If you’re living in a state of ‘fight or flight’, stuck in the overwhelming shackles of anxiety or just want to feel more calm and in control, my 2-step process will help you identify your hidden triggers to stress so you can take action right away. Here’s how:
Listen to the podcast episode of this article here!
We’re in the midst of Coronavirus and many of us around the world are in quarantine, or lockdown and it feels like the world we knew is a distant reality. The constant news cycle sensationalising the pandemic, the added pressure of home schooling or finances and the upheaval of your routine and life as you knew it is making us feel more stressed, anxious, and lashing out by comfort eating, drinking more wine and feeling more out of control.
We’re also in another epidemic – one where the demands that are being placed on us are ever increasing, and our brains and bodies are really struggling to keep up with the constant epigenetic (environmental) stressors placed on us. We as a modern society are in a crisis between our DNA and our environment, and as women have never been more stressed, anxious and unhealthy.
We have more than 14 million with metabolic issues globally and diabetes is the leading chronic disease in Australia. 67 per cent of us are overweight or obese and we are the first generation that officially has a shorter life expectancy that our parents.
And both stress and inflammation are the root cause of many metabolic dysfunctions, diseases and cancers with studies showing that many forms of cancer are in fact epigenetic, caused by 1) our environment and lifestyle, 2) our stress levels and mindset, as well as from the 3) foods we eat.
Knowing that stress is an underlying root cause, let’s take a deeper dive into how stress in your body is making you sick.
STRESS & YOUR BODY
Our stress response is controlled by the response between three endocrine glands; the hypothalamus, the pituitary gland, and the adrenal glands, known as the HPA axis.
The HPA axis controls our reaction to stress, and the hormones that get released when something triggers us into stress. Now the issue we’re facing with our modern society is the constant activation of our ‘fight or flight’ response, with not only the increasing pressure of today’s environment but also the way our brain both consciously and subconsciously deals with them.
THE STRESS RESPONSE
So what traditionally happens is something triggers a reaction in your limbic system in the brain, which then sends a signal to your automatic nervous system and adrenals, along with a cascade of hormones so you might feel anxious, or edgy, or stressed and agitated. And that’s not a major issue, but when your brain detects minor stressors like this constantly, you are releasing a cascade of cortisol constantly, which in turn stresses your body and makes you feel increasingly anxious, stressed, fatigued and frustrated.
PHYSICAL STRESS
This hormonal response also has the effect of making you want to eat ALL the sugar, or something sweet to re-fuel, so then you’re more likely to give in and eat the chocolate, or drink the wine, and you’re in a negative feedback loop which is very hard to get out of by yourself. And then you find you’re putting on more and more weight, and you’re getting more and more tired, and you can’t sleep and…you get the picture.
So stress affects us physically, or our physiology and hormones, and in turn our metabolism – but also cognitively or mentally.
MENTAL STRESS
When I speak to the driven, often incredibly ambitious women I coach and hear the thoughts, the mental blocks and the self-noise in their heads, they are able to reflect on how their internal dialogue and often subconscious thought patterns they give power to, are dis-empowering them and keeping them stuck from the reality they want; wehtehr that’s to lose weight for good, get their energy back or feel like themselves again.
These thoughts – and you may have experienced them yourself – where you doubt yourself, compare yourself with other, tell yourself you’re not good enough, not pretty enough, not worthy – and these thoughts are teamed up with a sense of overwhelm, feeling stuck, anxiety or that all consuming, crippling fear, are actually causing you hormonal imbalances and the symptoms you’ll be experience.
A COMMON STORY: STRESS & WEIGHT LOSS
This is what happened to Jane, who came to me eating healthy, she was eating a paleo diet, exercising but couldn’t lose the bloating around her lower belly and love handles despite her careful diet and exercise. We know that stress shuts down digestion so you don’t make enough stomach acid and become more sensitive to the foods you’re eating which was evident in Jane’s case.
We looked at the source of what was going on with her physiology, so her body, by tapping into Jane’s limiting beliefs, the negative thoughts she was having, without even realising what was making her live in a state of constant ‘fight or flight’, Jane wasn’t using the nutrients from her food properly being in that state, when she was constantly releasing cortisol and inflammation.
Jane struggled to wake up in the morning, and felt ‘wired and tired’ at night.
- She had trouble falling asleep at night or woke up in the middle of the night…annoyingly at 4am and couldnt get back to sleep.
