Stress is a reality of life, there’s no getting around that. It’s common to wonder then, “Well, what am I supposed to do about stress, if I can’t get rid of it?” That’s a very good question. It’s true—you can’t remove all stress from life. That’s called living in a perfect bubble, and we’re all aware that it’s impossible to live that way. Just because we deal with stress, however, doesn’t mean that we have to sit back while it wreaks havoc on our health and hormones.
From day to day, we have to deal with work, family responsibilities, bills, social interactions, pressures, education, upsetting or unpredictable situations, and so on. And to some extent if given the choice, we wouldn’t want a life that’s 100% stress-free, because that would be boring. It’s all about finding balance though, and even though stress is going to be there, it doesn’t have to create huge swings in how we’re feeling or in how our hormones respond.
Unacknowledged stress or unchecked stress is often the real culprit. When we don’t want to admit that stress is ramping up, or we let it get extremely high without taking time for ourselves, stress can have a real effect on hormone balance at any age. It can cause or worsen symptoms such as:
Hormone Symptoms for Women
- Fatigue and low energy
- Low stamina
- Weight gain
- Acne
- PMS
- Irregular cycles
- Mood swings
- Anxiety and/or irritability
- Trouble sleeping
- PCOS
- Hot flashes/night sweats
- Low libido
- Unwanted hair growth
- Cold hands and/or feet
- Allergies
Hormone Symptoms for Men
- Fatigue and low energy
- Low stamina
- Weight gain
- Acne
- Mood swings
- Anxiety and/or irritability
- Trouble sleeping
- Hot flashes
- Low libido
- Allergies
- ED
Men’s and women’s hormones can actually be affected in similar ways by stress (outside of a female cycle, which is only applicable to women). Hormone imbalance that is triggered, or worsened by stress can make anyone feel generally run down, moody, apathetic, “out of it,” frazzled, foggy headed, and unbalanced. It can make us crave stimulants like sugar, caffeine, or nicotine to keep going. Symptoms of hormone imbalance usually happen in clusters, whether it’s in men or women. That means that people experience not just one symptom of hormone imbalance, but a few or several riding together at once. That’s why by the time you notice you’re not feeling like yourself, you may also feel too overwhelmed, tired, or strung out to do much about it.
The good news is that reconnecting with your body and acknowledging how stress is affecting you is a great first step toward balancing your hormones again. You can do stress relief techniques at home and be in charge of how you want to practice them. Stress doesn’t always have to feel out of control, just because it’s called “Stress.” You can keep simple tools handy to help you get back to the basics of stress relief, calming the body down, calming the mind down, and taking care of yourself.
After the stress packed year of 2020, it can also be helpful to look at how the previous year may have affected your life and overall health. It’s not the easiest thing to look at, but doing so can be a good first step in recognizing how stress may be affecting your hormones. Not to mention, for many of us the stress of 2020 feels like it may have slid into this new year of 2021 as well. World events, the pandemic, and politics happen on a large scale that may make it feel like our individual responses aren’t relevant. But they certainly are, especially when it comes to our individual health and our lives. So it’s okay to look at these factors when trying to regain ground with health care.
So which tools can help us process long-standing stress and help reduce its impact on our hormones?
Simple Tools to Help Reduce Stress and Balance Hormones
When you’re already feeling stressed, it’s best to keep your first steps toward stress relief pretty simple. Try not to take the approach of: “I just realized I’m feeling stressed!! I feel stressed that I’m stressed! I have to fix this now so that I don’t feel stressed!” Instead, you can take a gentler approach and admit that it may take time to unwind, and that you may require some rest to do that (wherever you can find it). Then, try out some mind-body techniques and lifestyle approaches such as the following:
Social Media Break
An amazing go-to technique for stress relief is getting away from the noise. And a big source of noise these days consists of social media and other screen-related activities. Many of us have to be on screens to a certain extent for work and other activities. That’s okay. But we also commonly use screens for distraction and escapism. Try and be honest about how much you’re turning to social media and screens to run away from it all. Though it may feel like stress relief in the moment, these eye locking habits can get to be too much over time. If that’s the case, step away for a bit and see if you feel better.
