Stress

Harnessing Stress for Health

When we think of stress, it’s often the chronic kind that comes to mind:

The unending to-do list, financial pressures, traveling or the demands of modern life. But not all stress is harmful.

In fact, short-term stress, when managed correctly, can actually help us become healthier and more resilient.

Who knew 🤷🏻‍♂️

The Power of Short-Term Stress

Brief stress episodes like those experienced before a workout or when tackling a new challenge can sharpen focus and boost our resilience.

This temporary stress response enhances focus, strengthens resilience, boosts immune response, and improves performance by activating beneficial hormones like adrenaline.
Imagine it as the body's way of gearing up for a challenge. Over time, these small stress doses can help us become better at handling bigger obstacles.

One way to intentionally induce short-term stress is through techniques like Wim Hof breathing. The practice uses rhythmic breaths and brief, controlled breath holds to challenge the body in a safe way, helping to build both mental and physical resilience.

The Downside of Chronic Stress

While short bursts of stress can benefit us, long-term stress has the opposite effect. Prolonged exposure disrupts our nervous system, leading to fatigue, weakened immunity, and higher risk for serious conditions.
Chronic stress can push our nervous system into a constant "fight-or-flight" state, making relaxation difficult and ultimately affecting both mental and physical health. There are many different ways to manage stress out there; meditation, gratitude practice, but when our nervous system is already over run these techniques may not be effective.

One way that we can use our autonomic system to our advantage is using the physiological sigh.
It doesn’t require any focused thought on our end which some of the other stress reductions techniques do. Our bodies will do this without us even recognizing it sometimes as well to help provide a reset.

What It Is: A natural, double-breath technique (a deep inhale followed by a second inhale, then a slow exhale) that calms the nervous system.

• How It Works: Physiological sighing slows the heart rate by allowing blood to flow through the heart more quickly, signalling the brain to activate the calming, parasympathetic response.
  

• Benefits: Quick and easy, this method reduces stress on the spot, making it helpful in high-stress situations without requiring special tools or a dedicated practice space.

The Path Forward

Making time for intentional stress practices, like a brief workout or mindfulness technique, can improve our health and help prevent the buildup of harmful chronic stress.
As we manage the stress of our lifestyle and stay active on the road, we're prioritizing these practices to enjoy both the challenge and the benefits of staying balanced. This video from Andrew Huberman has some great insight on managing stress and anxiety. Give it a watch here 

Before I learned how to properly manage my stress, I started to get some heart problems and was on course for some serious issues. Now that I am able to recognize the difference between short and long term stress and the effects of both I can use them to my advantage to become more resilient.

The day after we had arrived to my Brothers house, my Son locked us out of the car, were all able to use techniques to help us manage the stress in that situation, taking breaths and talking it out to find a solution.

It’s just a short term stress for us and we will be laughing about it in the future I am sure.

Would love to hear what you do to help manage your stress and any stories you would like to share of a stressful situation you went through but can now laugh about.