Sept 25 - How to reduce stress quickly...

Corfu Island, Greece Sept 24/22
Getting outside is great for stress!

How to relieve stress quickly...

Stress is one of those things that seems unavoidable. Even if you don’t have work stress, money stress, relationship stress or family stress very often, at some point stress will creep in so what happens when you do? Here's my inspiration for this week's blog.

I was going to write about my olive oil experience here in Corfu this week but my 19yr old daughter Halle and her 21yr old boyfriend Derek found themselves in the middle of one of Canada’s worst storms in history, Hurricane Fiona.

They moved to PEI only a few weeks ago, were staying in a temporary Airbnb and have no family or friends there yet and together they endured the Hurricane that hit in the middle of the night, Friday, Sept 23. When she finally messaged me 9hrs later all she said was one text "It was bad", my heart was breaking for them.

I felt I could only write about stress because that is what myself and so many people have gone through these last few days.

Derek and Halle inspired this weeks blog on stress

As a mother my stress level rose because I was worried about her as I was thousands of miles away unable to help her or comfort her. I can’t even imagine what she really felt that night as the storm reached Charlottetown at 3am when everything was pitch black and things were crashing down all around her throughout the night.

She texted me at 1am before the storm hit but my 1:30am and after she showed me a video of the wind and rain, she heard a loud "gunshot" which was a transformer blowing up and then I didn't hear from her for 9hrs. She was all I could think about and I had to learn how to relieve my stress and worry FAST.

Halle joined me in Cabo this past Feb 2022

Stress is one of those things that can be short term, long term and chronic.

To deal with any kind of stress we need to break things down and start with baby steps. Try with the easiest one which I believe is DEEP breathing.

As I experienced stress when my daughter was in the midst of a hurricane, what I am sharing with you today helped me cope with my short term stress and I hope they help you in whatever you are feeling. 

Recognizing when stress is affecting you is step one.

Are your muscles tense? Do you feel jittery? Is your mind racing? Is your breathing labored or you feel you can’t catch your breath? Are your energy levels either really sluggish or in overdrive?

I felt my brain was just so tired from constantly thinking of my daughter. One of the things that helped me was to GET OUTSIDE and repeat good thoughts such as “She is going to be OK”, “Everything will be alright”. Saying those affirmations helped so much!

If you feel stress and need to manage it quickly...

Breathe deeply
The absolute best tip and the easiest. Just stop, close your eyes and breathe! This has an amazing way of calming your brain and nervous system. I love Dr. Andrew Weil’s 4-7-8 breathing technique (linked below) which basically has you breath in for 4 sec, hold for 7sec and exhale for 8 sec but there is a little technique so be sure to watch the video I linked below.

Get outside
Feeling the sun or rain or even the crispness of a cold winter's day on your face can be an amazing stress reliever. Close your eyes and breathe in the fresh outdoor air. I guarantee you will feel better after 10 min outside. Just be one with nature, it’s incredible.

Repeat positive affirmations
What your mind hears your body believes so say affirmations out loud or in your head but the power of positive thoughts works. Say whatever resonates with you, “I am ok”, “Everything is going to be OK”, “I feel calm”, this is so important and it works!

Listen to music
My all time favorite song is “Let It Be” by the Beatles. Music is a powerful way for our brain to be distracted, to focus on a different frequency and thankfully in this day and age you can just search YouTube “stress relieving music” and you have all kinds of choices.

Avoid alcohol
This will do you no good at all, try warm, comforting teas, even hot chocolates or a warm cup of soup, drinking something soothing has a way of calming us instantly. Alcohol will just lead to emotions that will not serve you so stay away!

Connect with people
People that relate to what you are going through, people that can be your support system, people that will listen and not judge, just open up and talk, holding things in will only make your body hold onto stress more.

Dr.Weil's 4-7-8 Breathing Video

I hope you find these tips as helpful as I did and the biggest takeaway for you is to JUST BREATHE!
Consistent breath work daily is a great way to relax the body, mind and spirit.

Stay Calm,
Thank you for following in my journey to writing a book series!

LeeAnna.B.Nutritionist R.H.N/C.H.N
Registered Holistic Nutritionist
Certified Health Coach