Stress.
Holy hell do we all have it.
It’s actually super sad for me to go down the rabbit hole of thinking how we’ve just accepted stress as a norm or badge of honor.
And we talk about stress management, but hardly implement practices.
Stress can wreck your health. Mental, physical, spiritual. After all I’ve learned about it - it’s nothing to shrug off. I’m serious!
But the sneaky thing about stress… is it’s a slow burn. You don’t usually see the impacts immediately (especially with chronic stress).
The upside of it all? There are many ways to help mitigate the amount of stress you take on. And as an Alignment Coach, I work with many folks on this super important topic.
Check out my Top 7 Stress Relief Tools I often pull out of my toolbox for myself as well as my amazing clients.
Number ONE - Nature
Of COURSE I had to start with my #1 - my true love… nature. Being outside in nature is so good for us all and we all know it deep within. And while we innately know nature is good for us, there are also now stats stacked upon stats on WHY nature is so good for us. But the one stat that keeps me up at night and is one of the main drivers behind the work I do is…
in the US and most of Europe, we spend upwards of 90% of our lives indoors.
…what in the actual heart-breaking eff.
There’s truly so much I have to say about nature (in fact the whole month of April is dedicated to this topic - sign up here to stay connected). But what I will say for the purposes of this article, is that nature heals.
Your mind, your body and your soul.
Overthinking a situation that recently happened? Go on a walk. Feeling overwhelmed with life? Spend some time sitting with nature.
You, my friend, ARE nature. You are not separate from it. Therefore, when you disconnect from nature, you disconnect from your true self. And when we have too much time disconnected from our true self - stress begins to build. When we’re stuck inside with our focus glued to screens, celebrities and big media… our brains become overwhelmed and we become further and further disconnected from ourselves.
This is why I emphasize such importance of putting down your phone and spending even ten minutes outside each day. You’ll be shocked at such a small impact can monumentally shift your life. And profoundly decrease your stress.
Number TWO - Human Design
Human Design is your unique map to how your energy works and flows. It shows why it gets blocked. And when it gets blocked - that creates stress.
Human Design is so transformational that as a Coach, I ONLY work with clients now when I know their Human Design. It’s because it’s quite literally your guide to ease (aka less stress). I won’t go into all the details of Human Design, but if you’re curiosity is piqued…
You can learn more & order your personal Human Design Guide here.
Number THREE - Mindfulness
Mindfulness comes in many different shapes and forms, styles and techniques. Essentially, mindfulness is the practice of staying in the present moment. Two of my favorite mindfulness tools are yoga and meditation (a practiced yogi would say it’s one in the same).
Both of these practices gave me the format to witness my thoughts. To learn that I wasn’t my wild monkey brain, but it was simply a part of me. I was able to learn how to create space between my negative (stress-inducing) thoughts and emotions.
Mindfulness is the couragous act of sitting with and leaning in to those thoughts that cause you stress. At first, I was terrified. In fact, I may have been more terrified of my own thoughts than anything else in the world. With my depression and anxiety - I thought if I sat with my thoughts - I would spiral down until I eventually died (no, really I did).
When the opposite ended up happening. I learned how to stop those thoughts from controlling me and my life. I found liberation. I learned how to control my brain without it controlling me.
There are many, many variations of meditation & yoga - try out a few and see what you like.
Number FOUR - No Alcohol
Unpopular opinion. But it’s an important conversation we need to be having when it comes to stress. Alcohol, my friends, is not your friend. And I’m not here to shame all over you (believe me - I LOVEDDD my alcohol) - I’m here to share a little of my experience with alcohol and stress.
About four years ago, I stopped drinking for a year. In October of last year, I stopped again and am really seeing this as a lifestyle for me moving forward for many, many awesome reasons.
The one thing I want to hightlight here is the MASSIVE difference I’ve experienced in my mental health when I am and when I’m not drinking. Even on the days when I am only having a drink or two - I notice the impact.
