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Why you need to manage your stress (and how to do it)

by Bronte Holding

Modern society is geared towards making us feel stressed. The rise of hustle culture and constant notifications, alerts, and social media posts we are exposed to can lead us to believe we always need to be working harder or doing more to be successful. However, if we aren’t checking in with ourselves, this can lead to chronic stress and cause us to live in a state of constant fight or flight. 

Here’s why:

  1. Our body cannot differentiate between a real threat (eg. a lion chasing us) and a perceived threat (eg. a looming deadline/work meeting)
  2. This means even when a threat is not physical, we respond with the same fight or flight response and elevation in cortisol
  3. Thousands of years ago, this response would help keep us alive if we needed to run/fight
  4. However, in our modern environment, this stress response can cause us to live in our sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight mode), which can lead to chronic stress/anxiety

So, it’s essential that we manage our stress effectively so we aren’t constantly living in this heightened state! Here are our top 5 stress management methods


Breathing

  1. A simple way to show your body you are not in danger is to control your breathing
  2. This will slow your heart rate and activate your parasympathetic nervous system, so your body will realise you aren't in any imminent danger

Light exercise

  1. Intense exercise/lifting heavy in the gym can activate our sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight), so if you're feeling very stressed it's best to opt for lower intensity exercise instead
  2. Go for a hot girl walk, book in a yoga session, or even just do some light stretching at home

Sleep

  1. Reduced sleep can elevate your cortisol (stress hormone) and increase inflammation
  2. Make sure you are aiming for 7-9 hours each night
  3. Establish a wind-down routine to help with this, and practice good sleep hygiene such as going to bed/getting up at similar times each day, avoiding screens before bed, creating a night time routine, not working in your bedroom if possible

Reduce screen time/social media usage

  1. Constant alerts and DM's on social media can also activate our fight or flight response
  2. Studies have even shown that those who use social media regularly have higher levels of cortisol and IL-6 (an inflammation marker) than those who don't
  3. Make sure you are scheduling phone-free time, or set time limits on your social media apps
  4. Set your phone to do not disturb at night, and be sure to avoid screen time for at least 1 hour before bed

Make time for your hobbies 

  1. Make sure you are taking time for things that allow you to switch off from work
  2. Allocate time to explore your hobbies/passions outside of your work life 
  3. Try a new class (dancing/cooking/pottery etc), do something creative (painting, writing etc) or explore nature in new ways (hiking, swimming, canoeing)

TWS Coach Bronte x 

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