3 Stress Less Ways To Start Your Day
Feeling stressed lately?
We all experience stress every single day and we all go through seasons where we experience more stress.
What is most important is how cope with that stress.
“Stress is not what happens to us in life, but how we perceive what happens to us in life.”
Many years ago, I was experiencing strange neurological symptoms. I went to my primary care doctor who then referred me to a neurologist who then did multiple tests. Thankfully everything was negative. I was still puzzled about what was going on. Months later, a friend (who happens to be a neurosurgeon) asked me about my stress levels. I admitted I felt more stressed than usual, and I wasn't managing it well. He stated, "Well the body does some very strange things when under stress." He went on to tell me about several examples of patients he had treated in the past, whose stress played a role in their health condition and treatment. I had a lightbulb moment. I intentionally started engaging in more self-care and stress-relieving activities. I started to use aromatherapy, meditation and exercise more regularly. Within a few months, those symptoms went away, and they have not returned since.
I should have known stress was the culprit.
It is in human nature to avoid pain and seek pleasure. When we are stressed, we often tend to ignore it or bottle it up. Or worse, we deny it. When we are asked if we are stressed, we automatically say, "oh I'm fine" or "not more than usual". Sound familiar?
Fortunately, and sometimes unfortunately the mind-body connection exists.
The body shows signs of stress no matter how hard we try to deny it. And the longer we deny it, the louder the body gets. Until it forces us to pay attention.
There are so many examples of this interconnected role:
Ever get sick after being stressed?
Headaches, neck and shoulder tension after a stressful day?
Have a skin flareup such as blemishes, eczema, psoriasis, or skin sensitivities?
Change in bowel habits?
Notice your period comes early or late after season of stress?
Do you get cold sores when you are stressed? During acute stress, the body releases key hormones, including glucocorticoids (cortisol), catecholamines (norepinephrine), and adrenaline in response to the fight or flight response. This triggers the immune system to step it up. In the process, glucocorticoids can reactivate latent viral infections such as herpes simplex 1 aka cold sores!
There have been so many incredible studies showing the effect stress has on the body. Even wound healing is delayed when we are stressed. Ohio State University did an interesting study on how a 30-minute argument with your partner can slow your body's ability to heal by at least a day. If you argue regularly, that healing time is doubled. Researchers tested couples with a suction device that created tiny blisters on their arms. When the couple was asked to talk about an area of disagreement that provoked stress, the wounds took 40% longer to heal than the control group. The researchers state this is caused by a surge in cytokines, the immune molecules that trigger inflammation. (1)
This is why it's important to talk about stress and how it impacts us.
This isn't a new concept. In 1975, Dr. Robert Ader defined a term called Psychoimmunology. It is the study of the interconnected role and relationships our emotions play with our endocrine, nervous, and immune systems. We have known for a very long time that stress plays a huge role in either causing or worsening health problems. However, as a society we have been programmed to focus on the symptoms and not the underlying cause: the stress itself.
Stress is the body's response to a demand made upon it. Stress responses vary from person to person and day to day due to the perception of the stressor and the way our body responds.
We become more susceptible to stress triggers when:
The accumulation of stressors is increased.
We have suppressed emotions.
We are sleep deprived.
There are multiple studies showing that sleep deprivation plays a role in how our mind and body manage stress. The amygdala in our brain which is important for regulating emotions also plays an important role in the mechanisms of sleep. Studies have shown that when we are sleep deprived, a functional deficit occurs between the amygdala and the ventral anterior cingulate cortex. This can result in a decreased mood and cause the amygdala to have heightened responses to negative stimuli aka stress! Sleep debt also reduces the ability of the prefrontal cortex (rationale thinking brain) to suppress activity in the amygdala. leading to emotional instability.
What can we do about stress?
One of the most beneficial ways to cope better with stress is to change our perspective of it! In the powerful Ted Talk, “How to Make Stress Your Friend”, Psychologist Kelly McGonigal urges us to see stress as a positive. When we understand and appreciate that our stress response is trying to help us, we begin to make friends with stress. We also begin to spend more time in a relaxation response.
Opposite of the stress response is the relaxation response. It was discovered by the Harvard Cardiologist, Dr. Herbert Benson. It represents the counter balancing mechanism to the fight or flight response. We can't coexist in both states at the same time. Just as stimulating an area of the hypothalamus can cause the stress response, we can also activate other areas of the brain that will turn the stress response off and reduce its impact. I find mornings can make or break the day and how I respond to stressors around me. Therefore, I am very intentional about how I start my day.
3 Stress Less Ways To Start The Day:
Morning routines play a huge role in setting the tone for the day. Rather than focusing on being accomplished and productive, allow yourself to begin your day with confidence, peace, and a positive attitude. Routines ground us and start the day on a good note. This overflows into the rest of the day to help us effectively complete tasks. In addition, we are more capable of handling stressors that come our way without feeling triggered or overwhelmed.
Here are 3 things I do first thing every morning that make a HUGE difference in my day:
Unplug for first hour after waking up!