I won’t go into the whole explanation of this, but what I can say, is that in regards to stress regulation… alcohol:
Increases depression
Increases anxiety
Shortens your temper
Decreases your emotional resiliencey
Wreaks havoc on your nervous system
Of course, with any of these tools - don’t take my words as dogma. Play around with them. See what your stress feels like when you’re drinking. And then see what your life feels like sober. As with anything, give it some time - a day of not drinking isn’t going to make a difference, but perhaps try a 14 day detox and see what happens to your stress levels overall…
Number FIVE - Investing in Support
Of COURSE as a Coach, I prioritize investing in support for myself which is one of the biggest tools to manage my stress. I’m personally always working with someone to support me. To process verbally what’s stressing me out in life. To work with a confidant who’s on my side and to partner with someone who is unbiased to give me that view of perspective.
I, personally, have seen stress reduction be one of the main areas of improvement in my clients. I talk more about an incredible transformation in one of my clients in her story here. If you’re thinking you may want to see how working with me can help elevate your stress management plan - I’d love to set up a time to chat here.
Number SIX - Slowing the eff down
We live in a fast-paced, impatient world. As a Coach, I am faced with this challenge every day. And I came into this work going 100mph myself. I was on to the next thing while I hadn’t finished the other. I’d speed on my way to pick up my son, I’d have meetings scheduled back to back. I’d run to the bathroom in between a two minute “break”. I’d be booking times to hang out with friends and family MONTHS out because I didn’t have a moment to breathe in my calendar.
And let me tell you - this was a fast way to my burn out. After time, I started the practice of slowing down. Literally and figuratively. And woah - was it a different pace (pun intended). At first, so uncomfortable because it wasn’t what I was used to. But I kept practicing it. I started with driving. I stopped rushing, speeding, cutting people off to get there one car ahead. I started going the speed limit, driving in the slow lane (GASP) and letting people zip by me. And the more I practiced slowing down, the more my nervous system and stress dissapated.
Where are some areas you’d like to practice slowing down? Start with one and see what happens after you do. Fair warning - you will likely become addicted to a slower pace… man, is it sure good!
Number SEVEN - Joy & Levity
Last, but certainly not least… JOY & LEVITY! Some of the most underused and undervalued tools out there. When I work with my stressed out clients - one of the main areas we focus on is JOY.
We make a list of joy and learn how to prioritize joy in their life again.
I find it a true heartbreak to see how little joy we have overall as adults. There comes a time in our life when we harden off and take life SO freaking seriously. It’s truly doing us a disservice.
So, start with what actually brings you joy? YOU is the most important part here. Not what does your partner, kid, pets, boss, friends enjoy, but what do YOU enjoy? Big, medium and large. Tap into it and intentionally bring it in. Every single day!
And I want to note one last thing on LEVITY here. There is nothing that kills stress faster than laughter and lightness. The next time you find your panties all bunched up - can you laugh at yourself? Can you take a look at your grumpy face in the mirror and laugh?! Can you turn on a comedy show to laugh your ass off? Can you call up and old friend and share stories that made you once roll on the floor? Can you choose to laugh instead of clench to life? Ahhh, if we all did that a little bit more - we’d be so much healthier and happier.
On that note, I’ll leave you with some clean jokes (I actually prefer completely innappropriate jokes, but this is what the public internet gets today_:
The past, present, and future walked into a bar. Things got a little tense.
I walked past a farm, and a sign said, “Duck, eggs.” I thought that was an unnecessary comma. And then it hit me.
Why does a bride always cry at the wedding? Because she never marries the best man.
Boss told me to have a good day, so I went home.
Site (https://www.scienceofpeople.com/work-jokes/)
All this being said, there are tons of tools out there to help support you with your stress. We live in a world that tells us every minute to be stressed and stay stressed. It’s a challenge to work against this narrative, but it’s absolutely possible and imperative to live a life happily and healthy.
Sending you all the good vibes and so much love,
Taylor
About Taylor:
Taylor Short is the CEO of Harmonious Return and author of Reset Your Relationship to Your Job. As an Alignment Coach, she helps people move from feeling exhausted and overwhelmed to energized and fulfilled, without leaving their job, their partner, their life. Want to chat about how her work could help you?
