Identify your biggest stressor or ‘gap’ (e.g., circadian rhythms, emotional regulation, inflammation) and focus your efforts there, as strategies are context-dependent and not all will apply to everyone. This approach maximizes impact and avoids frustration from ineffective strategies.
Actively try different strategies and observe their effects on your body and mind to figure out what works best for you within your unique life context. This is crucial for discovering effective long-term stress management and achieving overall health.
Reduce blue light and dim white light exposure in the evenings, ideally starting around 8 PM, by wearing blue-blocking glasses and avoiding bright screens. This helps the brain register sunset, promotes melatonin production, and supports winding down for better sleep and reduced anxiety.
Spend time outdoors and expose yourself to natural daylight during the day. This reduces your susceptibility to evening light interference with melatonin production and helps regulate your circadian rhythm.
Move frequently throughout the day with low to moderate intensity exercise, aiming to feel physically exhausted by bedtime. This buffers the effects of daily stressors, lowers cortisol levels, and prevents stress accumulation.
If you plan to do a significant amount of exercise, perform it in the morning rather than the evening. This can increase REM sleep by 10% and boost evening melatonin levels.
Engage in yoga to discover and learn how to activate internal ‘buttons’ for self-control and self-regulation over your body’s automatic functions. This practice helps you calm down and gain a sense of control in uncertain or stressful situations.
Create and adhere to consistent daily routines to provide predictability for your brain. A predictable environment reduces uncertainty and helps mitigate stress.
Incorporate hot baths into your routine whenever possible. Raising your core body temperature by just over half a degree can protect against depressive symptoms for several weeks.
Use HRV monitoring tools or apps to measure the responsiveness of your heart to changes in demand, which reflects the health and balance of your autonomic nervous system. This provides a measurable indicator of your body’s stress level.
Engage in focused attention exercises, such as meditating on an object like a coffee mug in the office. This practice helps regulate emotions and build self-control in challenging environments.
If your busy life makes it difficult to meet nutritional needs from food alone, consider taking a nutrient-dense whole food supplement like Athletic Greens each morning. This acts as an insurance policy for your nutritional intake.
Read Dr. Rangan Chatterjee’s book, “The Stress Solution,” to learn about his philosophy and tools for reducing the impact of stress, which he believes are valuable for everyone.
Read Dr. Mitu Steroni’s book, “Stress Proof,” to access hundreds of science-backed strategies for stress relief and identify which ones apply to your unique stressors.