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Of course, you won’t be able to completely avoid stress, but there are techniques to reduce its level and negative effects on your health.
When stressed, the human body releases cortisol, which, with prolonged action, can negatively affect well-being. Of course, you won’t be able to completely avoid stress, but there are techniques to reduce its level and negative effects on your health. RBC-Ukraine writes about this, citing the publication of nutritionist Anastasia Goloborodko on Telegram.
How cortisol affects the body
“The hormone cortisol limits functions that are not important in anxiety reactions. It determines the immune response, inhibits the digestive and reproductive systems, slows down growth processes. Only three reactions are controlled – mood, motivation and fear,” explains the expert.
Goloborodko notes that once the threat passes, hormone levels return to their previous values. The systems are gradually resuming their activities.
“When a stressful, albeit small, factor is present often or constantly, the response to the situation always remains on. As a result, we get the modern diagnosis of conditional “adrenal fatigue” – maladaptation of the organ and its inability to perform its functions. Their decrease occurs and the reaction becomes insufficient , to maintain normal body functions,” says the nutritionist.
How to Reduce Cortisol Levels
To reduce the stress hormone, Holoborodko advises meditating, taking baths with salt, taking walks in the forest, taking a contrast shower, doing low-intensity sports and falling asleep before 11:00 p.m. She also recommends connecting the following three practices on an ongoing basis.
“For 30 minutes, once every couple of days, don’t do anything. Sit on the couch. No phone, no books, no movie – you just sit. It’s difficult, all your thoughts have changed your mind, there are no new ones, a whole three minutes will pass, 27 will remain. So do whatever you want , but without new information. The advanced level is to arrange Saturdays or Sundays without gadgets,” the nutritionist advises.
She also recommends not constantly scrolling through thoughts in your mind, it is better to write them down on paper.
“Thousands of thinking about problems and constantly solving them in the mind is a dysfunction,” says Goloborodko.
And the main thing she advises is to delight your 5 senses. It is important to use all 5 analyzers and get maximum pleasure.
“I have this ritual with matcha: my ideal and beautiful outside, warm, heated, tea aroma, taste. Three-minute tea drinking works ideally with dopamine receptors,” says the nutritionist.
