types of aches and pains, lead to higher blood pressure, and contribute to major heart problems. Stress can worsen the symptoms of several serious health problems and increase a person’s risk of long-term health issues.
Some common causes of stress include finances, work, school, and struggling with mental illnesses like struggling with past traumas. The stress of walking through life while trying to manage past traumas can be exhausting.
If you are feeling like your stress is beginning to take over your life, try these ways to ease the feeling.
Add Exercise to Your Routine
Exercising regularly is a great way to relax your mind and body. Exercise helps to release the tension you may be holding in your body and can also help improve your mood. Exercise has been shown to reduce stress hormone levels and stimulate the production of endorphins, a chemical in your brain that stimulates a “happy” feeling.
Not sure what exercise is right for you? Some people in times of high stress prefer high intensity workouts that help them to release tension, frustration, or anger. These exercises can look like kickboxing, running, crossfit, weightlifting, swimming, or any other high intensity cardio workout. If you are feeling more of the worried, fearful, or anxious type of stress, exercises like tai chi, gardening, yoga, and walking can help you to feel more at ease.
How much exercise do I need? This is one of the most common questions people ask their doctors. Make sure to get at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise every week. Set realistic, achievable fitness goals.
Utilize Breathing Exercises
When your thoughts are racing and your body tense, it is important to come back to baseline and regulate your nervous system. The quickest way to achieve homeostasis is through mindful breathing exercises. Your Calm Again Counseling therapist can show you how to do effective breathing exercises in session for you to use at home as well. Having relaxation tools is important for being able to self-regulate during times of high stress. Coming back to your breath grounds you in the present moment and helps to come back into your body. Breathing exercises are a foundational tool to use for achieving a state of neutral calm.
Opt for Fresh Food Instead of Processed Food
Reduce your intake of foods that can contribute to stress. While many people reach for “comfort” food during times of stress, these processed foods can be keeping you in a state of stress. Typical examples of such foods include sugary and fried snacks and foods high in trans fat such as red meat, baked foods and butter, and processed foods.
Add healthy fresh foods such as veggies, whole grains, fruits, eggs, and fatty fish including sardines, tuna, and salmon to your diet. In addition to helping maintain a healthy weight, these foods can reduce stress.
Spend Time in Nature
A research team at Cornell University found that spending as little as 10 minutes in nature can promote well-being and reduce stress (Meredith et al., 2020). They found that the optimal time spent in an outdoor space with nature was between 10-50 minutes a day, in a study looking at teens and adults ages 15-30. Nature therapy is an evidence-based practice to incorporate into your daily schedule. Whether you are walking the dog, sitting under a tree in the park, or going for a hike in the forest, research shows that you will see improvements in mood, focus, and lower blood pressure and heart rate.
For added benefit, studies have shown that petting a dog or a cat for just 10 minutes can reduce cortisol levels, a stress hormone (Pendry & Vandagriff, 2019). Not to mention, it’s likely your pet will appreciate it too!
Identify And Manage Triggers
Find out your stress triggers and work to eliminate them. If, for example, driving stresses you out, take a cab or use public transport more often instead of driving your own car. To manage work-related stress, stay organized and take regular breaks at work.
If you cannot identify the causes of your stress, keep a journal. The purpose of a journal is to help you record information about feelings and thoughts related to stressful events so you can analyze them and see if there’s a pattern. A stress journal can help you understand your stress triggers in detail and come up with a plan to manage them.
Phone a Friend
Connecting with a loved one during times of stress can help to co-regulate your nervous system through the safety and comfort another person can provide. Sharing what is going on in your life with a safe person can help you feel understood and not alone in your time of distress.
When needing emotional support from another, it is good practice to first ask your loved one if they are emotionally available to listen. You can even begin by sharing with your loved one whether you are looking for a listening ear or advice. Stating your needs clearly will help you to feel supported and help your loved one to support you in the ways you need.
Reach Out For Guidance
If you are finding it difficult to overcome the feeling of stress in your life, you don’t have to go through it alone. Reach out to trained professionals at Calm Again Counseling. Our team of trauma therapists provide our clients with the skills to manage and navigate past traumas that are causing feelings of stress in their life.
Calm Again Counseling is a leading trauma therapy center serving the San Francisco area. Our team consists of the best trauma therapists in Northern California. For more information about our trauma therapy services contact us today at (415) 480-5192.