5 Ways to Hack Stress

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The other day, I was feeling extremely overwhelmed and stressed out. I was pissed off about my relationship and how things were transpiring. I was disappointed and angry, feeling that I had been wronged, that my significant other didn’t even care about my feelings. This my friends, is the normal cycle of any relationship, as many of you already knowing being married or in a romantic relationship. We have our ups, and our downs, but sometimes it can be more difficult to bounce back from those lows where you just feel really stuck. I knew this feeling of stress was not healthy for me, or the energy I was putting out to my family. I was in desperate need of a state change. I took a second to debrief myself and came up with the following game plan to hack my stress.

1). Breathe

Over the last year, I’ve learned just how integral the breath is to our health and how it not only controls our oxygen content but also has a massive effect on our organs and central nervous system. Controlling our breath can help regulate our autonomic nervous system, which controls our heart rate, digestion, respiratory rate, etc. I’m a big fan of box breathing, which simply just focuses on inhaling for a count of 4 seconds, holding for a count of four, exhaling for a count of four, holding for a count of 4, and then repeating the cycle. Simply doing this type of breathing for about 10 rounds will change your state dramatically, and put you in a more dominant parasympathetic state.

A second breath routine I like for stress specifically is the 4-7-8 breath technique. This works by inhaling for a count of four seconds, holding for a count of seven, and then exhaling for eight seconds. I prefer doing this type of breathing with alternate nostril breathing, meaning I will inhale for a four count with my left nostril, while holding my right nostril closed. I plug both nostril shut for seven seconds, and then I exhale out of my right nostril for eight seconds. I repeat the cycle again, only beginning this time with my right nostril (inhaling).

2). Gratitude

In times of stress, it’s imperative you connect with your heart, and connect with gratitude. What are you grateful for right now? So many times I fall down this wicked path of only thinking about myself, and how poor my life is, and oh why is it so difficult for me? Poor me, poor me. But really I have a beautiful life. There are people in way worse conditions than me, and I am lucky for my good health, a three year old healthy son that loves me, a job that gives me the opportunity to work extra hours to make more money, etc. Stop focusing on what’s wrong, and start focusing on your blessings. Like Tony Robbins said, “You can’t be angry and grateful at the same time.” Those two emotions just aren’t congruent.

3). Essential Oils

I have been huge proponent of essential oils and only recently discovered them in the last two years or so.

Lavender

I typically use lavender for sleep and helping me calm down before bed. But in this case, I needed something that I knew would have a more immediate effect on my overall nervous system. I placed one drop on the back of the neck. I placed a second on my forehead, and rubbed some of the residual oil on my temples. I then inhaled the smell into my nostrils for three deep breaths.

Peppermint

Peppermint oil is a second oil that I am a fan of when it comes to headaches. I have had pretty good results from peppermint oil in the past, so I included this in my concoction. I did the exact same application process as the lavender (stated above).

4). Iodine & L-Tyrosine

I had been taking L-Tyrosine in the past during shifts at work where I was under stress, or knew I would be staying up past 2 AM to write reports etc. I especially took when I knew I was getting off at 2 AM and then waking up early and would be on little sleep. This supplement seemed to aid in overall overwhelm and stress, as L-Tyrosine is an amino acid that assists with thyroid function and overall stress management.

Dave Asprey, founder of Bulletproof Exec, even recommends you take iodine as supplement during bouts of stress, as it’s already a mineral that’s severely depleted in our modern edits, and also plays a role in thyroid function, hence overall hormone production/function. On this recommendation, I stacked the above two listed supplements to aid in overall stress management. I felt like it had positive effect, and kept me more balanced throughout the remainder of the day.

5). Shake it Out, Roll it Out, or Acupressure

Finally, shake your stress out. You could exercise or do something as simply as shake voluntarily for two minutes. They actually have people doing this and is what is known as “Shaky Therapy.” This is going to help release hormones that decrease cortisol and stress and clear out the lymphatic system of waste and garbage. I personally purchased a vibration machine, which is an expensive investment, but it has done wonders for me in regards to relieving stress or simply getting a quick 5-10 minute workout in during my busy day.

Another thing to consider would be to jump on some type of rumble roller or other myofascial device to help roll out some of that tension that often builds in our necks or backs. We often hold a lot of that stress there, and by rolling it out, we actually release relaxing neurotransmitters from our brain.

Lastly, you could hop on an acupressure mat. I have recently fallen back in love with this thing, using it when I’m stressed before bed, or it even helps with a lot of back tension. There really is nothing like a whole bunch of needles poking you in your back to make you forget about stress

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Photo: Getty Images

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