Go Beyond Managing:
Influence Your Stress

Every single living being on the planet experiences stress. Stress is a biologic response to a real or perceived threat. It is triggered quickly and affects all systems of the body.

We need stress to stay safe in the event of an actual threat. Unfortunately, our bodies regularly perceive daily life situations as threatening and trigger a “false” alarm sending a signal that the stress response is needed.

You can influence your stress response by recognizing where you have sensed “danger” and provide cues of safety to your body. Doing so can help bring your pre-frontal cortex, or thinking brain, back online so that you can reason and respond. This page offers science-backed resources to do that.

If you have questions, please contact: carrie@nurturedhealing.com

Become Aware

First, you’ll want to become aware that your stress response was triggered and answer a few questions.

• Where do you feel stress in your body?

• Do you think your body sensed a threat INSIDE of you, OUTSIDE in your environment (expanding out to your global environment; think watching the news) or BETWEEN your nervous system and another nervous system?

• Fill in the blank to locate where you are on the Polyvagal ladder (see below for more information on the Polyvagal Theory) and complete the sentence:
  I am so FEELING, I could ACTION. For example, I am so frustrated, I could scream.

• What is the story your brain created about this stressor? Is it possible to unhook from the story?

Influence
Your Stress

Now that you understand a bit more about what triggered your stress response, you can bring cues of safety to the body* via the areas of or through the senses. You can read how to do that here or watch the YouTube video below (watch on YouTube to skip to different senses/areas of the senses).

*Please be sure you are not driving while engaging in these practices.

Additional Resources to Try:

Tapping or Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) Video

Loving-Kindness Practice

Self-Compassion Practice

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

 Click below to try a short or longer audio practice that purposefully brings tension to the body to release it.

Body Scan

Click below to try a short or longer audio practice that guides you through a body scan.

Box Breathing

Click below to try a 3-minute square breathing, also called box breathing practice.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1

Come back to the present moment by quietly noting to yourself:

• 5 things you can SEE

• 4 things you can FEEL

• 3 things you can HEAR

• 2 things you can SMELL

• 1 thing you can TASTE

Binaural Beats

Binaural beats involve one ear hearing one frequency or tempo, and the other ear hearing one that’s slightly different. As your brain works to equalize them, it makes a wave. Different frequencies produce waves for different functions, like deeper focus or relaxation. Binaural beats are best listened to with headphones. Click below to listen.

Q & A

What is the Polyvagal theory?

Created by Dr. Stephen Porges, the Polyvagal Theory is a science-based theory that provides an explanation of how our autonomic state influences and is influenced by the dynamic challenges of life.

What books do you Reference?

I reference Deb Dana’s book titled, Anchored: How to Befriend Your Nervous System Using Polyvagal Theory and James Nestor’s book, Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art.

What Essential Oil do you use?

I like Vibrant Blue Oils Parasympathetic® for calming stress and Circadian Rhythm® Blend for sleep.

What is the science behind
these practices?

How Can I support those I care about
To Influence
their stress?

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