Dealing with the Stress in Our Bodies
Welcome (at long last) to my newsletter! Thanks for signing up.
My vision is for these newsletters to be short and sweet—most of my missives will be significantly shorter than this one! I'm an avid reader of books and other resources on "sustainable productivity" and self-care, and in each missive I will highlight a favorite resource or two. I see myself as a fellow traveler on the sustainable productivity journey and not as any kind of guru. I've dived into these resources because I myself find them helpful!
I'll also sometimes put on my editor's hat and write posts focused on various topics related to the craft of book writing or academic writing more broadly.
Today's focus: how can we take care of ourselves in times of chaos by finding ways to deal with the stress in our bodies?
In 2019, sisters Amelia and Emily Nagoski published a book called Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle. They explain that stressors activate the stress response in our bodies, while stress is the “neurological and physiological shift that happens in [our bodies] when [we] encounter one of these threats” (5). When we're dealing with a stressful situation, there’s a distinction between handling the situation itself and dealing with the stress in our bodies that comes from the situation. As a stress response, our bodies are flooded with adrenaline, cortisol, and glycogen. We need to do something to bring our bodies out of the stress response so that the “neurochemicals and hormones” can “shift…into relaxation” (7).
As individuals, we don’t have much control over the stressors that we are collectively dealing with at this political moment. Of course there are actions we can take! But the barrage of stressors is likely to continue.
Maybe especially in situations that are chaotic and where we feel relatively powerless, discharging the stress in our bodies is all the more important. After three nights of insomnia last week, I know that dealing with my pent-up stress is a top self-care priority for me right now. Maybe the same is true for some of you.
The Nagoskis write about various ways to complete the stress cycle. Deep, slow breathing; positive social interaction; laughter; expressions of affection; crying; creative expression. They note that physical movement—exercise, dancing, even just tensing and then relaxing our muscles—is one of the most effective ways to complete the stress cycle (15).
My own two favorite ways to relieve stress are to move my body and to sing with friends or family, since singing brings me joy. (Yesterday, I pulled out my guitar and sang kids' songs while my seven-year-old danced around.) I know that physical movement in particular is something I need on a daily basis, but it can be easy to let it get squeezed out of my schedule. I'm motivated by sticker charts, so I just reinstated my old system of taping a monthly calendar to our living room wall and giving myself stickers for getting in some movement.
What are your favorite ways to complete the stress cycle? And maybe to find little moments of play or joy? Have you found ways to help yourself be consistent about fitting in the activities that relieve your stress?
Sometimes I need to work up a sweat in order to complete the stress cycle through movement. But especially when I'm feeling blah or unmotivated, I've found it helpful to make "getting in movement" really doable. Dancing to a single song. Doing a minute of jumping jacks. Stretching while I chat with my kids. Doing 15-minute workouts or 5-minute "hacks" on MommaStrong, an exercise program I've been doing since my older daughter was a baby.
I wanted to share the link to a series of ten 5-minute videos specifically focused on relieving stress—the "Pandemic Relief Hack-a-Thon"—that MommaStrong* created back in 2021 and that I recently discovered was available on YouTube. This particular hack-a-thon feels relevant and helpful at this difficult moment as well. Some of the videos involve more cardio (like the "endorphins to build resilience" video) and others are quiet and gentle (like the "pandemic stress relief using bilateral stimulation" video). Sometime when you need to relieve stress or reconnect with your body, you might check out these brief videos. I love using them as movement breaks during my day.
*In spite of the name “MommaStrong,” I think these videos could be for anyone, not just for mothers or parents!
Take care, everyone!