Tips for coping with stress
Chronic stress has significant consequences for your health: high blood pressure, elevated cortisol levels, sleep disturbances, muscle tension and headaches, and can even lead to depression and the risk of burnout. We’ll show you the best ways to find peace and quiet between periods of stress:
Tip 1: Take an ice bath in the morning once a week
Everyday stress represents a continuous, constant and moderate stressor for our bodies. With ice bathing, on the other hand, we introduce an extreme stressor. This triggers what is known as a ‘stress reset’, and the body comes to perceive normal everyday stresses as ‘less’ significant.
How ice bathing works: You step into the cold water up to your chest; your head must not be submerged, as the heat loss would be too great. Ice bathing should last a maximum of 3–5 minutes; afterwards, it is important to warm up properly to prevent hypothermia. Further health benefits include a strengthened immune system and the body releasing endorphins, which make you feel happy.
Please note: If you have any health issues, you should avoid ice bathing! A gentler alternative is a cold shower in the morning. However, this does not quite achieve the maximum effect of ice bathing.
Tip 2: Yoga exercises and breathwork
Even during stressful times, it is possible to schedule short breaks of just a few minutes, during which you can practise either yoga or breathing techniques. Both techniques have the same aim: to activate the parasympathetic nervous system! The parasympathetic nervous system is the counterpart to the sympathetic nervous system, which is active during stress. When the parasympathetic nervous system is activated, your breathing rate and heart rate slow down, digestion is stimulated, cortisol levels are reduced and the body enters a state of recovery.
Balasana (Child’s Pose) – a simple yoga exercise for stress relief:
- Spread your knees mat-width apart and let your big toes touch at the back.
- Slowly lower your bottom back onto your heels.
- Bend your upper body forwards and gently rest your forehead on the mat.
- Either stretch your arms out straight in front of you or rest them relaxed alongside your body, towards your feet.
- Breathe deeply and evenly into your abdomen and lower back.
4-7-8 method – anti-stress breathing exercise:
- Breathe in through your nose for 4 seconds.
- Hold your breath for 7 seconds.
- Exhale slowly and audibly through your mouth for 8 seconds.
It is best to perform this breathing exercise with your eyes closed and the window open. Repeat the exercise several times to lower your blood pressure.
Tip 3: Forest bathing, or ‘Shinrin Yoku’ as it’s known in Japanese
Forest bathing refers to the conscious immersion in nature using all the senses.
The best way to do this is to walk slowly and very mindfully through the forest, taking in the earthy scent, listening to the birdsong, consciously noting the variations in colour, observing animals and feeling the bark, moss and forest floor with your hands or bare feet. In coniferous forests in particular, the air is rich in terpenes, which are released by the needles of the trees, especially during the warmer months. Terpenes have been shown to lower blood pressure, regulate cortisol production, strengthen the immune system and promote general relaxation.
Tip 4: Playing music or dancing
Music always has an effect on our autonomic nervous system, whether we are listening to it passively or playing it actively. However, playing a musical instrument yourself is particularly effective: the concentration required pushes stressful everyday issues into the background. You are fully immersed in the here and now whilst making music. Furthermore, music sets the body in motion, allowing us to feel the music as well. In addition, making music – just like dancing – significantly boosts the production of the ‘happiness hormone’ dopamine.
Whilst dancing, we do need the stimulating effect of the sympathetic nervous system, as the active movement leads to increased muscle tone and faster breathing. But after dancing, the activity of the stress-reducing parasympathetic nervous system increases dramatically, helping us to relax more effectively.
Tip 5: Red light therapy
Red light with a wavelength of 620–750 nm promotes regeneration and relaxation at a cellular level. This warm light is modelled on the natural wavelengths of sunset. Red light not only promotes blood circulation, supports the immune system and aids muscle recovery in cases of tension; the latest studies also confirm that it promotes sleep and improves sleep quality. Here, too, the underlying mechanism is the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system. This effect can be measured as an improvement in heart rate variability, or HRV. Ten minutes every other day is ideal for relaxation and regeneration.
Tip 6: Combating stress with micronutrients
At first glance, it seems strange to use micronutrients to boost stress resilience. However, when you consider that B vitamins are essential for the production of various neurotransmitters (in this case, calming neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine and GABA), the importance of ensuring an adequate supply of nutrients that support the parasympathetic nervous system becomes clear. Choline, for example, is the precursor to acetylcholine. If we do not consume enough choline, acetylcholine cannot be produced in sufficient quantities. Lecithin is, amongst other things, a building block of nerve fibres; here too, a deficiency can have an adverse effect on the structure of the nerves. Phosphatidylserine, in turn, helps the body to lower cortisol levels during periods of stress.
Conclusion
There are many ways to reduce stress and boost stress tolerance. Ideally, you should combine tips 1–5 with tip 6. This not only helps the body enter recovery mode, but also ensures, from a nutritional perspective, the optimal production of regenerative neurotransmitters.
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