This is a must and makes a huge difference in mood, productivity and focus for the day. Ideally, I like to unplug the first 3 hours of the day, but I at least aim for first hour. Watch the news? Studies have shown watching 10 mins of negative news can negatively impact your mood 8 hours later. (2) (3)
Drink a large glass of water before anything else.
Often times we wake up mildly dehydrated. That can impact moods creating more anxiety, cause more tension, and make us feel more fatigued. Drinking a large glass of water every morning can improve our emotional and physical health.
Stop and breathe in some essential oils.
I first do a self-scan and check in with myself. How is my body feeling? How am I emotionally today? From there I choose what essential oils I am going to take a minute and breathe in or diffuse to help support those needs.
Scent is POWERFUL!
Smell is the most underutilized sense we have yet one of the most powerful. It is our most primal sense. It stops us from drinking sour milk, alerts us to natural gas, and can even detect a fire 30 miles away. While other mammals, such as dogs and cats have a much keener sense of smell, the human sense is still extraordinary with the human genome being packed with over 950 odorant receptor genes. Not to mention it’s the only sense that taps directly into the part of the brain responsible for emotion and memory.
“Most studies, as well as clinically applied experience, have indicated that various essential oils, such as lavender, lemon and bergamot can help to relieve stress, anxiety, depression and other mood disorders. Most notably, inhalation of essential oils can communicate signals to the olfactory system and stimulate the brain to exert neurotransmitters (e.g. serotonin and dopamine) thereby further regulating mood.” (1)
A few of my favorite studies showing how essential oils can reduce stress and impact mood:
A randomized crossover study with 42 females showed that salivary cortisol levels were reduced significantly after inhalation of bergamot essential oil. Also the high-frequency heart (a component of heart rate variability and indicator of parasympathetic nervous system function) also increased significantly. (4)
A small pilot study of 57 participants found that diffusing bergamot in a waiting room increased positive feelings and moods. (5)
A randomized single blind control study found that inhalation of a lavender and ylang ylang blend significantly reduced stress, sympathetic nervous system activity, lowered blood pressure and reduced serum cortisol levels. (6)
A placebo controlled study found that dermal application of sweet orange essential oil reduced arousal of the autonomic nervous system (reduction of heart rate and respiratory rate) yet increased cheerfulness and uplifting moods. (7)
A meta-analysis of 32 clinical trials suggested that aromatherapy with different essential oils could alleviate anxiety. (8)
Starting tomorrow morning, kick start your day on the right foot! Unplug for the first hour, drink a big glass of water, and stop and smell some essential oils! You will be surprised how these simple additions to your morning routine can make a world of difference in how you feel!
Disclaimer: This blog is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice. The use of information on this blog or materials linked from this blog is at the user's own risk. The content of this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard, or delay in obtaining, medical advice for any medical condition they may have, and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions.
References:
Gouin JP, Kiecolt-Glaser JK, Malarkey WB, Glaser R. The influence of anger expression on wound healing. Brain Behav Immun. 2008 Jul;22(5):699-708. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2007.10.013. Epub 2007 Dec 19.
Marin MF, Morin-Major JK, Schramek TE, Beaupré A, Perna A, Juster RP, Lupien SJ. There is no news like bad news: women are more remembering and stress reactive after reading real negative news than men. PLoS One. 2012;7(10):e47189.
Szabo A, Hopkinson KL. Negative psychological effects of watching the news in the television: relaxation or another intervention may be needed to buffer them! Int J Behav Med. 2007;14(2):57-62.
Lv XN, Liu ZJ, Zhang HJ, Tzeng CM. Aromatherapy and the central nerve system (CNS): therapeutic mechanism and its associated genes. Curr Drug Targets. 2013 Jul;14(8):872-9.
Watanabe E, Kuchta K, Kimura M, Rauwald HW, Kamei T, Imanishi J. Effects of bergamot ( Citrus bergamia (Risso) Wright & Arn.) essential oil aromatherapy on mood states, parasympathetic nervous system activity, and salivary cortisol levels in 41 healthy females. Forsch Komplementmed. 2015;22(1):43-9.
Han X, Gibson J, Eggett DL, Parker TL. Bergamot (Citrus bergamia) Essential Oil Inhalation Improves Positive Feelings in the Waiting Room of a Mental Health Treatment Center: A Pilot Study. Phytother Res. 2017 May;31(5):812-816. doi: 10.1002/ptr.5806. Epub 2017 Mar 24.
Hwang JH. [The effects of the inhalation method using essential oils on blood pressure and stress responses of clients with essential hypertension]. Taehan Kanho Hakhoe Chi. 2006 Dec;36(7):1123-34.
Hongratanaworakit, Tapanee & Buchbauer, Gerhard. (2007). Autonomic and emotional responses after transdermal absorption of sweet orange oil in humans: Placebo controlled trial. International Journal of Essential Oil Therapeutics. 1. 29-34.
Gong M, Dong H, Tang Y, Huang W, Lu F. Effects of aromatherapy on anxiety: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. J Affect Disord. 2020 Sep 1;274:1028-1040.