1. Get your nervous system checked!

• Just like you get a dental check up, find a health professional such as a Chiropractor that can effectively assess your nervous system for optimal performance and counteract the stress response.

 
2. Spinal hygiene exercises.

• Spinal hygiene exercises put input into the nervous system to shift away from the fight/flight stress response.  Put them into your daily routine  to counteract stress. Spinal hygiene is just as important as dental hygiene!
• Ex. Neck range of motion stretches, spinal twist and chest opener stretch!

 
3. Breathing drills/breath walking.

• Diaphragm breathing- hand on chest and hand on belly.  10 deep breaths where your belly hand is the only one moving. Feel your shoulders drop as your stress melts away!

 
4. Go outside!

• Spend time in nature every day. Even consider doing points 2 and 3 outside! Studies have shown this effectively decreases stress!

 
5. Golden hours of sleep.

• The golden hours for sleep are between the hours of 10 and 2. This is when your body does the best repairing and healing.  Give your body the best opportunity to recover from what you have put it through today and prepare to give you the best output for tomorrow.

 
6. Joy List

• Write out all of the things that truly bring you joy and aim to do one every day. Whether it is a cup of coffee from your favourite coffee shop, a bath, or a call from a friend, have this list close by and do something for yourself daily that makes you happy.

 
****The key is to do these things on a daily basis. When done regularly they can help you handle life stresses so they don't impact your health as dramatically. Also, you will get so good at these habits that when something really stressful happens, you can pull one of these out in the moment  to help you get through it.