Things I wish I knew about stress when I was younger
A high intensity workout on a high stress day is probably not worth it. When our main stress hormone cortisol is already high, we tend to feel great and like we can keep pushing through an intense workout. This feels natural to do when we have stress hormones pumping, but it would be better to spend some time returning to a balanced state.
Only say YES to the things that you actually want to say YES to! If you aren’t met with a resounding YES I want to do this, it’s often not important enough to be worth risking the long term effects of chronic stress. It’s definitely not worth ruminating or losing sleep over, either!
Taking the time to manage stress is worth much more than missed productivity. In our society, it’s almost a brag to be super busy. We are so focused on productivity and how much we can squeeze into every day, every hour. What’s more important though, is resting just as hard as we work so that we don’t reach burnout. Burnout is not just a mental state, but a state where our physiology has likely changed in an attempt to adapt to our chronic stress levels.
A busy season doesn’t mean we have to put our health on the back burner. Actively taking time for self care and rest, even if it is just for 15 minutes, makes such a difference for our wellbeing. Daily movement and nourishment should always be top priority!
Skipping meals because we’re stressed and not hungry is not a positive. We need more nourishment to replace the loss of essential nutrients lost during times of high stress. I used to happily skip breakfast because I wasn’t hungry, but really I was missing a major cue that my body was overly stressed.
Last but not least…
Stress can destabilize blood sugar and electrolyte balance causing cravings. Adding in protein focused meals and electrolytes in the morning every day can likely help balance out this craving response!
