Older Bolder Life

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Managing Stress

5 Quick Thoughts on Maintaining (or Boosting) Resiliency

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This past week I’ve had three different interactions with clients and friends all of which focused around a common theme – that theme being that individuals from very different walks of life, ages, and backgrounds all felt tired, depleted, discouraged, and less resilient than ever.

And by all means I get it; we’ve all been living now for nearly half a year in a world most of us would never have imagined 5 years ago, and it seems the level of mis-information and conflicting information is climbing daily.

On the other hand, I’m very impressed by the human characteristic of resiliency; my years in medicine showed me some astounding aspects of human courage, tenacity, and resiliency that I’d never imagined possible, and I for one think that most of us have the potential to be far more resilient than we give ourselves credit for.

These are days that call for resilience and persistence; here’s 5 quick thoughts on maintaining your resiliency I’ve been sharing this week.

Embrace Your Fitness Routine. Regular exercise, in particular that you really enjoy doing, brings so many benefits to the table I could (as many have) write an entire book about it. In these days of persistent stress and angst, considering doubling down on your fitness and fun exercise, and consider it one of the best stress relief and management tools you have in your arsenal. Change things up, add something new, buddy up for part of your workout to add some variety and interest to the game.

Sunshine is Your Friend. During these days of harping endlessly about masking and social distancing, I find it incredibly freeing to be outside as much as possible, soaking up the sun and making vitamin D, and breathing the fresh, clean air, mask free. (I’ve shared before that part of my warmer season routine is an hour or so walking just before and after sunrise – it’s very likely the best part of the day, and watching the sun come is always a spectacle worth beholding).

Stay the Course with Your Food Plan. One of the things that has impressed me the most since hanging my shingle as a health coach has been watching with an attentive eye the overwhelming impact that food has on our health, daily functional capacity, and overall wellness – including our mental and emotional wellness. You’re tired of hearing about stress eating these days and I’m tired of talking about it – stay the course with your food plan.

Cherish A Good Night’s Sleep. Living for years in northern Montana we experienced the most impressive seasonal light swings we’ve ever seen; July morning light started creeping in not long after 4 AM on the horizon, and we could fish or do chores on the horse farm well after 10 PM with plenty of light in the sky. Looking back, we all struggled a bit with restful sleep during the long days of summer, and it was during those days that I began to re-study the impacts of sleep on human health, and how vital restful sleep can be. Protect your evening routine carefully, and beware the impacts of digital devices on sleep hygiene late in the day and evening.

Socialization Matters. One of the absolute travesties of the summer of COVID-19 is the fear that has been inculcated in many regarding any form of socialization. We humans are social critters, and thrive (most of us anyway) on social interactions of all sorts, interactions that just aren’t the same conducted via digital means. Don’t isolate in fear, we all still need to live fulfilled, productive, and interactive lives with others, and that can indeed be done safely.

Step Away from the Madness Today

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In my six decades walking this orb, I’m not sure I remember a more tumultuous time than the past few months.

Granted, I was blissfully unaware of the news of the day during the tumult of the 60’s, another era when racial and other divides rock our Nation to the core, though with the ever-present prattle of media these days (and there’s much more to the media game today) I’m convinced these are some of the most stressful days passed on the planet and in America in particular in decades.

Complicating our ability to process all the “news of the day” is the fact that what have historically been trusted media sources (I should clarify perhaps that these comments focus on news media) have seemingly evolved into purveyors of opinion as much or more than fact, and they (pick your poison here – evidence appears to support they’re all guilty of this) overtly alter or omit key facts that would otherwise put a different spin on the story.

Add to that the reality that emotions are running raw, not just other people you might see on video rioting in our Nation’s capitol or burning Minneapolis, but people you know, interact with, and perhaps live with have been impacted deeply.

Even further muddling our efforts to sort the wheat from the chaff so to speak is the toxic venom that has infiltrated and captured so much of social media these days. One of my personal goals for 2020 was to dial back social media consumption, and I was well on the way before the world changed in late February. Dipping a toe back into social media waters, often spurred by loved ones in my inner circle, has shocked me to the core at times – the level of hatred, vitriol, and misinformation (or outright lies) expressed is astounding.

My point?

You must be very very thoughtful and careful about the media you consume these days; we all have to take a break from the onslaught of images and cascades of emotion being channeled your direction. Make no mistake, much of what you’re seeing (if you’re immersed in the media) has been crafted carefully to invoke deep emotion, and we as humans simply aren’t built to sustain that fight or flight emotional reaction level for hour upon hour, day up day.

You need a break, you need to recharge those mental and emotional batteries, and you above all must keep the physical and nutritional components of your life in fine working order to sustain the challenges each day seems to bring.

Turn your damn phone and TV off, especially in the hours leading up to bed – a good night’s sleep is imperative these days.

Get outside and play – it needn’t be a huge production: hike, bike, game night with the kids, family movie nights, have a picnic and cook at your favorite local park. Read, paint, have a music immersion day, even creative hours in the kitchen can be magical.

A core necessity of your life mission is to take care of yourself so you can take care of those you love around you; you’ll still have time to save the world when you’re called to help out. Don’t fall for the trap that disorder and chaos is the only path to the future – that’s one of the great deceptions of these days, and will be proven false as it always has been throughout history.

