3 Strategies to Help Reduce Stress During The Pandemic

Before we dive deeper into this blog, we want to acknowledge you in this season. Although we are not able to physically see the work of your labor, we want to remind you that it’s worth it. In whatever way(s) that this pandemic has been hard for you, we are confident that it’s shaping you. We hope this blog helps you find ways to reduce stress during these times.

First thing’s first. The health and safety of our patients will always be our number one priority. Secondly, the well-being of our patients is very important to us. Whether you are under regular chiropractic care with us or not, we encourage you to build healthy habits into your schedule!

We are going to talk through THREE strategies to help reduce stress during the pandemic.

1. Positive Affirmations

Self-affirmations are often overlooked, yet they have been shown to decrease health-deteriorating stress. Although there are no hard rules when it comes to timing or frequency, both writing your affirmations down in a journal and practicing them in the mirror is an effective and powerful method. More generally, an adaptive, broad sense of self makes us more resilient to difficulties when they come our way. Whether we are presented with social pressures, health information that makes us feel uncomfortable, or even feelings of exclusion… a broader self-concept can influence our health for the better.

Looking for some ideas to create your own affirmations? Here are a few examples to get you inspired:

“Whenever I fall down, I get back up again.”

“I am strong, brave, and intentional.”

“I am healing!”

2. Exercise

We all know that exercise is good for us. But, why? Well, we are glad you asked! There is early evidence to support this theory. Let’s look at a 1998 study conducted by Brown and Siegal. The two examined the ability of exercise to buffer stress-induced deteriorations in physical health. In total, 384 teenage girls were assessed for their levels of self-reported exercise schedules, stress levels, and disease incidence. As expected, girls who were sedentary and under high levels of stress had higher disease incidence. In contrast, girls who were moderately physically active and under high stress were protected against the stress-induced increases in disease incidence. Therefore, the findings revealed that exercise may be a valuable resource for combating life stress.

When it comes to building exercise into your already-jam-packed life and work schedule… you will have to make it a priority. Start by setting a time that you can commit to on a daily basis. It is not about working out for long, extended periods of time. It is about choosing something that is attainable and staying consistent. The saying is true, “Move your body and change your mind.” We believe in you! Now, repeat your positive affirmations and get moving.

3. Chiropractic Adjustments

Last but not least, go see your local chiropractor! If you have never been to a chiropractor before… we are here to fill you in. Chiropractic is not designed to instantly make you feel better. It is designed to make you instantly heal better! Getting to the root cause of your health issues takes time, repetition, and consistency. Chiropractic is not a one-time, quick-fix for your chronic problems. Your pain or discomfort did not arise in one day and will not go away in one day. As Chiropractors, we genuinely care about your symptoms. However, our aim is to prep your body to function at optimal levels and help you respond better to all stressors in your life.

Through specific, chiropractic adjustments, we work to reduce stress-related interference to your nervous system. Chiropractic is yet another commitment we encourage you to build into your schedule, along with all your other healthy habits (like daily self-affirmations and exercise… wink wink). There you have it – 3 strategies to help reduce stress during the pandemic.