Finding ways to lessen stress in your daily quarantine routine is key.

Article by Alexandria Zimmerman, Ask Zimm

I hope you are finding ways to put a smile on your face and find a good laugh here and there during this pandemic. Appreciating the small things in life is more important than ever! If you are like me, you are finding yourself just as stressed as before, and possibly more anxious, uncertain and uneasy than you've been in a while. In high school and college, I handled stress really well and overall still do handle stress well, but I have to say, I am noticing how it really impacts me lately. I have been noticing myself feeling waves of stress late at night, causing inconsistent sleep and sometimes middle-of-the-night "wtf why am I awake?" moments. I sometimes get an uneasy feeling randomly mid day. What is this? Some research says this is cortisol and adrenaline releasing into my body when it shouldn't be. This is a big part of stress.

So what can I do about this uneasy gut feeling that comes and goes, causes your neck to stiffen and your breath to shorten? To start let's talk about cortisol. I don't know a lot about stress hormones, since I typically handle stress just fine and don't get too worried to the point where it impacts sleep. Cortisol is a hormone released in fight or flight, when you're scared or threatened.

I did some research to try and find ways to help us all to lower stress levels. Chronic levels of cortisol are often correlated to weight loss plateaus, weight gain, intense cravings, demotivate, headaches, muscle spasms, and can have other negative impacts on your health. There are many ways to work towards mitigating these effects, like spending time in relaxing places and stimulating your brain with positive music.

Find you Inner Nature Lover:

The Journal of Environmental Psychology explains that one way we can reduce stress is by taking time in nature: "short-term visits to urban nature areas have positive effects on stress relief" (JEP 2014). A study was conducted on 75 people who visited city centers, woodlands, and an urban park who subsequently had their salivary cortisol levels tested. It was shown that those who visited the woodlands had lower cortisol than those visiting city or urban environments. I can vouch for this argument, as my time running around nature, taking photos of nature, practicing yoga outside, and just going for walks makes me feel exponentially better about my stressors!

Spend Time with Your Mind

The power of meditation is one that I have not adopted into my daily routine, but I do try to implement some principles of meditation into my yoga practice. Many health professionals and wellness enthusiasts advocate for the mental health benefits and stress-reducing impact of daily meditation, or even weekly to start out. Many apps require subscriptions, but YouTube has some guided meditation videos free of cost. Breath is key to calmness for many people, and meditation aims to regulate your breath and soothe your racing mind. When you calm your mind, you gain a sense of control over your actions as well. Stress eating is arguably a byproduct of anxious feelings, which over time has a negative impact on wellness and could be why some people store extra fat when stressed. Learning breathing techniques can be one tool for combating that anxious feeling, uneasy butterflies, and a racing mind. But if some chocolate helps, go for it.

When I was in high school competing in high pressure competitions for track & field, I got to the point where my mind was taking over during meets and would interfere with performance by causing tight muscles. I had luckily worked with an incredible sports psychologist who helped me center my mind through breathing techniques and strategies to calm my nervous system so that I could perform in the meet as well as I did at practice. I took these lessons with me to my division I track & field career at Villanova and learned to control my mind so much better. Now, I am learning to apply these techniques to professional life and adult life, and it is still super challenging. The more strategies I learn, the more usable they become and I find myself more aware of how to control my stress in the moment.

Exercise Endorphins

This leads me to my next point, exercising for stress relief!

The endorphins released during exercise are real, and they help reduce negative emotions. When we exercise, endorphins are released. Scientists and doctors have researched the correlation between psychological changes associated with positive mood but their research is not conclusive as to why these opoids are changed during exercise. Some believe that endorphins are released to manage fatigue response and pain perception, which makes a lot of sense given that we are sore the next day. If we felt the micro-tears happening during exercise, we wouldn't be able to do it. This is the perfect example of the idea that humans are simply made to move and gain strength and endurance. Do that work out when you're in a bad mood- science says you will feel better after.

A runner's high isn't the only immediate benefit of exercise. According to the journal titled Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, exercise can effectively "attenuate systemic inflammation" which is the first major benefit of working out. Right, it is not about losing weight or yearning for a specific build, but it is about creating an optimal internal environment, low in inflammation.

Drop a Beat

Music has been such a huge part of getting into a good mood for me. I'm never sitting silently in my apartment, I always have some type of good vibe music playing because it makes me feel so much better and happy. On days when I feel like I really can't work out, i am unmotivated, and tired, I turn to music. Think about when you hear a sad song, about a break up or loneliness. You start to remember negative examples of those feelings for yourself and that brings your mood down. But when you hear your favorite song, you almost immediately smile. When you play your workout playlist, it is prepping your brain for working out and can instantly give you energy. This idea is that music is "mood-congruent" to the point where it has a direct influence on your mental state. It really all starts in the mind. Next time you feel stressed or down, play your favorite beat. A few I've been listening to recently and often to lift my mood:

• Bump. Bump, Bump -B2K

• Red Red Wine -UB40

• Like This -Kelly Rowland

• Money To Blow -Birdman

• Yessir -Torey Lanez

• Cherry Pie -Warrant

• Faith -George Michaels