Disclaimer: This article is one mom’s experience in how she has dealt with stress in her life. The information in this article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your healthcare provider before starting any new health care regimens.
As a working mom of two active girls, I was regularly feeling stressed and overwhelmed.
Over time, this started to take a toll on my body.
Sleep did not come easily and I always felt tired. I would find myself “stress eating” often, then would feel inflamed and bloated, and overall just yucky.
I had a short fuse and noticed changes with my hormones/weight gain. Also, I struggled with mom guilt, feeling like I was behind when it came to my girls’ activities and school functions.
Finally, I had enough.
Something needed to change.
I started to look at my stress and learned ways to help my body adapt to it.
For moms, I believe actually decreasing our stress is not realistic.
We’re always going to have some level of stress on a daily basis. However, I have found ways to help our bodies adapt and detox from stress.
When going through my training, I found it fascinating how your stress (cortisol) and your sex hormones (estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone) are connected.
When your cortisol levels are chronically high, there is a decrease in your sex hormones. This can lead to all kinds of symptoms. This decrease occurs since both cortisol and sex hormones are derived from the same vitamins and minerals.
We function and feel the best when all the hormones are balanced, not when we are overproducing one and underproducing the other.
Based on my symptoms I decided to address my cortisol.
Ways to Deal with Stress
Through training and research, these are the tools I have started to implement into my life that have helped immensely.
Hot Baths
Taking a hot/warm bath weekly will help relax your muscles and relax your mind. Adding Epsom or Magnesium salt will take your bath to another level.
Cold Face Plunges
Splashing cold cold water on your face can help your body adapt to stress. When I first started, I would wash my face with cold water as part of my nighttime routine. Then I moved to using a bowl of cold water and performing face plunges. These plunges can last anywhere from 10-15 seconds. This can also aid in reducing puffiness around your face.
Somatic Exercises & Breath Work
Here you can lay on your back on the floor and focus on breathing or place your legs up against the wall and drain your legs, while focusing on breathing. These exercises will shift your body from a stressed state into a relaxed state. This is great to do before bed after an overly stressful day.
Workouts
Movement is so great for many reasons, but supporting your body is my favorite reason. Depending on the state of your stress hormones/sex hormones, being mindful of your heart rate in important. Strength training and even walking at an incline can do wonders for balancing your stress and hormones. Find workouts that you enjoy and use them as a way to release stress, not as a form of punishment.
Walking
Walking is one of must underrated forms of exercise, but it’s very effective! Even 30 minutes can do amazing things for your body and a quick walk can shift your mindset for the day!
Getting Outside
Especially in the morning — getting sunlight on your face early in the day can help balance your circadian rhythm and aid in better quality sleep.
Red Light Therapy
This one is newer to me. I did purchase a red light and use it a few times a week. I do find that my mood has improved. Research shows increase in immune function and healing.
Dry Brushing
This technique is helpful to move inflammation and improve lymph drainage, which will allow your body to detox.
Oil Pulling
This one is so crazy to me. You basically use coconut oil as mouth wash and it will pull out all the toxins in your mouth. I have been putting oil on my tooth brush and brushing my tongue and the roof of my mouth for two minutes. It is nuts the color of the oil your spit out. Bonus: Oil pulling can also help whiten your teeth.
Castor Oil Packs
Using a castor oil pack a couple times a week for 10-15 minutes at a time has helped reduce my inflammation so much.
I definitely don’t do these things daily, or even weekly. I have chosen a handful that work the best for me.
During the week I work out, walk, and get outside when I can. On the weekends, I add in a castor oil pack and hot bath. If I have overly stressful days, I will try to do a cold face plunge, dry brush, or somatic exercises before bed.
Aim to add one or two practices that will fit well into your life. Don’t overthink it.
I’m definitely a work in progress, but I can feel these strategies are helping me overcome and adapt better to my daily stressors. I hope these tips will also help you!
