Do you know what is funny? I am the one teaching others every day how to care for themselves via stress management, nutrition, and movement. All along I just kept pushing the envelope myself thinking, “I am ok, I can handle this I eat really well and move a lot.” I am a pretty driven person who can withstand a lot of pressure and has a determined work ethic. I also have four really good reasons to work every day. But this combination can also lead to major body breakdown.
As I described in a previous post, My Stress Cascade, I am on the coattails of recovering my health from discovering a major gut dysbiosis and H. Pylori infection. Of course, through my Functional Diagnostic Nutrition work, I followed a supplement protocol to rebalance my gut, but there is SOOO much more than just supplements to the healing journey.
Stress!
Much of my days are spent with my two four-year-old girls which most of the time is a true gift! There are, however, intermittent moments of intense stress that cause a stress reaction.
The noise and stress of one or two screaming, emotional toddlers can trigger a stress reaction. And, trust me they get REALLY loud.
The time pressure to stay on a schedule with two little ones who have no concept of schedule or time pressure. We can go grocery shopping once a week and it usually takes us 4 1/2 hours to go to four stores. This is because of multiple bathroom stops, corralling them into their car seats, putting shoes back on after they are removed sometimes at EVERY store! Then we arrive home to unload the van and then make lunch!
The constant mess that curious kids make... Used to drive me nuts! I would just keep picking up all day long!
When you can’t take away the stressors: Change the reaction!
I cannot stop the stage that the girls are in but I CAN change how I react to these things. BUT here is the caveat! If there are internal stressors affecting your brain, you cannot willfully simply “tell your brain” to calm down and reframe. So, here is what I have noticed since rebalancing my gut! The stress reaction does not reach the point of no return. It is very easy to shift calmly into a state of ease and help my kids instead of simply reacting to stress back at them! To me, THAT alone is HUGE!!
Now I can look at the messes and simply know that they will be picked up and nothing is permanent! Well, except for the glue stick and chopstick circles on the wall in the hallway.
Now, when the emotions get really huge and everyone is screaming, unless they are attacking each other, I put my headphones on and listen to a podcast or just go into another room. Yes, they follow me, but I just say, “y’all work it out.” Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.
About that time pressure, I just shift things around and roll with it.
The point is that being in balance improves stress tolerance hugely. If you are seeking help or feeling overwhelmed. Ask for help! Dig deeper and look for answers beyond the obvious. I am here to help if you have questions! Please feel free to reach out to me!
In the next post, I plan to discuss the stressful mealtime strategies and how I am adjusting my meals so I can improve digestion.