Self Care Can Help Keep Stress In Check

By Mary Ellen Zung, Mary Ellen Zung Health Coach 
​Is Work Stressing You Out? How does too much work, or stress effect your self-care, health and happiness? Think about it: you spend eight to 10 hours a day, five days a week at work. Chances are you spend more time with your coworkers than anyone else in your life. Some of us are still working from home, but are glued to our computers for that time. Many of us wear stress as a badge of honor, convinced that productivity requires endless turmoil. How does stress inform your food choices?  

We know that sugar turns on our brains’ reward system and that dopamine makes us feel better (for the moment). Do you ever turn to sweets when feeling stressed?  Keeping stress in check with selfcare is one of the ways to reduce sugar cravings.

Here are some things I rely on for selfcare that help keep my stress in check based on how much time I have:

Only 1 minute:

Breathe!  Deep diaphragmatic breathing is one of the most important things we can do to lower stress in the body even just for a minute.  Conscious deep breathing sends a signal to our brain and nervous system to relax and we become calm. Those things that happen when you are stressed, such as increased heart rate, fast breathing, and high blood pressure, all decrease as you breathe deeply to relax.  If you find you are just breathing into your lungs, try to get that breath deep into your belly – that’s deep diaphragmatic breathing and that’s what your body needs to reduce stress and feel calm.

Just 3-5 minutes:

Guided Meditation App – I’ve got a few meditation apps on my phone and all it takes is a few clicks of a button to take a 3-5 minute meditation break and get the benefits of calming the nervous system.  Try Headspace, Smiling Mind, or just one called the Breathing App that helps you pace your breath in and out.

Get Up and Walk Around – I purposefully have a chair at my desk that is not really built as a long-term comfortable chair!  It makes me get up and stretch and walk around.  I like to get up and go outside into the back yard, breathe in the air and see the sky and trees just for a few minutes.  It helps me refocus on the next task.  My standing desk also helps me stretch and practice balance.  If you are in the office, take a 3-5 minute walking loop around the floor, or up and down the stairs.

EFT Tapping – Have you heard of tapping, or Emotional Freedom Technique? It’s much more than stress relief, but it can be just that in a few minutes time.  I have The Tapping Solution app on my phone that leads me through the exercises.

Stretch – Stay at your desk but get up and stretch.  Put your hands up in the air, bend and touch your toes, bend from the waist and go side to side, do some slow neck rolls.  It’s amazing how stretching throughout the day can help maintain focus and energy. You can even do this while in a meeting with headphones.  Just turn off your video for a few minutes.

15-30 minutes:

Take a Walk Outside – As the weather cools, make sure you’ve got your hat, scarf, and gloves ready to go.  Enjoy the sun, sky and the colorful leaves.

Call A Supportive, Positive, Listening Kind of Friend or Family Member- In this world of emails, texting, and IM’s, there’s nothing like a really voice on the other end of the phone, and they’ll be happy to hear from you too.

Mary Ellen Zung, BA is a Certified Holistic Health Coach helping her clients with lifestyle change for overall health and wellness. She can be reached at [email protected] and through her website www.maryellenzung.com.