Building Resilience in Stressful Times and Circumstances
You may feel like 2025 has already been quite the whirlwind. Political discord, natural disasters, losing loved ones and pets: people are dealing with a lot. Life feels hard lately.
Personally, I have a biometrics tracker that actually shows me how resilient to stress I am, using several different markers such as my sleep, recovery, heart-rate and HRV. It makes it very hard for me to ignore my body’s signals of stress when I find myself in stressful situations or environments. (Like I have been lately).
If we are going to live in stressful environments and deal with the ups and downs of life, building stress resilience is a gift to give ourselves - an offering of self-love.
Here are some signs that your body might be experiencing higher levels of stress:
Elevated blood pressure or heart rate
Tightness or pressure in your chest
Feeling like you can’t get a deep breath in
Tightness in your shoulders
Neck pain or frequent headaches
A sore or tight jaw
Irregular digestion / upset stomach
Difficulty sleeping
Difficulty being at rest or slowing down - feeling like you need to be go-go-going (Boredom feels like DEATH to you)
Heightened emotions or reactivity to small incidents
Abnormal amounts of crying or yelling
Feeling like you have no energy or can’t get off the couch. Feeling numb or shut down.
I have personally experienced all of these at different moments in my life. When I’m able to pay attention and notice that my body is experiencing higher levels of stress, I take two different approaches:
Adopt some urgent and intensive protocols to mitigate the stress NOW.
Refocus on long-term practices to help me manage stress better over time and increase my stress resilience.
URGENT STRESS PROTOCOL:
Here is my urgent protocol. I used this a few months ago when I was in a time of very high stress, and I noticed my biometrics improving within a couple of days:
1. Get back to basics. I take whatever I can off my plate - essentials only.
2. Avoid spending time on my phone. Block the apps that I find myself mindlessly checking such as Social Media, Email, or Messaging.
3. Spend time outside. Either laying on the grass and not doing anything else, or if that is inaccessible, going for brisk walks outside without my phone.
4. Eat nutritious meals and avoid gluten, dairy, seed oils, and sugar.
5. Cut back on caffeine.
6. 10 minutes of resonance frequency breathing first thing in the morning and in the afternoon.
7. Epsom salt baths.
8. Check in with my posture and breathing throughout the day - sitting up straight with good posture while also ensuring that I am not tensing the usual suspects: shoulders, jaw, stomach.
9. Protect my energy by: avoiding high-traffic public areas, staying home most of the day, and avoiding speaking with people whose energy isn’t calming or grounding.
10. Listen to a 15-minute Yoga Nidra practice on Youtube before bed.
THIS is self-love and self-care. I felt so nourished and taken care of after adopting this protocol for a few days, and it was really awesome to see my biometrics improve as well (I love data!!).
The above is an emergency protocol - not something sustainable to adopt every day.
LONG TERM STRESS PRACTICES:
Here are some of my longer-term practices that I use to mitigate stress day-to-day:
Maintain a connection with my Higher Power. A lot of peace comes when I can surrender. Praying, talking to the God of my own understanding, and maintaining an attitude that “everything is in perfect order and I just have a limited view” is a perspective that supports my peace of mind and happiness.
Move my body regularly. I try to get an hour of intentional movement in everyday. I change it up and focus on things I enjoy like weight lifting at the gym, dance classes, going for walks outside, spin classes, yoga, etc. There are ideal types of movement for our bodies, I like following the Primal Blueprint. However, what I’ve learned over the last few years while focusing on fitness: do what you enjoy because it will be sustainable. Just move!
Practice mindfulness. Whether it is skipping the phone or TV when I’m eating a meal, washing the dishes while being present, or driving without listening to anything - I try to give my brain breaks and be more present.
Media boundaries. I am very intentional about the things I listen to, read, and watch. I don’t do scary or dark movies/shows much anymore. I don’t read a lot of news or listen to current events, unless I need to inform myself on actions I will be taking today or in the near future (like voting). I limit my social media activity with an appblocker. I’m very protective of my mind and what I’m feeding it.
Relationship boundaries. I spend the majority of my time with people who make me feel good about myself, let me be who I am, and have positive, upbeat attitudes. I avoid energy vampires. Sometimes I spend time with people who may drain me more than others, but very rarely and, if I do, I limit my time with them.
Listen to my cycle. I plan my work, social calendar, and movement with my cycle in mind. When I’m in my Luteal phase (right before my period) I am way more sensitive. I’m more emotional, I’m sensitive to energy, I don’t want to be touched much, I hate loud sounds - I’m easily overstimulated. I make sure to avoid crowds and start to spend a little more time at home with some quality alone time, nourishing foods, warm drinks, and cozy blankets.
Get lots of hugs. Virginia Satir, a world-renowned family therapist, is famous for saying, “We need 4 hugs a day for survival. We need 8 hugs a day for maintenance. We need 12 hugs a day for growth.” Hugs trigger the release of oxytocin, often called the "bonding hormone," which lowers stress levels, reduce levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, and lower blood pressure and heart rate.
Pleasure read. I read for pleasure before bed, and avoid reading anything like personal development, intense intellectual content, or anything that’s going to make my mind race. I save that kind of content for my mornings to stimulate my thinking.
Get quality sleep. I’m such a stickler when it comes to sleep conditions!! I make sure my room is 63-68 degrees, blacked out, brown noise sound machine on, and magnesium loaded up. I heard a podcast episode that said to take 5mg of magnesium per lb of body weight, and I get that from my multi-vitamin plus this magnesium supplement before bed. It works like a charm!
Get outside to enjoy nature. Even when it’s winter, I try to get outside for a 15 minute walk. If it’s freezing like it has been lately, I’ll spend some time in my living room looking at my lake, the birds, the trees. Studies have shown that even looking at images of greenery reduces cortisol, and calms your nervous system.
Eat nutrient-dense, whole food meals at home. We only eat out once a week at the most. I cook a lot of whole foods, and make sure my plate is balanced. I eat for blood sugar regulation. I like Kelly Leveque’s simple formula for a meal: protein, fat, fiber, and greens.
Remember: progress not perfection. Everything I’ve listed above is a lifestyle I’ve been working on for the last 11 years!!! It takes time. Just do something small to benefit your body, mind, and spirit today. I hope my protocols give you some inspo, and I hope you believe that no matter what is happening in the world or in your life, you will be okay. You have the power to alter how you perceive reality, respond to life, and experience yourself.