- She noticed her weight creeping up and cravings were dictating the rhythm of her days.
- She was snappy with her family, tired and really struggling.
THE SOLUTION
It was then when we identified all the subconscious thoughts, dysfunctional patterns of thinking and outdated values that were no longer serving her, that Jane was able to start and rewire her default negative thinking loops.
Jane started sleeping better, feeling more relaxed and this in turn helped her digestion, balanced her hormones and lowered her stress hormones and she felt a lot more calm and in control. That’s when Jane saw her body change, her belly fat went away and she felt 100 times more energetic and with it.
If you yourself have done some investigative work, or worked with a coach in this capacity before, you’ll know the link between your stressful thoughts and poor digestion and how these affect your energy, and level of fatigue, constipation, tummy aches, excess weight especially around the middle, blood sugar issues, bloating and anxiety. So mental stress impacting you physically.
STRESS AND YOUR GUT
Recently scientists have found the link between the brain and the gut, the gut brain-axis, which confirms the effect stress has on the gut, our digestion, weight and hormones – so without dealing with the source of the underlying issue; your stress and thoughts you’ll be in a vicious negative feedback loop.
Because what I see is this: you’re having a difficult day and you reach for a piece of of chocolate from your secret stash for afternoon tea or a piece of cake after lunch because you’re tired, anxious and tell yourself you TOTALLY deserve this. Does that sound familiar?
You would love to be in control of what you do and how your body feels but what you find is that you get stressed, anxious or low in energy and you end up falling off the wagon.
Does that resonate?
If it does, you’re not alone. It’s an important but unspoken part of a complex issue.
The great things is, once you unlock this part of the process, you can see significant shifts in your energy, symptoms and wellbeing.
By taking control of the conversation going on between your central nervous and endocrine system, keeping you stuck with inflammation, puffiness, and a heightened sense of cravings, pain and stress, anxious, moody and bloated – you’re able to make rapid changes, for good.
Being aware of the triggers to stress is an effective way to manage your symptoms.
Because here’s the thing: when you have an automatic stress response to a certain trigger, like a negative thought which you subconsciously react to by eating chocolate, that’s only strengthening that ingrained stress response, or what we call the neural pathway that our brain automatically takes when it’s in a “fight or flight” mode.
That’s why both our conscious and unconscious thought patterns, our default behaviours, and our specific moods have all been wired into our brain due to our own doing and experiences.
REWIRING YOUR BRAIN
We used to think that our brain were fixed, and we now know our brain can be re-wired with some practice and that means, that we can empower ourselves in how we react to our external stress, because here’s the reality: we’ll always encounter varying levels of stressful situations in our lives, and it’s up to how we perceive and react to that stress which will allow us to either “flourish” in life, or sink into despair and overwhelm.
What we decide to focus our attention on can impact which pathways in the brain are strengthened, and overall how our brain is wired.
It’s hard to call BS on yourself.
It’s hard to identify your subconscious thoughts yourself, especially catching your underlying stress, anxiety and negative self talk you don’t realise is your internal monologue mantra, swirling around in your head. That’s why I find, through the coaching process, it’s easy to spot these reoccurring thought patterns and hold them up for what they are. Your mind is a powerful tool in rationalising and will adjust to any new reality, real or imagined.
And without addressing how you deal with your stressful thoughts keeping your body is this state of stress, you can eat all the fermented and organic food you want, but never get rid of the root cause of your weight issues.
Without addressing how you deal with your stressful thoughts keeping your body is this state of stress, you can eat all the fermented and organic food you want, but never get rid of the root cause of your weight issues. Click To TweetThis work is essential because our perception of the world is created by these “internal stories” or the mental dialogue, running through our minds 24/7.
When you repetitively have negative thoughts, of falling into a comparison trap, or of not feeling worthy, you’re signalling these exact messages as affirmations, which become hardwired in your brain – just like brushing your teeth or tying your shoelaces. You don’t necessarily realise you’re engaging in these thoughts and in turn, unknowingly turning them into your beliefs.
So what can you do to start to rewire your stress triggers? Here is my Two Step Process to take action right away.
Step 1 – Identify your own stress triggers, so tapping into the subconscious thoughts or emotional threats that are keeping you in a fight or flight state, causing you stress, anxiety and overwhelm.
