The Art of Thriving Under Pressure: Embrace Stress Resilience

Close your eyes and imagine a world where stress is no longer your enemy but your greatest ally. In this alternate reality, stress becomes the fuel that propels you towards success. Sound too good to be true? Stay tuned as I unveil the secrets to harnessing stress and rewriting the rules of how to thrive in the age of chronically elevated cortisol levels..?

Here’s the thing. Like everything else in the health space, I’ve tried everything when it comes to battling stress. A few years back I was scaling my business like a madman, hustling with the tenacity of a man on a mission to move his wife and himself towards more time and financial freedom and agency. But as the business grew, so did the chaos and demands, leading to a whole lot of stress, sleepless nights, and never-ending tasks. It wasn’t pretty. Here’s what I learned through the process…

Conventional theories about pressure and stress resemble the concept of germ theory. They propose the existence of pressure germs and stress germs, which vary in concentration across different aspects of life. For instance, the Olympic arena is teeming with these germs, while the practice arena has fewer.

Our lived experience revolves around the thoughts and the momentary feeling of those thoughts. It's not the circumstances that determine our experience, but rather the energy and feeling generated by our thoughts. This implies that feelings of pressure and stress stem from the overwhelming presence of STRESSFUL THOUGHTS or a cluster of thoughts occurring simultaneously.

Understanding this doesn't guarantee that you'll never experience pressure or stress again. However, it can guide you in the right direction. We construct the experience of stress and pressure, not consciously or intentionally, but it often appears as if they already exist, making us feel like victims. Yet, it's important to remember that our minds are not cameras passively observing. They are projectors actively creating our experiences, which we then perceive through consciousness. As you begin to see this, you'll become less preoccupied with managing pressure and stress. You'll realize that by not projecting and creating pressure and stress in the first place, there is less to handle.

Okay, now that we got the real root issue of stress out of the way, let’s get into some practical to-do’s to bolster some stress-resilience today. The inputs build the evidence to support a more resilient mindset.

First off, don't fool yourself into thinking that stress resilience comes from pampering yourself with bubble baths and candles. It requires a more proactive approach. You can't achieve this by treating yourself like you're made of glass. You have to give your body what it really needs.?Intentional Stress.

Let’s get into the most effective evidence based tools for leveraging Intentional Stress to build Stress resilience and a mindset that perceives stress as an ally…

Incorporate high-intensity interval training (HIIT) into your exercise routine.

When it comes to managing stress, leveraging intentional stress through exercise is one of your most powerful allies. According to research, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) is one of the most effective ways to manage stress while also burning a ton of calories in a short amount of time.

A study published in the Journal of Physiology found that HIIT was more effective than steady-state exercise at reducing cortisol levels, a hormone associated with stress. Another study published in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine found that HIIT led to significant improvements in psychological well-being, including reduced levels of stress, anxiety, and depression.

Incorporating HIIT into your routine doesn't have to be complicated. Even just 8 minutes, three to four times a week of high-intensity exercise can yield some impressive results. Try doing a quick circuit of bodyweight exercises like push-ups, squats, and burpees, or doing a few sprints outside. Give yourself 8 minutes to do as much work as you can and improve each week until you’ve hit around 20 minutes.

Shiver Sometimes

As you dive deeper into the realm of stress resilience, there's one unconventional method that has garnered attention for its potential to enhance mental well-being and build resilience: cold therapy. Incorporating practices like cold showers and ice baths into your routine might seem daunting at first, but the benefits are worth exploring.

Research has shown that exposure to cold temperatures can stimulate various physiological and psychological responses that contribute to stress resilience. One powerful study published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry found that cold water immersion activates the release of endorphins and other mood-enhancing neurotransmitters in the brain, leading to improved mood and reduced symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression.

On a personal note, I can attest to the transformative effects of cold therapy in my own journey to overcome crippling stress, anxiety, and depression. There were times when I felt overwhelmed and stuck in a cycle of negative thoughts and emotions. However, incorporating cold showers into my daily routine provided a unique and invigorating experience. The shock of the cold water awakened my senses and shifted my focus, allowing me to break free from the grip of stress and anxiety. Over time, I noticed a remarkable improvement in my mental clarity, resilience, and overall well-being.