Rest, refresh, replenish, and serve those around you.

Would a Quick Phone Call Have Prevented a Tragedy?

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My lovely wife and I live in a little community just north of sprawling DFW metro; at the last census there were only a little over 6,000 residents recorded, though it’s growing by leaps and bounds these days.

We choose to live out here as we’re not really big city folks, and we like driving through agricultural fields (mainly cotton, corn, and wheat) much more than suburbs and skyscrapers coming back “out to the house”. There’s a single high school, they still have a parade through “downtown” for homecoming, and there’s still movie nights now and again on the town square.

Of the things I enjoy the most about our little place is a nifty smallish sports park on the edge of town; it’s nothing fancy, just a cluster of soccer and football fields, ample parking, playgrounds, and some ambitiously designed baseball and softball fields. There happens to be a network of gravel trails in the complex, stretched out over nice gentle hills among a few water features, that I often head to for my early morning, get the day started walks.

Today Was a Little Different…

Pulling into the parking area this morning a bit after 6 AM I noted a cluster of police vehicles parked around a late-model, fancied-up pickup; it was close to my trail for the day, so I inquired of a pair of officers standing close by if any medical help might be needed.

Sadly one of the officers (probably an overly loquacious one given the circumstances) shared that a young man in his mid-30s, apparently a married dentist with young children living a few miles away, had taken his own life a few hours earlier and just been discovered a few minutes before my arrival. The officer went on to share that evidence at the scene suggested marital issues were somehow part of this sad story.

Could a Quick Phone Call Have Prevented This Tragedy?

Behavioral issues weren’t by any means the focus of my career in medicine, though I did practice for years in a field that dealt with individuals and families coping with extraordinary, catastrophic events; during those years I watched and marveled at the resiliency of people (and their loved ones) to overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges time and time again. These victories were often damned hard fought, many taking years to fully manifest, and exerted draining, gut-wrenching, and deeply emotional tolls at times. Despite the hardship and effort required, to the person every one of them insisted it was worth it in the end (yes, I asked every single time).

Many of my patients, in the earliest days post their spinal cord injury, severe burn, stroke, or other calamity would talk of losing their will to go on, some even openly talking of contemplating “ending it all”, though with expert support and guidance, almost all passed through the dark days and went on to fulfilling lives.

Whenever I hear stories of a young, vital person taking their own life, I’m still amazed by the sense of loss and bewilderment that follow. There are so many resources available today, even a National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1.800.273.TALK) manned 24/7/365, you have to wonder if a quick phone call could have prevented this tragedy today?

If you, or if you know of anyone who does, feel despondent, out of options, or at the end of your metaphorical rope, reach out for help. Please.

Five Quick Unconventional Stress Management Tips

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Just this past week I’ve been asked by a family member dealing with a burst of stress-inducing life circumstances about stress management tips “besides all the easy ones like exercise, meditate, try yoga, take a walk, or sleep more…”.

We’ve ended up talking about a number of options, but these were five six off the list that resonated the most.

Recalling Happy Memories

Reminiscing about enjoyable, positive, or happy memories, in this study damped cortisol rise and reduced negative affect in response to a stressful stimulus. Finding your happy place, even if just for a few moments, is probably useful.

For me at least, that means time on one of the great freestone rivers of the West, like the Gallatin above.

Spend More Time in the Sun

Those of you who are living a Primal lifestyle have already learned to embrace more time in the sun (with of course adequate precautions for high risk exposure areas like your sun and face), though there’s a fair amount of research documenting improved stress responses, mood, and sleep with more light exposure.

Bump Up Your Vitamin C Intake

There’s a fair amount of literature supporting the role that vitamin C plays in augmenting the body’s response fighting oxidative stresses; for over a decade behavioral sources (like this Psychology Today article from 2003) have suggested higher intake of vitamin C (with resultant higher serum levels) plays a useful role in maximizing our stress response.

Laugh

Norman Cousin’s 1979 book, Anatomy of an Illness, is a must read and brought to light the impressive powers of laughter. Perhaps I’m missing something these days, but many of the people we run across in daily life perceive they don’t laugh as much as in years past. Here’s a great recap from the Mayo Clinic detailing the short-term and long-term benefits of laughter if you need a refresher on some of the science of laughter.

Shake a Leg (Dance)

While not a research article per se, here’s a very interesting spin on Dancing and the Brain from Harvard Medical School’s Department of Neurobiology; from the article –

…Scientists gave little thought to the neurological effects of dance until relatively recently, when researchers began to investigate the complex mental coordination that dance requires. In a 2008 article in Scientific American magazine, a Columbia University neuroscientist posited that synchronizing music and movement—dance, essentially—constitutes a “pleasure double play.” Music stimulates the brain’s reward centers, while dance activates its sensory and motor circuits…

Have Another Piece of Dark Chocolate

Recently presented research from Loma Linda suggests that higher cacao levels in dark chocolate have demonstrable positive impacts on cognition, mood, memory, immunity, and more. They focused on cacao concentrations in chocolate of 70% or more, and while the data is “early”, it’s encouraging. ‘Nuff said.