Wellness Benefits

Benefits of Stress Management

  • Feel calmer and in control of your emotions

  • Avoid burnout

  • Increase capacity for enjoyable ideas and activities

  • Bring stress hormones into balance

  • Slow/stop weight gain

  • Decrease risk of heart disease

  • Spend less money and time on doctor’s visits and medications

What is Stress?    

Stress is a physiological response. It can be triggered by a perceived threat, or as a response to demanding situations (such as the fall harvest or buying a new home). It helps us prepare by altering our mental state, our digestive system, our cardiovascular system, and our respiratory system. It tenses our muscles and gives us nerves of steel to prepare us for confronting danger.

Stress can be helpful (sometimes)! If our bodies are stuck in stress mode for too long, we suffer side effects such as headaches, mood swings, and trouble sleeping. Stress can cause hormonal imbalances that contribute to appetite changes and weight gain/weight loss. Periods of prolonged stress can cause the immune system to weaken and contribute to inflammation, infections, and illness.

Over the long term, frequent periods of high stress can lead to high blood pressure and an accelerated heart rate – which means there is a higher risk for having a stroke or heart attack.

Heart disease was the number one cause of death for Americans in 2021 according to the Center for Disease Control. Stress management and weight management are vital to maintaining personal wellness and increasing the ability to recover from injury or illness. Of all the daily challenges we face, heart disease does not have to be one of them!

Let’s commit to taking care of ourselves by staying healthy, stress free, and always ready for the next adventure with our loved ones!

Benefits of Weight Management

Regain control of your body

Slow/stop weight gain

Increase self-esteem and confidence

Feel confident taking up space and trying new activities

Decrease risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and certain types of cancer

Small Steps to Relieve Stress!

Five Ways to a Calming Day

  1. Breathe

  2. Eat whole foods

  3. Drink water

  4. Move often and in ways that feel good

  5. Interact with kind and supportive people

The Flower Breath

Conflict with a co-worker? Emotionally heavy news article? When your stress levels get high, try the approach below to relieve tension and regain your calm:

  1. Splash ice cold water on your face

  2. Stretch and breathe

  3. Sit down, close your eyes, and visualize a field of bright red flowers. The red flowers represent your distress.

    Breathe into the flowers. With each breath, imagine the flowers fading gradually from red > to orange > to yellow > to white. The white flowers represent your calm. Repeat as often as needed.