Relaxing Even When the Stress Remains

While the stress might not go away, we are able to influence our bodies to switch over from the stressed out sympathetic state to the relaxed parasympathetic nervous system state. These intricate communication networks help maintain and regulate your body function. When you’re under stress (like imagine you’re that lifeguard hustling to save a person), your flight-or-flight (sympathetic) response ups …

Messages from the heart

Is your heart beating to the rhythm of stress? We can become “comfortable” with this status—thinking that constant stress is “normal,” which in turn affects our bodies, our health. WebMd lists these effects for constant stress: depression, anxiety, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and more. So, when there is a tool that helps us manage long-term stress (because who doesn’t need that …

Sleep: The Magic Pill

As a culture, we’ve built a habit of sleep deprivation based on the belief that sleep isn’t  essential. Maybe you can relate to that voice inside that says, “I’ll sleep when I die.” I know I can! I’ve also declined sleep in the “name of productivity” too many times. Culturally, we seem to find it easy to get into the …