Action:
Identifying your own invisible signs of stress, both the physical and the mental –is usually a game changer in reprogramming your hidden triggers. I’ve just released a free Invisible Stress Checklist in my Empowered Women’s FB Group to held you do that.
Try journaling to tap into your deeper subconscious and start to identify your hidden triggers so you’re more aware to take action when it happens.
Step 2 – Start to re-wire your automatic thoughts and actions by making new neural pathways in the brain.
Action:
You can do this by choosing and creating new habits and behaviours and doing them consistently.
I’ll now run you through some powerful ways you can do that, so you can begin to reprogram the habits, thoughts and behaviours that aren’t serving you into more positive ones so you’re more calm and in control when stress comes up.
Idea #1: Diaphragmatic breathing.
Focusing on your breath is a powerful, evidence-based tool to lower stress and anxiety because diaphragm breathing engages the part of your nervous system that rules digestion – the parasympathetic ‘rest and digest’ and helps to down regulate the ‘flight and fright’ stress response.
This process in turn influences how your body then utilizes the foods you eat so it can support a healthy metabolism, balanced hormones and happy gut which means a lower perception of stress and stronger immune system to fight COVID-19.
How to do it:
- Take a deep belly breath, hold for a count of 5-10 seconds.
- Breathe out for a count of 5-10 seconds.
- Pause for 5-10 seconds.
- Repeat 5-10 times in moments of stress.
Action #2: Physical Stress Release
The second way to support feeling more calm, relaxed and positive can take the form of a form of meditation that resonates with you, some relaxing yoga, like yin, and carving out time to do things that you love either by yourself or as a family. So generating the mind-body connection.
How to do it:
- Choose a style of yoga or meditation
- Find a quiet spot with limited distractions, turn your phone to aeroplane mode and tv off.
- Aim for up to 5 minutes when starting out, it’s about quality not quantity.
Action #3: Eat Mood Food
The third way is one of my fav’s and that is to Eat Foods Specifically That Boosts Your Mood
Researchers, led by Felice Jacka of Deakin University have confirmed that what you eat is directly correlated to your mood and perception of stress because of the gut-brain connection.
What you choose to eat on a day to day basis will influence your mood, which in turn has an effect on how calm, motivated and in control you feel.
It’s natural to crave sugary or fatty, high energy foods when you’re stressed or tired. Chocolate, sugary drinks, stimulating wine and high fat foods…and it’s hard to say no in that state!
But eating sugar and processed foods, will signalling to your brain that you’re stressed and in turn influence the exact emotions you’ll feel.
That’s why the food that you choose to eat is crucial not just for physical but mental health. Check out my podcast or article on Mood Food if you want a list of foods to focus on over at annablock.com.au/blog
Action #4: ZZZZZ’s
Sleep is one of the most influential factors when it comes to managing your stress levels.
When you’re not getting enough deep, restorative shut eye, your hormones get thrown out of whack, especially the stress hormone, cortisol.
When your cortisol levels are elevated, the functioning of your nervous system is impaired, and you’ll feel more agitated, snappy with the kids and have less willpower and motivation to keep consistent with other positive lifestyle factors that promote feeling calm and in control.
How to do it:
Good sleep starts the moment you wake up. Eating the right macronutrients will release cortisol for your morning rythym, and likewise for melantonin at night.
- In the evening, limit your blue lights or the kid’s electronics after dinner.
- Try putting your phone on aeroplane just before bed until the next morning or until you’re ready the following day.
- Come up with a relaxing bedtime routine, sticking to a consistent bed time each night.
Here’s the bottom line:
The mental processes you use are a powerful insight into your perception of reality. When I see the journey my clients take, it’s the women I see take back control, of overcoming their mental blocks and negative patterns of thoughts that have driven their actions, their anxiety and weight issues, gain the confidence and control over their health and propel themselves into the empowering vision they want for themselves and their families.
It’s about putting yourself first and recognising that this is often the key to the root cause of a lot of underlying weight loss blocks, hormonal imbalances and metabolic symptoms you may be experiencing.
Now that you’ve read the article, please comment below, how do you deal with stress? I would love to hear from you if you’ve done some work around how you deal with stress and found positive results. The best conversations are happening in my brand new Empowered Women’s Self Health Revolution on Facebook so head on over there and let me know – and if you’re not part of my inner circle, then head on over to annablock.com.au/subscribe where you can join my inner community where I share new content, tools, tactics, recipes and resources I don’t share anywhere else.