Stress is something we can't avoid, especially in our current highly stimulated world.
Stress Awareness Month is a nationwide campaign created to raise recognition of the harmful influence of stress and teach individuals how to properly manage it. Research has shown that 80 percent of medical visits are due to stress-related illnesses. Now, let us look at the physical and psychological changes that occur in the body when someone is under stress and find ways to cultivate chronic resistance of the mind, body, and soul, so stress will not have control over a person's life.
Stress is a feeling of pressure or strain caused by a particular demand or event.
Anything that activates the fight or flight reflex in the body is stress. Any kind of stimulus, whether it is real, perceived, mental, or physical, triggers the same reaction, namely, the manufacture of glucocorticoid.
Every system in the body is affected by stress, ranging from your digestive fire to metabolic operations to your immune system, nervous system, musculoskeletal system, and even your heart. All of these systems that are essential for the proper functioning of the body are adversely impacted by too much stress.
When the body senses tension, it goes into a fight or flight mode, which is controlled by the sympathetic nervous system. It interprets a normal day of pressure from the deadline in the same way as if you were being chased by a predator. Blood flow to the extremities is accelerated, heart rate increases, and glucose is diverted to help you confront the stress. Therefore, an overactive fight or flight response leads to weakened immunity and increased inflammation.
On the other hand, when you relax around the campfire or spend time with your loved ones, the body recognizes it is a safe environment. The parasympathetic nervous system then starts the digestive process, facilitates nutrient absorption, regulates sleep, activates sex organs, aids fertility and libido.
What Factors Generate Stress for You?
There are a lot of different factors in today's society that can build up stress, such as familial issues, financial struggles, maintaining relationships, health, employment, eating habits, and transportation.
Additionally, a lack of spiritual connection, loneliness, disconnection from nature, negative emotions, not having enough time for oneself, working too much, not getting enough rest, anxiety, and addictions like overeating and being overstimulated by media and screens can lead to a heightened stress level.
3 Ayurvedic Techniques to Reduce Stress
Spend Time in Nature
Research indicates that being in the outdoors can be beneficial for our mental health. Every one of us is a combination of the four elements of nature: air, water, earth and fire. Hence, spending time in the environment is a way to interact with the universe and come closer to our real selves.
Physiologically, spending time out of doors in the morning, particularly at sunrise, produces serotonin in the body, which is the pleasure hormone. It can be viewed as a natural antidepressant and can help reduce nervousness.
Try to set aside a period of time each day as a part of your daily routine to be in nature, both in the morning and at dusk. This will not just give you a much-needed exercise, which leads to the release of endorphins, but can also reduce your cortisol levels. Cortisol is the hormone linked to stress, which is usually at its highest from 6 to 8 AM. In today's world with its numerous and ongoing sources of stress, cortisol is constantly being released throughout the day, resulting in ongoing stress.
Practice Self-Abhyanga
Abhyanga, which is an Ayurvedic practice of self-care, is known as Snehana. It's a ritual that is not only a demonstration of self-love but also a means to keep one's feet firmly planted in the here and now.
Adding this to your daily routine prior to taking a shower can assist the body in managing the stress of the day. When a stressor arises, the mind and body can recall the feeling of being nurtured and rooted in the moment, thus allowing the parasympathetic nervous system to remain active even if the sympathetic nervous system triggers the fight or flight reaction.
My beginner guide to self-abhyanga can be found here on the blog.
Primordial Sound Meditation
Primordial Sound Meditation is a method of healing by engaging in the continual, silent recitation of a mantra that is specifically created based on the date, time, and location of one's birth. It is a personal mantra, and it can unlock deeper levels of consciousness that are usually not attainable.
This form of meditation helps people understand that they are part of something larger than themselves–the universe. Practicing mindfulness more often can make everyday stressors less burdensome, and even if one is not able to alter the stressor, they can still choose how they respond to it and modify their attitude towards stress.
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