The unfortunate fact is, we rarely stop to think what fast-paced lifestyles, sedentary jobs, unhealthy or erratic dietary habits, and lack of exercise does to our health and overall well-being. Our bodies have an inbuilt system for speed and stress; however, they also have a powerful hard-wired system for quiet and relaxation. Using the right system at the right time can help us move through life efficiently and faster, yet without burning out our physical bodies.
No matter which way you look at it, the modern world is designed to increase stress levels. Wherever you look, you see people suffering from lifestyle-related diseases such as anxiety, depression, chronic migraine headaches, indigestion, obesity as well as more complex health problems such as diabetes, heart conditions and more. While every person has their own ways of coping with stress, research indicates that most of these aren’t effective.
There’s a lot of stress-related research undertaken by neurology experts, which indicates that the most commonly used stress-busting strategies are also reported to be highly ineffective by the very same people that use them.
For instance, only a meager 15% of individuals that eat certain foods to reduce stress, report that they are actually effective. Many people gorge on chocolate when they feel depressed or anxious; most of these people will also tell you that eventually, the only reliable change they experience in their mood by consuming their food of choice is an increased level of guilt.
Effective Tips For De-Stressing
We at Silver State Neurology firmly believe that keeping stress at bay requires a combination of techniques. Here are a few tips for de-stressing after a long work week:
1. Clench Your Facial Muscles Tightly And Then Relax Them
The connection between your body and brain is always a two-way street, which includes a distinctive feedback loop. This means if you are unable to get your brain to direct your body to calm down, you can use your body to calm your brain down. When your brain gets stressed, your muscles will tighten up.
Tense muscles relay a signal back to your brain telling it that you’re stressed. This makes it crucial to breaking the loop. You can do this by clenching your facial muscles and then relaxing them. This helps your body send a signal to your brain telling it that you aren’t stressed anymore and that your brain should de-stress too. Some of the most important muscles you should relax are the facial muscles because these have the most effect on emotion. However, relaxing your abdomen, butt and hands are equally important too.
2. Slow, Deep Breathing Techniques
This is one of the simplest and most effective tips for de-stressing that you can do at any time and anyplace. You don’t need a specific setting or time to do some slow, deep breathing exercises. The vagus nerve in the human body is one of its primary emotional highways. It constantly sends signals up to your brain and to your heart and plays a vital role in regulating the body’s fight-or-flight system. Direct stimulation of the vagus nerve is a great way to fix these issues.
The manner in which you breathe can impact the way your vagus nerve functions. As a matter of fact, it’s one of the quickest ways to alter your emotional state. Deep breathing connects to the brain via signals that are carried by this vagus nerve. This signaling is vital in activating the parasympathetic nervous system (circuits for relaxation and resting).
When you consciously breathe slowly and deeply, it increases your vagus nerve’s activity levels and catalyzes your brain towards parasympathetic activity, which helps calm you down. Breathe very slowly through your nose up to a count of six or eight. Then pause for just a couple of seconds at the peak of your inhalation and exhale very slowly via your nose for that same count.
3. Splash Your Face And Neck With Cold Water
Splashing cold water on your face jolts your vagus nerve and slows your heart rate down. Your brain will feel the drop in your heart rate and tells it not to continue being stressed. If you’re feeling anxious, stressed or overwhelmed, simply cup your hands under cold water and, splash it quickly on your face.
Other Useful Tips For De-Stressing
In addition to all these pointers, some of the other things you can do include:
•Eat and drink sensibly, at regular intervals
•Assert yourself and learn to say “no” when you are overworked
•Exercise regularly
•Maintain a healthy and nutritious diet
•Get a sufficient amount of sleep and establish a regular sleep routine
•Set realistic health goals and stick to them
•Listen to calming music
•Watch kitten/puppy antics videos
•Dance/play an instrument or indulge in some other fun activity
•Socialize and meet up with friends
•Spend leisure time with family
•Learn to relax, think positive and laugh a lot
•Stay away from your phone and other electronic devices for some part of the day
Neurological Stress Reduction Therapy
Looking after your body & mind are some of the most important things to do to boost your long-term memory, reduce stress and improve brain function. While all of the above-mentioned tips for de-stressing are ones you can follow on a regular basis to reduce your stress levels, there may be times when you feel you need some additional help.
Consider consulting our experienced Las Vegas Neurologist; Dr. Milford will assess your condition and provide treatments for diseases/disorders that can come from excessive stresses or strains in the brain. They will adopt a holistic neurological stress reduction therapy approach to help increase core level energy, promote natural & healthy detoxification, boost your immune system, and bring the body and mind back to balance.
De-stress therapies aren’t a one-time activity. It’s about taking small steps and making seemingly minor changes to the way you think, work, act and react, to help you live a stress-free and healthy life.
