How To Override Stress Hormones
2020 has been a tough year.
Let’s not sugar coat it, it’s been rough.
We’re not supposed to be physically distant. We need connections. The heaviness is weighing on most people, collective stress is elevated, and many of us are struggling. I mean, have you watched the news lately?
It’s hard to avoid the negativity. It’s stressful and societal anxiety is at an all-time high. The question is…
Can we turn this year around?
Let me answer this first: What is stress?
Stress a the feeling of emotional strain and pressure. Some stress is good stress like the tension athletes feel before high-stakes performances. Nervous energy and some anxiety in sport can motivate athletes and influence bold action.
But too much stress can be a bad thing. If you lose your job, separate from a spouse, struggle with grief, crumble under intense pressure at work, or find yourself living amid a pandemic, stress hormones can wreak havoc on your mental and physical health.
Some evidence suggests chronic stress is linked to severe illness. When the stress hormone cortisol is produced, it increases blood sugar levels and suppresses your immune system.
Not good. Not only do you feel the mental and emotional pain, but your physical health can also go into a tailspin.
SO, Can YOU beat stRESS?
The short answer is yes, you can. But how?
Strategies to improve stress management range from regular exercise to leaning on others for support. Time management, eating healthy, meditation, journaling, hobbies—all forms of stress management. Simply visualizing a life without stress is even supposed to help.
One thing that gets overlooked, but is catching on with some experts, is the intentional use of gratitude.
Seems obvious, right? (If you’ve been following along with me, you probably saw this coming. But get this…)
YOU CAN’T BE STRESSED AND THANKFUL AT THE SAME TIME.
Gratitude floods your brain with positive emotions and energy rather than the stress hormones that drain you. Being thankful releases oxytocin, an anti-stressor that suppresses cortisol. Oxytocin is awesome. It helps promote growth and healing in the body. It even increases pain thresholds—I know, crazy right?
To put it another way, gratitude makes you feel good! And when you feel good, it’s hard to feel bad—or stressed. Way too simple?
It’s hard to fake being thankful, it’s almost always authentic. When you spend time diving into all you have to be thankful for, it evokes a positive psychological and physiological shift. The neurochemicals and hormones released in your body when feeling authentic gratitude override the stressors.
YOU MAY HAVE HEARD ME TALK ABOUT THIS BEFORE, BUT IT’S SOMETHING YOU’VE GOT TO Try…
It’s a gratitude exercise and it’ll improve your sleep quality—which just so happens to help with stress management.
Sometimes it’s hard to shake negative thoughts and fall asleep at night. Lying in bed, stressed, with the weight of the world on your shoulders and an anxious tightness in your chest makes it downright impossible to ‘drift off’ sometimes. However, you don’t have to just lay there trying to calm down and thinking yourself around in circles.
You can turn your bad days into good days with this trick.
Take stock of your ‘wins’ and spend time feeling thankful.
Taking stock of all the reasons you have to feel thankful during the day turns all days—even your toughest days—into good days. There’s always something good you can hold onto.
When you feel sincerely thankful, oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin counteract the stress hormones adrenaline, norepinephrine, and cortisol. Serotonin is directly linked to mood and sleep. Dopamine triggers an array of positive emotions and optimism.
It’s not just a tool to improve sleep quality, it overrides and eliminates stress.
Feel thankful. Reduce stress. Drift off to sleep. Feel better. Repeat daily.
Ok, we just got to the end of 2020. It’s been a tough year. (Did I say that already?)
The real question is, can we apply the same trick to help you suppress stress over the course of a whole year?
With a track record like 2020, why wouldn’t we override the stressful narrative playing out in our minds and hearts?
Stress accumulates, so it will take some effort to wipe out 2020’s stress completely, but the holidays are a great time to rest and practice gratitude. Try intentionally taking stock of all your wins throughout the year—the big picture items. You might want to write them down and you might just find that the overriding negativity of living in a pandemic year can be reshaped by all you have to be thankful for.
Strive for consistency.
Do it for a week, a month, a year… it will change your life.
This isn’t just a one-time fix because stress isn’t a one-time deal either. If you feel stressed at work, try feeling thankful you have a job. Gratitude shifts your physiology and psychology, increasing motivation and self-confidence. Maybe you’ve got a presentation to make and that stresses you out, try thinking about how lucky you are for the opportunity to present your work. It could be your best presentation yet.
The important thing is you try it. If you don’t do something different, it’s not likely things are going to change. Stress is cumulative and the negative effects it has on us mentally, emotionally, and physically should not be left unattended.
I hope you reflect on 2020 and seek your wins. Try to feel thankful for all the good in your world, and let’s look forward to 2021 with renewed enthusiasm, energy, and excitement.
If all else fails, get a puppy! Meet Bones, the newest member of my family :)
Thanks for reading and continuing to support me. Happy Holidays from my family to yours!
With gratitude,
Mike