Close your mouth when you breath and be still and silence daily.

Mindfulness practices like meditation and breathing exercises are becoming increasingly popular as a way to manage stress. And the science backs it up: studies show that mindfulness can decrease stress levels and improve emotional regulation. Again, stress does not exist outside of our minds. There are no stress germs out their that you are inevitably going to come in contact with.

One study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that a mindfulness-based stress reduction program led to significant reductions in stress and anxiety among participants. Another study published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research found that mindfulness-based interventions were effective at reducing cortisol levels and improving perceived stress.

Implementing mindfulness practices doesn't have to be time-consuming.If you’re finding it hard to start, try this… 10 rounds of a forceful 3 second inhale and 6-8 second exhale every night before bed. You can also try using a meditation app like Headspace or Calm, or simply take a few minutes to focus on your breath each day.

Quit being so damn serious all the time and make time for play.

As entrepreneurs, it can be all too easy to get caught up in the hustle and stress of providing for your family and forget to take breaks. But taking time for play and relaxation is essential for stress management and overall well-being.

Whether it's playing with your kids, reading a book, or taking a nap, carving out time for relaxation can help reduce stress levels significantly while also improving mental clarity.

So make sure to schedule in some downtime each day, even if it's just a few minutes. Taking breaks can actually make you more productive in the long run.

Lastly, and most importantly is optimizing your sleep.??

This is crucial for stress management. Try this experiment. Get a self quantifying device like a whoop watch and then do everything you would do to get a poor to average night of sleep. Then see how you feel the next day. Examine your effectiveness at work, examine your eating habits. Take notice of how you interact socially. After that, see if you can get a 100% sleep score and tell me you had a bad day the day after. Yea, it’s not gonna happen.

Studies have shown that lack of sleep can exacerbate stress levels and increase the risk of developing mental health issues. A study in 2019 found that individuals who slept less than 6 hours a night had higher levels of perceived stress than those who slept 7-8 hours a night.

?

In conclusion:

Remember, the battle against stress is ongoing. Keep sharpening your resilience, pushing your limits, and forging yourself into a stronger, more unstoppable force. The journey to peak performance is never over, but with stress resilience in your arsenal, you're ready to conquer any obstacle that comes your way.

On your side,

Taylor

?

Key Points:

1. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is an effective method to manage stress and improve psychological well-being while burning calories quickly. Studies show that HIIT reduces cortisol levels and enhances mental health.
2. Mindfulness practices, such as meditation and breathing exercises, can decrease stress levels and improve emotional regulation. Studies demonstrate that mindfulness-based interventions reduce cortisol levels and perceived stress.
3. Scheduling time for play and relaxation is essential for stress management and overall well-being. Taking breaks can improve mental clarity and productivity.
4. Optimizing sleep is crucial for stress management, as lack of sleep can exacerbate stress and increase mental health risks. Individuals sleeping 7-8 hours per night experience lower stress levels than those sleeping less than 6 hours.

?

?

Valuable Resources and Products:

• Othership?- The best breathwork app that I’ve ever used. It offers guided short beginner breathwork sessions all the way up to hour long holotropic breathwork sessions that will leave you in a cathartic state with no stress in site.
• The Ultimate Stress Killing Herbal Stack: Taking all or a few of these together seems to have a synergistic effect but feel free to take one at a time to see how you respond to it. I’ve had clients who have gotten blood tests to measure cortisol before and after using this protocol and it can have significant impacts on lowering cortisol levels.
• Lavender - Nature's Way CalmAid Lavender:?https://amzn.to/3nlglnz
• L-theanine:?https://amzn.to/3LDGp6G
• Ashwagandha:?https://amzn.to/3Hk4nkY
• Rhodiola rosea:?https://amzn.to/3ADZ7VK
• Bacopa monnieri:?https://amzn.to/41OMe6Y
• Kava:?https://amzn.to/3oHd6an
• Whoop?- Probably my favorite fitness tracker that monitors heart rate variability, a key indicator of stress levels, and provides personalized stress management insights.