Devin Burke, your Health and Performance Coach, shares three tips for managing stress for a better life and more restful sleep.
Beyond Stress Management
A lot of folks think about stress, stress management specifically. But I want to talk to you about becoming the Master of Your Stress.
How do you know you are a master of your stress?
Number one is when you understand it and consistently apply techniques to shift your perceptions. Stress management is a weaker approach of merely going through the motions, trying to do certain things but not doing them consistently, or understanding what you are doing.
Here are some simple techniques you can apply in your life to become a master of your stress.
How Do You Become a Master of Your Stress?
First is understanding and realizing that until you become aware of what’s causing you to stress, you won’t be able to master it effectively.
We often go through life while not being present or taking the time to consider what is causing the stress. We can stress about anything, like little concerns and worries.
Everything in life could be perfect, but you could still find something to stress about.
Developing a practice allowing you to connect with what is causing your stress at any given moment is vital. Your process can be as simple as asking yourself: What is causing my stress?
Where do You Store Your Stress?
The second crucial element of becoming the master of your stress is to understand how you store it in your body.
Today, most of our stress is not physical but mental, emotional stress that becomes physical stress. We store tension in our body, often in our neck and shoulders, causing neck muscles and shoulders to tighten. Or we hold our stress in the stomach creating digestive issues, or in our lower back or face delivering similar results.
Release Your Stress
The next thing you need to do is have a simple technique and strategy to release that stress.
There are multiple approaches to releasing stress, such as exercise, meditation, deep breathing, and mental reframing. One of the easiest and simplest ways to remove stress from the body in the moment is simply using your breath.
This strategy can be in the form of meditation or taking time to breathe. Often we get so caught up in life that we forget to breathe. Like when somebody jumps out and scares us, what’s the first thing we do? We hold our breath, which is the last thing that we need to do.
We need to breathe; we need to expand, and we need to move that energy out of our bodies.
This strategy can be as simple as breathing in through your nose, deep down into the diaphragm, out through your mouth, and counting up to 10.
Do this 2, 3, 4, 5 times, consciously focusing on your breathing, and suddenly you’ll notice it’s like a dial turns down your energy, and you’re able to get to that centered, more peaceful place; A simple, accessible technique.
Be Consistent
Stress happens, but guess what? We forget simple strategies like breathing and merely go through the motions. Maybe we go to the kitchen for something to eat, kick the dog, or get in a fight with our spouse. Becoming the master of your stress requires remembering these techniques.
It is crucial that you are consistent with your practices. Consistency is an essential part of mastery. Developing a straightforward technique for releasing stress from your body is the most effective way to become the master of your stress.
Stress and Disease
We can link every known disease to stress which is why you must learn to be the master of your stress. Of specific concern is insomnia. Most people don’t understand the reason they have trouble sleeping is not that they use the wrong supplements or do not own the best mattress. Their sleep challenges arise from being unaware of their chronic stress and the lack of an effective strategy to release it from their bodies.
Sleep is the primary factor relating to our energy and health, and 6 out of 10 Americans suffer from sleep challenges. We can miss a meal or skip exercise for a day, but not sleeping for a night tremendously impacts our energy and health.
Summary
Stress is an unavoidable reality of life, making mastering stress an essential element in protecting your health. Become a master of your stress by, number one, understanding what’s causing you stress, number two, understanding where you’re storing that stress; and number three, consistently practicing stress management techniques as simple as breathing.
Final Thoughts
I hope this helps you understand the critical nature of managing stress for better health and more restful sleep. You can take advantage of the Sleep Science Academy proprietary program and professional sleep coaches to further your mastery of stress.
Our integrated and holistic approach delivers results and restful sleep for clients daily.
You can learn more about Dynamic Sleep Recalibration (DSR) and how it can help you achieve better sleep here.
If you are committed to results, contact us today and schedule your free
evaluation to learn more about the Sleep Science Academy difference.