Stress is kinda the norm these days. 

A 2020 report from The American Psychological Association even found that nearly 70% of Americans reported feeling significantly stressed. ⁣

That number is 20% higher from 2016! 

Stress is never going to go away completely, but if left unchecked it can start to have some major effects on your health! 

And for women, it’s the number ONE driver of hormonal imbalances! 

Your adrenal hormones such as cortisol (think stress hormones) have a big influence on all of the other hormones in your body.

Everything from sex hormones to your thyroid and metabolic function. If you’ve ever noticed that your period gets a little wacky during times of stress or you hold onto extra weight or feel more fatigued than usual, this is why! 

Cortisol gets a pretty bad rap, but it’s definitely not ALL bad. 

Your body actually needs adequate cortisol to properly absorb nutrients, regulate your blood pressure, avoid low blood sugar and the rise in cortisol in the morning is what gets you out of bed in the morning ready to take on your day. . . prolonged, elevated cortisol levels are where you get into trouble!

It shifts your body into ‘fight-or-flight’ mode by activating your sympathetic nervous system causing all sorts of trouble including irregular periods, weight gain and fatigue. 

So if your stress levels are out of control, it’s going to be damn near impossible to balance your hormones, even when you feel like you’re doing all the right things.

The good news . . . anything that calms down your nervous system is helpful to get your body back to feeling good! So the more tools in your toolbox to manage it the better. 

This simple meditation technique is one of my very favorite ways to hit the reset button on your stress response.

When you’re feeling overwhelmed or anxious or just need a minute to pause, STOP! 

Here’s the technique! 

You literally stop everything you’re doing, come back to your breath, pay attention and then move back into your day with a little more intention. It’s the perfect mini break throughout your day, takes all of 30 seconds, and is a serious gamechanger! 

STOP what you’re doing 

TAKE a few deep breaths 

OBSERVE what’s going on in your body

PROCEED with mindful awareness 

Repeat as often as needed and let me know if you try it!

xx