Living in Balance: Managing Chronic Stress Realistically in Today's World
Our culture often rewards being busy. Overworking is praised, multitasking is expected, and rest is often viewed as something you earn only after everything else is finished. It is almost impossible to isolate ourselves from these pressures. And over time they inevitably turn into chronic stress if we don’t find personalized hacks to “work the system”.
Your body was designed to handle short periods of stress—not to stay in a constant state of alert. Over time, you start living in survival mode, which begins to affect nearly every area of your health.
I have personally experienced some of the very serious health consequences that chronic stress can create (see link below to read my story). I highly recommend trying some of the following strategies to help create life balance before you are on the receiving end of some of those consequences.
How do I Know if I am under Chronic Stress?
If you've been feeling stuck within modern life’s expectations, chronic stress may be showing up as:
- Poor sleep or difficulty quieting your mind at bedtime
- Muscle tension, headaches, digestive problems, or elevated blood pressure
- Irritability, mood swings, feeling overwhelmed, or difficulty making decisions
- Increased cravings for sugar, comfort foods, substances or other habits that temporarily soothe your nervous system
The encouraging news is that you don't have to eliminate every stressor in your life. That's not realistic. Instead, you can build habits that help your nervous system recover, making you more resilient when stress inevitably comes.
Through research, personal experience and observing what has helped others, I have seen the following simple stress-relieving strategies be very effective.
Keep reading and consider personalizing some of these ideas to implement them into your own life…
Throughout your Day
Schedule Small Nervous System Breaks within Each Day
One of the biggest misconceptions about stress management is that you need an hour-long meditation or an expensive vacation to feel better.
In reality, your nervous system responds remarkably well to small, consistent moments of recovery.
Instead of waiting for negative stress-related symptoms to start popping up, try intentionally scheduling short moments of awareness into your day to use some of these strategies and avoid the symptoms altogether!
Some simple ways to do this include:
- Practice deep breathing exercises. Try using some simple breathing strategies that you can do anytime, anywhere to activate the relaxation response and ground you in the moment.
- Take stretch breaks. It releases muscle tension that can build throughout the day and keeps your circulation moving.
- Eat protein-based meals and snacks regularly. It keeps blood sugar stable and helps to reduce energy crashes.
- Stay hydrated. Drink water consistently throughout the day to keep your body's processes working optimally. Being dehydrated can actually cause fatigue all on it's own.
- Know your limits. Create healthy boundaries and learn to say "no" when your schedule or energy is already maxed out. Being realistic about your time isn't selfish—it's necessary for your health.
- Laugh. Laughter is one of the body's natural stress relievers. It stimulates the release of endorphins and dopamine, supports your immune system, benefits your heart and lungs, and can even reduce pain. Interestingly, research shows that even intentionally laughing can produce many of the same physiological benefits as spontaneous laughter (see links below for more on that).
These intentional pauses throughout the day can help calm your nervous system before stress has the opportunity to overwhelm you. If you need help remembering to do them, schedule them into your day as you would any other important task.
And you don’t need to add them all at once. Start with one and once it’s a habit, add another one. You will notice the difference over time.
Need help finding personalized ideas for some of the above strategies? Click below to request a FREE 15 minute consult.
Daily
Build Daily Habits That Help Your Body Stay in Balance
Stress isn't just something that happens in your mind—it affects your entire body.
Daily habits or routines can either keep your body in a stressed state or help it return to balance.
Consider making these practices part of your daily routine:
- Spend time in prayer or meditation. Consider using guided prayer or meditation apps as a way to help you get started at the beginning or end of your day.
- Move your body regularly. Make sure it fits your health, mental state and lifestyle. Walking, strength training, stretching, swimming, or gardening all count. Do things that make you feel better, not worse, afterwards. Even if it’s short, just move!
- Make time for positive relationships. Set aside regular chunks of quality time, personalized for each person in your life (quality doesn’t always = quantity).
- Protect time for yourself. Every day. Quiet moments alone allow your mind and body to recharge (this will look different for everyone-don’t judge someone who does it differently than you!).
- Create a consistent sleep schedule and bedtime routine. Going to bed and waking up at similar times each day helps regulate your body's internal clock and improves sleep quality. Plus, strategically preparing for bedtime with micro-strategies can help you mentally and physically be ready to sleep (ask me about ideas!).
These habits may seem simple, but practiced consistently, they create a strong foundation for long-term resilience.
And even if you can only start with one item on the list, it’s one step in the right direction and one more than you were doing before!
Weekly
Plan Stress Buffers into your Week
When you make decisions ahead of time, you remove many of the daily choices that contribute to feeling overwhelmed.
Each week, consider setting aside a little time to:
- Plan a realistic schedule. Leave open times instead of filling every available hour. Calendars can be helpful in blocking out time for stress-relieving activities and leaving buffer time between tasks or activities to avoid the inevitable crunch that can happen between events. Intentional empty space on the calendar can be just as important as the entries before and after!
- Plan and prepare meals ahead. Stay flexible with this, so it doesn't become another stressor, but it can make healthy eating easier during busy days. This allows for keeping blood sugar stable and you can avoid grabbing unhealthy options in times of hunger that you might regret later.
- Schedule activities you genuinely enjoy. Include a mix of quiet activities, social time, hobbies, and movement. Put these things intentionally on the calendar (with a little wiggle room for spontaneity) so they are included each week.
- Prioritize appointments that support your overall well-being. Such as massage therapy, medical checkups, financial planning, counseling, family activities or visits with your health coach.
"Planning Will Just Add More Stress"
If you're thinking, "I barely have enough time now. How am I supposed to add planning and self-care?", keep reading...
When you intentionally create small routines and boundaries, you're actually reducing the number of daily decisions your brain has to make. That mental space creates greater clarity, more peace, and fewer last-minute decisions.
But you don't have to overhaul your entire life overnight.
Small, practical changes—implemented consistently—often produce the biggest results. Ask me about using the Tiny Habits strategy to add new positive habits a little at a time!
Living with Balance
Life will always include stressful seasons.
But when your nervous system isn't already overloaded, you're better equipped to handle whatever comes your way.
Over time, you may notice:
- Feeling calmer and more grounded each day
- Greater patience with yourself and others
- Better decision-making and clearer thinking
- Improved sleep and more consistent energy
- Fewer physical symptoms related to chronic stress
- A greater sense of balance in all aspects of life, even during busy seasons
The goal isn't to remove every stressor OR to follow each of the above strategies perfectly. But, those small, intentional choices add up.
The goal is to build a life that regularly gives your mind and body the give-and-take opportunities it needs to create balance naturally.
Personalize the above strategies to your individual needs and lifestyle. And if you need a little support along the way, SEE BELOW!
Like the ideas, but need help implementing them?
If you're feeling overwhelmed and aren't sure where to begin, you don't have to figure it out alone.
Remember the list at the top that showed negative effects of stress? Consider the time and energy toll those are taking on your well-being. What would you rather be spending your precious time on?
As a health coach, I help people identify which strategies make the most sense for their unique situations. We can work together to create practical, sustainable habits that support long-term life balance.
You know yourself better than anyone, so you get to lead the process. I would love to be a support for you as you find the right tools to help you beat chronic stress!
Click above to CONTACT ME and learn more about how health coaching can support you. Schedule a FREE 15 minute Consult, send me a personal message, or sign up for my email list to receive ongoing tips for creating a balanced state of health.