Tips to Lower Stress and Improve Your Overall Health

Susie Berg

Aug 5

2 min read

Stress sets off an alarm system in the body, making your heart beat faster, causing blood pressure to go up and giving you more energy. The primary stress hormone, cortisol, rises and with it sugar gets pumped into the bloodstream. This is helpful when your body needs to act quickly from a threat, or your body has been injured. Once a perceived threat has passed, hormones return to typical levels.

But when stress is always present, this fight-or-flight reaction stays turned on. The high levels of cortisol and other stress hormones can disrupt almost all of the body's processes. This can increase your risk of health problems, like depression, digestive problems, headaches, heart disease, high blood pressure, sleep problems, weight gain and memory/focus.

walking in nature improves health — Walking in nature **improves mental health, lowers stress, and boosts physical fitness**. Even a 5-minute nature walk can be beneficial for your mood.

The fact is, life brings stressful events with it - we can't change that. But we can control how we react to these events. Here are some tips to lower stress; when you practice them regularly, they become habits and a natural part of your routine.

Tips to lower stress:

Plan brief, but consistent, breaks throughout the day to breathe deeply and calm the nervous system (see the guided relaxation exercises linked below)
Get regular exercise most days of the week. Even a 10-15 min walk to clear your mind during the day counts. Exposure to nature has additional benefits, like lowering blood pressure
Schedule a meeting as a walk outside
Schedule time for your passions: read a book, listen to music or go for a walk
Keep a journal - write about your thoughts or what you're grateful for in your life
Eat a healthy, balanced diet
Get enough sleep - aim for 7-8 hours per night

Here are several guided relaxation exercises:

Mindfulness Exercise: Body Scan (6 min)

The 5-4-3-2-1 Method: A Grounding Exercise to Manage Anxiety (4 min)

The Butterfly Hug (3 min)

Changing your habits on your own is often difficult to achieve. Working with a health coach for several months can give you the support and accountability you need to establish new habits successfully.