Having stress in your life is healthy. That is, it’s healthy in small doses and when experienced at appropriate times. Stress helps us push harder, run faster, and focus in on a task to ensure we execute/deliver it to the best of our ability. What we were not designed to handle was extended periods of stress (prolonged stress).
According to a 2021 survey from adults in 122 countries, 41% worldwide, report they feel constantly stressed. The US experiencing a higher average at more than 53% of those surveyed.
What can cause us to be in a constant state of stress today?
- Social media
- Text messages and notifications
- E-mails (especially on our phones)
- News (radio, tv, social media)
- Commuting to and from work (NYC!)
- The pressures and demands of our career
- Cashflow worries
- Airport travel
- Our children
- Running a business
- Overtraining (physical stress) – A good stress when managed properly.
These are just a sample of the things people tell me are causing them stress right now. Some we can manage/address/resolve, others are out of our control.
Let’s overlay the new to US filter. What does this mean? You have made the decision to pack up your life in Australia, to either progress your career, launch or grow your business, or perhaps to simply have a life adventure. Such an amazing opportunity to grow your network, experience new things and live that US lifestyle.
Moving to any new location comes with its challenges. It could be London, Singapore, Hong Kong, Sydney —the need to meet new people (human interaction), a change in ways of commuting, their nutrition habits are different, sounds, smells…the list goes on.
This is where having tools in your kit bag to manage stress is incredibly important. Those moments that cause the feeling of stress will come. Note, they will lessen over time as your resilience lifts, as you become more comfortable, as you begin to achieve success and reach milestones.
How do we know if we are stressed? Yes, you often have that feeling in your belly, but how else:
- Feeling tired all the time
- Grinding your teeth
- Snappy or grumpy
- Unable to shift body fat, especially around the midline
- Loss of libido
- An increase in consumption of unhealthy food & alcohol
- Getting colds and flus more often than previously
The question then becomes how do we manage the stress?
Some of the ways we're familiar with are:
- Alcohol
- Comfort eating
- Online shopping
- Video games (escapism)
- Exercise
- Meditation
But these are my FIVE keys to managing stress—long term:
- Exercise/Movement: This is my go-to. I always feel better after I have trained than I did before I began. The endorphins and the serotonin that is triggered leaves me feeling balanced, rewarded and calm. Yes, you can over train…so ensure there is a balance of ‘Duration v Intensity’. Message me to learn more about this concept. With movement, one big key element to ensure long term adherence is to do what you enjoy.
- Meditation: For me I find that transcendental meditation works best as the mantra helps me navigate the self-chatter (check out Tom Cronin to learn more. Happy to connect you with him). There are a variety of methodologies, so I encourage you to experiment and find the one that works best for you (guided meditation is a great place to start. Look at the apps Calm or Headspace). 5 – 20 minutes each day. No longer than 10 minutes if prior to bed.
- Breath work: In the moment I take myself out of the situation and stop to do some box breathing. This allows me to re-centre, re-focus, calm and gather my thoughts and feelings. Simply YouTube box breathing to find a guided tutorial on how to effectively use this technique. Also, explore ‘Diaphragmatic Breath’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bUW1KOEhlg
- Magnesium: There are many types of magnesium, but evidence is leaning towards Magnesium Glycinate being the best for lowering the symptoms of stress. I also increase the consumption of foods that contain magnesium such as spinach, dark chocolate (90% or above ideally), bananas, avocados.
- Vitamin D: Seek out the sun. Being cautious to not remain in the sun to the point of burning, but 5 – 20 minutes (dependent on the UV index) has been shown to stimulate the stress response. Vitamin D is also a great way to strengthen our immune system and stave off colds and flus.
Life is demanding and can easily become all too much. Sometimes we choose to take on challenges such as running our own business, moving country, pushing for the career progression or training hard for an event like the NY Marathon. Find the methods that work best for you, but always speak up, speak out and tell someone how you are feeling. Never do it alone!
I am very fortunate to be able to work with teams as part of a business investing back into their people and their performance as well as 1:1 with some incredible humans doing amazing things in business. I would love to chat with you about your situation, your stresses, your desire to invest back in your health, well-being, purpose and performance. Feel free to email me direct at [email protected].
