Our bodies were designed to handle a moderate amount of stress. But stress, when experienced for a prolonged period of time, can wreak havoc on our health, well-being and ultimately lead to dis-ease. Building up your tolerance to handle stress will better support your body against the negative effects of chronic stress. That’s right. With a few small tweaks you can build up a better defense to support yourself in stressful situations and beyond.

5 ways to Raise Your Stress Tolerance:

1. Quality Sleep - when we talk about health and well-being, there’s not much that doesn’t start with ‘get a good night’s sleep’. Our sleep is absolutely paramount to raising our stress tolerance. If you have trouble sleeping, try ending your screen time 30-60 minutes before bed and practice a bedtime ritual. A Magnesium supplement or our Sweet Dreams Magnesium Cream may help bolster a sound sleep.

2. Strengthen Your Vagal Tone - The vagus nerve is the largest cranial nerve in the entire body and is an integral part of activating the parasympathetic nervous system - where healing takes place. The vagal tone indicates the ability for the vagus nerve to activate itself. Like a muscle, the more we trigger the vagus nerve, the stronger it gets and therefore, your body is more readily able to trigger a relaxation response. For details on how to increase your Vagal Tone - click here to watch our video.

3. Spend More Time in Nature - get outside, breathe the fresh air, soak in some Vitamin D. Studies have shown a myriad of positive health benefits to spending more time in nature. A walk in the woods, time in your garden, an afternoon by the ocean - however you enjoy the outdoors, make more time to do it.

4. Decrease Alcohol and Sugar - give your nervous system the best chance to fight stress by decreasing your alcohol and sugar intake. Regular consumption of alcohol and sugar will negatively effect your hormones and ultimately increase your cortisol levels, actually creating stress on your body’s physiological balance. Build your body’s reserves by fueling it with a healthy diet, so it has the proper energy to draw from during stressful times.

5. Develop a Mindfulness Practice - cultivating a Mindfulness Practice on a daily basis is one of the most effective ways to build your stress tolerance. Start with 5-10 minutes a day and build up to 20-30 minutes of a seated, deep breathing practice. Taking deep breaths sends a message to the brain to calm and relax.

Another simple Mindfulness Practice is to start or end each day writing down 5 things you’re grateful for. Recognizing and stating the beauty in each day will help your mind naturally shift to a more positive perspective overtime. It’s a practice.

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