[readolog_dropcap ]E[/readolog_dropcap]xcess stress that directly affects the health is something that I see quite frequently as a Personal Trainer in the Tri-State area. The very fast-paced lifestyle that people living near New York City experience and the demands of such a high-cost area causes people to be very YANG and expend large amounts of energy.  In this article I will explain how to not let an aggressive area or lifestyle affect your health negatively, through the stress management techniques that have helped me. 

I would define bad stress as any stimulus that negatively impacts the mind and body, or even stress that the body can normally handle under normal circumstances, but cannot handle during periods of low energy.

Maybe one day you can handle lifting heavy weights for 2 hours, but this does not mean that you can do the same workout the next day after a long day at work. This is an example of stress that can be good one day being negative the next day.

Negative stress would be:

• Unnecessary worrying
• Anxiety
• Relationship troubles
• Financial Problems
• A Stressful work environment
• Working when you should be resting
• Staying up late when you should be sleeping
• Using caffeine and other stimulants when you just want to crash
• Exercising hard when you should be doing rehabilitation like yoga or walking

Sometimes some of these stressors cannot be avoided and are a part of life, so I will explain ways to make sure you manage stress effectively, starting with the most important techniques.

1. MEDITATE DAILY. In a highly YANG and aggressive environment like New York City it is important to be able to create SILENCE. Silence is a space that we get to send our energy inwards back into our body. We cannot always be going outwards and expelling energy, we need to reflect in to truly grow and resolve issues that are physical in nature, but require an inward reflection to solve.

Start by doing a silent meditation every single day, many recommend: sitting upright in a comfortable and supportive chair, closing the eyes, and focusing just on your breathing. During periods of high mental activity and stress it will be very difficult to silence your mind and get your thoughts to quite down, however this is OK.  Keep practicing your meditation.  After a few days or weeks the effects are cumulative and you will notice that your thoughts are not as frequent and you can really relax and silence the mind.

[readolog_blockquote ]We cannot always be going outwards and expelling energy, we need to reflect in to truly grow and resolve issues that are physical in nature, but require an inward reflection to solve.[/readolog_blockquote]

In many eastern practices meditating is considered more important for the body’s energy systems than food. Remember that at first it is OK to have thoughts and a lot of mental chatter, just keep coming back to your breath when you get distracted, the point is to OBSERVE your thoughts, this brings you to a higher level of awareness.  Instead of being CONSUMED by your thoughts, you can OBSERVE them, and then work to SILENCE and CHANGE them.  Think of this as a positive form of brainwashing. It is said that the human brain has anywhere between 20,000-70,000 thoughts per day (depending on where you look), most of which are negative in nature, which many believe has to do with how we evolved. We live in a modern world where all our safety needs are met and we no longer fight for survival on a daily basis.  The problem is that our brains did not catch up as fast as our lifestyles have evolved, I believe over-stimulation from technology also plays a role in our minds being so over-active, so we must learn to have CONTROL of the mind.

Meditating and breathing deeply puts you in touch with your body, breathing deeply allows you to access your HEART and GUT. Make sure you breathe all the way down to the bottom of your belly and take deep belly breaths when you meditate.  Take notice of where you are holding on to tension, whether it is in your chest or your stomach.  This nervous tension is the result of STRESS, and by breathing into it you can manage stress and get rid of stress in your body on a daily basis.

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The best times to meditate include:

• Early in the morning
• Before bed at night
• Before and after work
• During a lull in the afternoon
• In the car during a break at work…
• ANYTIME.

If you are somewhere where you cannot meditate but need to connect to your body just take 3 slow and very deep breaths.

2. Do not let stress make you reach for unhealthy or processed food, let stress be a sign that you need to eat BETTER! Managing stress means that you respond and adapt to it effectively. When I am under a lot of stress, lets say I am working a lot, I have to travel, and things with my woman are a bit shaky; I know that reaching for food that over-stimulates my body and is processed will just make all of these things WORSE. During periods of high stress it is even more crucial that you eat CLEAN. Some great things to do when you are in a period of high stress would be to consider eating very lightly and maybe even going vegetarian for a few days, this will allow the body to devote all of its’ energy to repairing and recovery as opposed to over-burdening the system with digestion.

Think about how often you or someone you know reaches for shit food under periods of high stress. The 30 seconds of escape and relief you get from the problem does absolutely nothing to solve the problem.  Try instead to use the stress as a challenge to INCREASE your self-control.  I will often FAST during periods of high stress to allow my body to devote all energy towards my stressors.  Adjusting your diet, when needed, to adapt to the stress you are under is key for managing stress well.

[readolog_blockquote ]Try instead to use the stress as a challenge to INCREASE your self-control.[/readolog_blockquote]

Never reach for processed food, if anything eat some feel-good non-processed foods that you can use as a REWARD in a healthy way at the end of the day. For me if I have a long day at work I will allow myself to splurge with a piece of organic dark chocolate with a bit of honey at night, but I never reach for a doughnut during my break when I am under stress at work; can you see the difference?

