Our Wellness Navigator Julia talks Stress Awareness

Stress awareness, what is it?

Stress Awareness is the idea that what we experience, take in, and allow has effects on all aspects of our lives. This year's stress awareness theme is “Be the change”.

Our nervous systems are excellent navigation systems. Stress is our body's natural defense against danger. Our minds take in stimulus, and depending on the part of the brain that the stimulus goes to, our bodies create a hormone to match the apparent risk of the situation to allow our systems to fight if necessary. 

Now, this is a very helpful evolutionary tactic that has allowed us to stay safe for many, many years. It is biological in nature and has its purpose, especially in a threatening situation. However, our bodies do not care about the difference between the present moment stimulus and a pathway already created in our brains from biological evolution, unless we train them. 

I am the Wellness Navigator for the Well-Being HUB, and as someone who has dealt with a lot of trauma in my life, there were many years that stress awareness was outside of my scope of knowledge. Now, I knew I WAS stressed, but how to manage, address, and DO something about that stress was unattainable to me for a long time. That had a huge impact on my body on a cellular level, my mental health was in a constant state of fight or flight and my relationships were impacted. 

When we intentionally create ways to manage the stress in our lives, we start to break down the defenses that stress has built up in our bodies. When we slow down, get more present and remind ourselves in stressful situations that we are safe, our bodies start to believe us! 

A few ways I manage my stress through a trauma-informed lens.

Journaling!  

Our new gratitude journal ( Find them on our website!) has prompts that reflect the seasons, blank pages to draw, doodle and write down recipes. Journaling is proven to help maintain mental wellness as it is a safe and comfortable way to get thoughts down that may be troubling us.

Movement! 

Whatever your capability, moving your body helps let go of excess energy, helps blood flow, and helps maintain mental wellness. Outside movement and exercise tend to increase as the weather gets better, so take time to move your body! Grounding, walking barefoot, and getting proper sunlight and hydration are also excellent ways to reduce stress in our bodies. 

Reminding your brain that you’re safe 

During stressful moments, our amygdala (the brain's fear center) gets activated. When we talk to ourselves during times of stress, we can naturally rewire our brain's ability to make more informed decisions. In times of stressful situations, you could say- “(My body is safe, I am in the present moment)”. Believing in your ability to create safe environments for yourself also helps you maintain presence in experiences you may otherwise use to disassociate from. 

Stress awareness goes hand in hand with how we navigate our lives. Whenever possible, check in with yourself, find glimmers in your day. (One small thing that makes you happy) and continuously show yourself the beauties in this world. Stress isn't going away, but our ability to lead better-feeling stress-aware lives increases with every redirection we intentionally create.