Lately on Youtube lady asked me for some recommendations and advices on how to reduce stress and keto adapt. Her comment was extremely kind, so I couldn’t resist to answer the question it contained by creating series of posts and videos.
Inspired by the comment and the fact that for a very long time I struggled with some massive panic attacks and depression, in every part of the series I provide number of simple but very useful tips on how to reduce stress and anxiety.
- While 1st one is dedicated to the way stress affects us and to some lifestyle and habit changes you can make to reduce it, the 2nd and the 3rd are all about the proper nutrition and supplementation. The combination of them all helped me to overcome those conditions and it will do the exact same thing for you. And as long as for the keto adaptation I highly suggest you watching “How to enter Ketosis fast” video. With that being said let’s begin.
In the modern day era we often end up in situations where we have to deal with lots of stress. Many of us are almost constantly worrying about all of the things we try to juggle in our lives. Commonly those aren’t just 1 or 2. It doesn’t really matter if it’s business, family, work, other responsibilities or simply that one thing we’re currently trying to accomplish, often they make us feel overwhelmed, stressed and even anxious.
But what is the mechanism that really makes us feel that specific way? How we end in a situation of experiencing something like panic attack and etc.? Well, those are some good questions, so let me explain.
- Stress activates the sympathetic nervous system and stimulates the release of stress hormones in our bodies. The three major stress hormones are: Adrenaline aka Epinephrine, Cortisol and Nore-adrenaline aka Norepinephrine.
- After receiving a signal from the brain that stressful situation occurs, Adrenaline and Norepinephrine are both released by the adrenal glands. The primary function of those hormones is arousal. In other words they make us more focused, alert and aware.
Side note: Usually the cognitive enhancing drugs that increase alertness and focus also boost Adrenaline and Norepinephrine…
As a part of what is called the fight or flight mechanism the hormone Cortisol is released in response to stress, fear and low blood sugar. Cortisol is a steroid hormone produced by the adrenal cortex within the adrenal gland and the way it works is by elevating the levels of blood glucose via the process gluconeogenesis. Cortisol is vital for our living and also has anti inflammatory properties.
The hormone has it’s own rhythm and it goes up and down during certain times of the day. In order to wake the person, during the early hours of the day cortisol goes up and then as the day progresses it starts to fade away. Usually it is at its highest before 8am. That is why some people feel more stressed during specific hours of the day.
Chronically elevated cortisol levels can not only damage the brain and body but also weaken the adrenals. That can lead to varies different problems such as: poor memory and learning ability, hypoglycemia, higher levels of bad cholesterol, obesity and suppressed immune system.
The excessive amounts of Cortisol can also trigger conditions like anxiety and panic attacks.
So, how to reduce stress?
#1 Identify and reduce stress factors
One of the best strategies you can apply if you have hard time figuring out what those things are is to start writing a stress journal. Write down every time when feeling overwhelmed, stressed out or every when experiencing panic attack. This practice will help you develop a better understanding what are your stressors.
It is more than useful because it brings a lot of clarity to your life. Personally I don’t have a dedicated stress journal, but the note books I use are always divided on 3 parts. In the first I write down pretty much what happened during a particular day including the things that I am grateful for and the one that impressed me. Basically the good stuff. The second is dedicated to my goals and aspirations and third to my fears and bad emotions.
#2 Start measuring your stress levels
Having a stress journal is great, but do you know what is better? Not having the need to write in it.
How to do it ? By simply knowing when to stop doing the things that triggers stress. That way you going to be able to prevent it from happening. Now you probably wonder how to know when to stop?
The answer is simple: By not allowing your stress levels go beyond certain point. And the way of doing it is by using a stress trackingmeasuring application on your Iphone.
The one I recommend you and the one I personally use is called “Stress guide”. It is manufactured by a company called Kenkou. It’s more than easy to use and it’s free. You can download it from Itunes. By measuring your current stress index, the application shows your current state. It also asks you about the activities you’re currently involved in, so you can develop better understanding of what exactly is making you stressed and anxious.
#4 Have fun, Meditate, Practice Gratitude.
Another great way of reducing stress is by simply investing some time to enjoy yourself and have some pure fun. Schedule some time doing something that is not related to your goals, work nor responsibilities. Something that will shift the focus of your attention and bring you some instant happiness. It can be something like Lego, riding a bike or maybe even drawing. Just make sure to plan some time in your schedule for some “Pure Fun” thing. Activities that are have nothing to do with your grind, hustle, work and do not require from you to perform at peak levels.
As an addition to this you also find some time to meditate every day. Or simply do something that helps you relax and makes you be more present. I like to call this alternative way of meditation. Feel free to find your own alternative way to meditate. For me those are composing new music and practicing on my turntables. So if you play an musical instrument, I believe it can help tremendously.
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Additional tip: Do not overthink things. If something does not happen today do not beat the crap out of yourself. Tomorrow you have the amazing opportunity make it happen. Probably I am not the best person to give that advice.
#5 Exercise daily
As a true gym rat and someone who struggled with lots of anxiety and depression I believe it is needles to say that working out is one of the most effective ways to drastically reduce both of them.
Psychological studies provided evidence that the rates of anxiety and depression are a lot lower in active individuals and a lot higher in sedentary ones. Same studies suggest that exercise and other different forms of physical activity can quickly elevate mood and reveal the anxiety in people who experience it. You might not believe it, but a simple workout can actually provide up to few hours of relief. Training stimulates the production of endorphins – the natural stress fighters and pain killers.
- A research made by team at Princeton University showed that exercise reorganizes the brain, so it can handle stress a lot better. It also showed that exercise not only reduces anxiety, but also promotes the growth of new, young neurons in the hippocampus of mice (the area of the brain which regulates stress).
- Exercise also stimulates the release of the 2 neurotransmitters glutamate and GABA. While Glutamate is an excitatory relative of GABA, GABA acts like a brake to the excitatory neurotransmitters that lead to anxiety.
- Other studies suggest that when it comes to treatment of anxiety and depression, exercise can work as effective as some of the heavy medications specially designed to cure those conditions. The only difference is that exercise can provide longer lasting positive effects without giving any of negative ones.
#6 Get enough sleep
There is very strong link between sleep and mood. While not getting enough sleep can trigger things like stress, depression, irritability and anxiety, being enough rested contributes to well being good mood and more productivity and effectiveness.
Research showed that in some countries including U.S. people report that their stress increases every time when they are short on sleep. Almost 25% of the adults asked in the research report that when they get bellow the recommended 8 hours per night they feel more anxious, stressed and sad.
On the other hand the research also showed that people who deal with stress and anxiety have trouble falling a sleep. As a conclusion being stressed prevents you from falling asleep and being sleep deprived makes more stressed, anxious and agitated. Many call this the sleep stress cycle. In order to avoid being in that vicious cycle I am giving you few basic tips on how to drastically improve the quality of your sleep:
- Make your sleep a priority.
Develop a sleep hygiene.
Sleep in a room with cool temperature.
Make the room as dark as possible.
Use earplugs and sleeping mask.
Use F.Lux on all of your screens.
Avoid junk light at least one hour prior bed time
Track your sleep with a sleep tracking applications.
Put your phone in airplane mode.
Go to bed and wake up around the same time.
Use supplements
As an addition to those tips I want to also make you remember, that the time spent in bed is not the most important factor and the quality of your sleep always makes the bigger difference. So that’s what the sleep tracking applications are made for.
·In the 2nd and 3rd parts we’re going talk about some dietary adjustments do and some supplements you can use in order to reduce stress and anxiety