3. Use working out and expelling energy to manage stress and get tension out. Sometimes when we get extremely tense and stressed the best way to get rid of tension can be to match the stress that we are under and do a high intensity workout. For example if you work at an office job and are in your head all day and are highly frustrated with other people, you may want to scream and throw weights around in the gym, this is an example of working out being great at balancing stress.

4. Use REHABILITATIVE and RESTORATIVE practices with the body during periods of high stress. Sometimes working out at a high intensity can be more HARMFUL to the body than good. If you want to get rid of stress without a grueling workout you must focus on RESTORATIVE exercises for the body.

Rejuvenating and restful forms of physical activity would include:

• Yoga has many known health benefits for stress relief.
• Walking is the best way to let go and calm the mind.
• Deep stretching
• Foam rolling techniques
• Massage therapy
• Deep breathing

It is ALWAYS a good time to get into the body, but sometimes we do not need to work out, sometimes we need to do restorative inward flowing activities. Deep stretching is an amazing way to manage stress, I would HIGHLY recommend participating in a yoga class as the collective energy can be healing for the body. Take the time to learn a few simple yoga poses and allow yourself to BREATHE deeply. Getting rid of stress is as much a physical process as it is a mental one, and deep stretching allows us to find where our body is manifesting the stress physically. For example you may notice that the hips or low back get very tight during high stress periods in your life, knowing which stretches to do and what ones your unique body needs can greatly aid you as an individual

5. Sing and dance to get rid of stress. Singing from the belly and using your diaphragm and vocal chords to the best of your ability is very restorative. When we sing, our vocal chords are capable of producing powerful vibrations that can resonate throughout our body and are amazing at relieving stress! The best way I have learned to get rid of nervous tension in my stomach and chest is to sing deeply and loudly. Pick some rock songs that you really like and just wail off, I just try to match the singer’s voice note for note as best I can with my own voice. Singing regularly and powerfully once your ability increases will vibrate the tension right out of you. I like to sing the most when I am in my car driving somewhere. Dancing is just as powerful of a tool because it also allows us to get into our bodies, you will notice that dancers often have a great glow to their skin because they are constantly draining their lymph systems and shaking out tension through dance. Going out to a show where you can sing AND dance is an even more powerful way to get good vibrations throughout the whole body that are very effective at managing stress.

6. Get a full night of sleep to manage stress during stressful periods. A full night of sleep allows the body to repair itself and subconsciously heal and recover on a neurological level from the events and stress of any given day. During high pressure days or weeks it is best to not stay up late and rise early in the day. Sleep is TOTAL rest and you will especially need it to physiologically and emotionally recover from stress on a daily basis. Not getting a full night of sleep during periods of stress can be sustained for a while but will often lead to a terrible crash. Avoid this crash from the beginning by ensuring you make sleep a priority.

7. Cultivate your creative energy and learn how to play!  This is similar to singing/dancing.  But anything that allows you to completely express yourself creatively is a great way to unwind from the rigidness and conformity of the day/week.  Try painting with some friends, or just vegging out to some of your favorite mellow music.  Playing sports or boardgames can be a great way to play.  The idea is to find an activity that does not make you overly stressed itself, so football for example may not be the best game, but something like a game of pool would be great.

8. Take time to connect to a loved one.  Even if the only person you can connect with is yourself, show yourself some love by doing some restorative reflection and meditation.  Connecting to others is such an important component of being human, many times when I come home from a stressful day I see my family and within minutes I am laughing and smiling, I know everything will be ok.  Human connection, laughter, touch, and love, are all key components of staying strong in times of stress.  Reach out to others and ask for help if you need it!  They will love the opportunity to help you out and you can return the favor down the line.

9. And lastly, express gratitude.  This one can be a bit tricky, especially when we are at our wit’s end.  But the key to being happy is to always find something to be grateful for.  I often thank my legs, my family, my health, my spirit, the food I can eat, the resources I have.  I find that being grateful for these things allows me to continue attracting these material things and experiences into my life.  ALWAYS be grateful for a connection from another human being, and return the favor.  In my opinion, one of the biggest forms of ignorance is allowing your own bullshit to get in the way of connecting with someone else who is being happy and reaching out.  Always find the silver-lining, in my moments of need it has truly helped.

Managing stress is about understanding our physiology and our emotions.  We are dynamic beings and are always changing and evolving.  Periods that we are under stress may mean we need to change some things in our lives, but it should never make us feel like we need to escape.  What I mean is that we should never let stress get the best of us.  There is no need for alcohol, sweets, or other compulsions to arise during periods of pressure when we can find healthier outlets that allow us to become more stable, such as meditation.  Making these changes from unhealthy outlets that only provide temporary relief, to techniques that make LASTING changes, is the key to managing stress long-term and staying healthy and vibrant for years to come.

Getting rid of stress and tension is a relationship we must have with our psychology and our physiology, so take the time to get to know yourself, to meditate deeply, and to allow yourself REST and PLAY during times of distress. Here is to managing stress in a healthy and functional manner.