Effects of Stress in the Body
Stress in the body can and often does go undetected. We tend to push through, ignoring or unaware of the body’s signals, and as pressure builds up, the negative impact, while not always immediately evident, is very real. Effects include increased heart rate, the arousal of the sympathetic nervous system through the release of adrenalin and reduced activity in the parasympathetic nervous system.
Adrenaline creates changes in the body such as decreases in digestion and increases in heart rate and blood pressure. Sustained prolonged exposure to stress can cause adrenal glands to release another hormone called cortisol. Cortisone, which is the drug form of the hormone cortisol, is one of the most powerful anti-inflammatory drugs available. This can reduce your immune system’s ability to do its job to fight infection.
How to use Meditation to Manage Stress
We can’t eliminate stress, and ignoring it isn’t a viable option. Instead consider adding some meditative moments to your daily routines. It is never too late to make meditation a habit. And while it can seem counterintuitive to take out of an already too busy schedule to be still, the benefits are immense and well worth stepping out of your comfort zone.
Combined with breathwork, meditation helps quiet the mind, calming the parasympathetic nervous system, overriding the flight or fight response, altering the pH of the blood, reducing blood pressure, lowering the heart rate, and instilling a feeling of calm. It won’t take a long time to notice these positive changes.
I’m going to walk you through a quick and simple meditation and breathwork exercise you can practice every day, on your own time.
To begin, find a space that is quiet, comfortable, and away from where you are currently.
It is actually a myth that you have to empty your mind to meditate.
Sit comfortably and take 3 very deep breaths, then return to breathing normally. Run a quick body scan – send your attention to your body in parts and ‘tell’ that part to relax – start with your right foot, move up to the right lower leg, continue to the right upper leg, etc, until you have completed the whole body.
Once you have finished this – start a breath focus. Count 4 seconds and inhale for all 4. Pause for 1 second and then exhale counting 4 seconds. Do this for 10 inhales and 10 exhales. If your mind wanders to the report that is sitting on your
desk, gently push the thought away. It can come in, as long as it leaves immediately after. Don’t judge the thought or get stressed because the thought is there, just let it go. When you have finished 10 breaths, you are done. You should feel rested and refreshed, with increased focus.
Practice this once or several times a day to help train the body’s reaction to stressful situations and dampen the production of harmful stress hormones. This stillness combined with the breathing exercise will improve sleep, mood, focus and energy levels
Tracey Cooke
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Soul Training, the workshop designed to teach you that there is more to health and fitness, than just working out and eating right. Tracey leads an engaging workshop that discusses a holistic approach to fitness covering meditation, stress management, sleep, mobility and adherence.
Stress cannot be eliminated, but there are ways to cope with and decrease the negatives effects from it. Tracey discusses the wonders meditation will have on your physical and mental state, and even walks you through a quick, guided meditation.
Many of us have heard the importance of a good night’s sleep, but what benefits does it really have on our body, both physically and mentally? Tracey dives into why getting proper sleep and proper quality of sleep is critical to your health. She also discusses ways you can optimize your sleep to ensure the best quality.
Stretching and mobility work is inherent to our body’s functionality, but why do people only focus on it after an injury? Tracey examines why daily stretching is so important to our body’s wellbeing, and provides you with a few quick and easy exercises you can mix into your day.
Follow-Along Soul Training Stretches
Tracey explores the importance of staying consistent, and ways to adhere to your goals, even when life gets in the way.
Tracey wraps up Soul Training by reminding you of the four main topics we covered, how these are just as important to your physical and mental health as exercise, and how these areas will start you on the path to treating your body more holistically.