Head Outside for Stress Relief
Our homes are great for rest, but we also deal with our internal thoughts at home on a daily basis. Head outside for a quick break when your mind is latching on to repetitive thoughts and adding fuel to stress. You don’t have to wait for an actual activity or anything. Just open the door and head out for some fresh air.
Do Nothing
Our lives can feel like go, go, go all the time. If you sit down and try to block it out for even a second, your mind may tell you that you’re being lazy and not handling what you need to. But sometimes, it can actually be healthy for your body to do nothing for a little bit. There’s no actual rule saying that we need to be doing stuff all the time. However, it’s a pressure that many of us face to be on top of everything all the time. Create space for yourself by challenging yourself to do nothing for a change. You can get back to work or activities after your battery feels more recharged. Seriously, the tasks aren’t going anywhere, so they’ll still be there when you’re more ready for them.
Self Care for Chronic Symptoms
Attending to your health can be a great form of stress relief. If you’re finding that your upper back and shoulder muscles are chronically tense from stress, for example, you can spend 10 minutes stretching and feel refreshed both mentally and physically. Does this impact your hormone balance? Definitely. You’re showing your body that you care and allowing it to recover. Another example is if you frequently experience cold hands and a low grade lingering cold or allergies, you can take some time to rest. Depleting your immune system by driving yourself too hard can take its toll on hormone balance too. As you pay attention to your chronic symptoms and find even small ways to support yourself, you’ll feel relief on many levels, including stress and hormones.
Consider Enjoyment
During 2020, many of us had to put aside things that we enjoy doing. Because of fatigue, stress, worries, or whatnot, enjoyment can almost sound frivolous at times. It’s not though. Enjoyment can help us feel vital and energized. Both of these things bring natural stress relief to the body and mind, and of course can help with hormone balance as well. It may not be easy to revisit activities that have been figuratively collecting dust on a shelf. Take a chance anyway and see if you can appreciate hobbies, creative endeavors, exercise, sports, or anything you used to do that you haven’t tried in a while. Enjoyment can also mean treating yourself to something nice, pampering yourself in some way, or letting yourself feel excited about new opportunities or adventures.
Exercise and Stretching
Getting your body moving can feel tough at first, especially if it’s been a while. But once you’re moving and especially after, you’ll notice benefits both physically and mentally. Your energy and strength will increase as long as you don’t overdo it. And you may feel more relaxed and uplifted in your mood. Once your body gets moving, your mind may follow suit and those repetitive circular thoughts can unwind a bit. Exercise and basic stretching are also great for hormone balance, encouraging healthy cortisol levels, and supporting metabolism. Not to mention that if you vary it up, you can have fun with it too.
Breathing and Sleep
Here’s a quick exercise you can do before bed to help with stress relief, hormone balance, and overall health. It’s called a body scan:
- Take a few natural breaths.
- When you’re feeling comfortable, start muscle relaxation: With each exhale, relax your muscle groups from head to toe. It only takes 2-3 minutes.
- After you’re feeling relaxed, bring extra attention to those areas of the body that feel tense, sore, painful, or stiff. Picture unwinding these areas a little more.
- Finally, enjoy a good night’s rest of at least 7 hours if you can arrange for that.
Ask Yourself How You’re Doing
This may be the most simple step of all. Pause anytime you want during the day and ask yourself, “How am I doing?” Needless to say, once you ask that, it’s hard to ignore that there’s a real person (you) who may need a break or is feeling stressed. There may be suppressed emotions you’re dealing with behind the scenes, such as anxiety, sadness, or frustration. Or you may notice that you’re feeling more tired than usual. Repetitive thoughts or worries may surface that have been holding you back or making you feel stuck. These mental/emotional signals from your body are just as important to notice as physical ones, and they’re often connected to them too. Try and let your body know that you’re not too busy to listen.
Practice these simple tips at home and see how you feel afterward. They’re not miracle overnight fixes, and of course they don’t make stress disappear. But a little can go a long way in helping you process thoughts and emotions and manage overall stress levels. Staying connected to your body during stressful times helps promote better hormone balance too.