Design Your Well Life
Intentionally design a lifestyle that promotes healthy and clean choices.
Learn what it means to truly design a well life - a life that nurtures your Body, Environment, Mind, Spirit, and Relationships.
Whether you're curious about reducing your toxic burden, creating a home that heals, or finding balance in your everyday routines, this podcast is for you. I'll share design recommendations, personal insights, and inspiring interviews with experts and real people on their own healing journeys.
Design Your Well Life
From Burnout to Balance: The Science of Stress & Recovery
Links:
Brendon Burchard - Release Meditation
National Academy of Sciences – Chronic Stress & Inflammation
Welcome back to Design Your Well Life. I'm so glad you're here with me today because we are diving into something that affects every single one of us. Stress. It's that invisible force that creeps into our lives, takes root in our bodies, and if left unmanaged, can quietly wreak havoc on our health and well being. Think about the last time you truly felt overwhelmed. Perhaps your to do list seemed endless. Personal challenges weighed heavily, or you're simply running on empty. The tightness in your chest, racing thoughts, and tension in your shoulders, that's stress manifesting in real time. Now imagine what happens when that feeling isn't just a momentary reaction, but a constant state of being. Today, we're exploring how stress elevates cortisol levels, increases inflammation and over time can lead to serious chronic health issues. But here's the empowering part. By making intentional changes, we can actively reduce stress and allow our bodies to heal. Healing doesn't have to be complicated. It can be as simple as reconnecting with childlike joy, laughing more, taking deep breaths, or stepping outside into nature. So, let's unpack what stress does to our bodies, and most importantly, how we can fight back. So why is stress a big deal? We all know stress isn't good for us, but let's talk about why. Stress isn't merely a mental or emotional experience, it's deeply physical. When we're stressed, our bodies release cortisol, a hormone integral in our survival mechanism. In small bursts, cortisol is actually really helpful. It helps us respond quickly in dangerous situations. But when stress is constant, our cortisol levels stay elevated for too long, and that's when the real trouble starts leading to significant health concerns. One of the most alarming effects of chronic stress is systemic inflammation. Research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals that prolonged stress leads to glucocorticoid receptor resistance, impairing the body's ability to regulate inflammation. When the body can't properly shut off its inflammatory response, it stays on high alert, contributing to autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular issues, and metabolic disorders. Chronic stress has also been linked to insulin resistance, weight gain, digestive problems and weakened immune function. When the body remains in this fight or flight mode, it deprioritizes healing because it's perceiving itself as under continuous threat. Notably, chronic stress has been shown to accelerate biological aging, indicating it's not just making us feel older, it's literally advancing the aging process at a cellular level in our bodies. Now, our daily lives are filled with stress and mine is no exception. Balancing the roles as a mother, a leader in the design industry, a wife, and a volunteer often leaves little room for relaxation. Reflecting on my own past when my children were young, my morning started early, preparing the kids for school, making breakfast and lunches, enduring a stressful hour plus commute to the office, working a nine or ten hour day, and then returning home to cook dinner, help with homework, do laundry, clean the house, and finally, collapse into bed late each night. I'm sure many of you have similar experiences on a daily basis. Even with the support of my amazing husband and family, this routine was unsustainable. In addition to that, frequent work travel added another layer of stress, involving late night work sessions in hotel rooms after long days of on site design work. While I love my job and cherish being a mom, years of continuous stress, Really took a toll on my body. I recall the onset of my autoimmune conditions before we had a diagnosis. It was a frightening experience. I was in Mexico after a demanding work week and my family joined me for a few days on the beach. We thought we'd get some R& R. As I lay in the sun, my tongue suddenly seized up painfully and wouldn't release. It felt like a charlie horse in my tongue. I couldn't speak, swallow, or relax. And this continued to happen and become a clear indicator for me during my healing journey. Whenever I subjected my body to excessive stress, be it dietary, physical, or emotional, my tongue would seize. When this happens, I know it's time to reduce stress quickly. Now, we've got this vicious cycle. Stress and chronic disease. I remember when I first learned about how stress impacts the body. I was deep in my research on healing, reading study after study about how chronic stress leads to inflammation. It suddenly clicked. So many of the health struggles I had been dealing with were connected to stress in ways that I just hadn't even realized. I was eating well, I was sleeping better, I was detoxifying my home, but if my stress levels were through the roof, I was still pouring fuel on the fire. Here's something fascinating. Research from the National Institutes of Health has shown when your body perceives stress, it releases glucose into your bloodstream in order to give you energy, kind of this run from the tiger effect, even if the tiger is just your inbox or an argument with a loved one. If this happens too often, it can lead to insulin resistance, which is the beginning of so many metabolic diseases that we've previously talked about. This means that even if you're eating healthy, your body may still struggle with blood sugar regulation simply because of your stress. And chronic stress isn't just making you feel frazzled. It's actively changing how your body will process the food that you eat, how it stores fat and how it regulates your energy. And do you struggle losing weight? The culprit might just be stress and its effects on your raising cortisol. Cortisol is notorious for promoting belly fat storage. It increases your sugar cravings and it makes it harder to lose weight. But the effects go even deeper. When cortisol is high, it messes with sleep. It disrupts digestion and it can even slow down healing and tissue repair. So, what is a person to do? How do we stop this cycle? Let's talk about how we reduce stress and create an environment where our bodies feel safe enough to heal. Now, there are very simple, powerful ways to reduce stress. And one of the fastest ways to lower cortisol is something that seems almost too simple. Have more fun. Seriously, when was the last time you laughed until your stomach hurt? Or did something just because it made you happy? As adults, we get so wrapped up in responsibility that we forget how important playfulness is for our health. Laughter has been shown to lower cortisol, boost immune function, and even reduce pain. So, I challenge you, do something just for fun this week. Watch a funny movie. Dance in your kitchen, which, by the way, is one of my favorite things to do. I turn on some 60s music and dance, dance, dance. Or you can play a silly game with your kids. Whatever brings you joy. I remember a big turning point for me during my healing journey. I was in California for a conference and my husband and I decided to rent one of those retro camper vans that wouldn't drive faster than 60 miles an hour. We were on the freeway and people were passing us left and right, but it made us slow down. And we drove back from California to Utah, stopping in Yosemite, the Sequoias, and a lot of other beautiful places along the way. We slept in the van, the back doors of the van opened up to be a little built in kitchen, and we cooked all of our meals out of the back of the van. One morning it even poured rain and my husband held a box over my head while we cooked sweet potato hash browns. I don't remember having so much fun. We laughed, we teased each other, we read books to each other, we hiked, we napped, we did yoga tree poses on misty rocks in the fog, and I didn't have one flare up the entire time I was gone. It seemed like a miracle. It is so important to plan fun into your schedule. It has been shown that when you have something planned that you're looking forward to, it increases your happy hormones and makes your daily tasks less stressful. Even if it's as simple as lunch with a dear friend this week, or as extravagant as a dream vacation, planning moments on your calendar for something that you can look forward to makes a big difference in the stress in your life. The anticipation of a joyful event has been significantly proven to reduce stress levels. A study from the Journal of Experimental Psychology found that looking forward to a positive event can trigger dopamine release, which enhances your motivation and reduces the effects of daily stressors. This is why planning even small joys like a new book to read or a weekend hike can have a really profound effect on our well being. Another incredible way to lower stress is deep breathing. The science behind this is fascinating. When you slow your breath, you signal to your nervous system that you're safe. This activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps reduce your heart rate, lower blood pressure, and decrease cortisol levels. Brendan Burchard is an amazing motivational speaker, and he has a lot of great courses that you can take. And one of the techniques that he uses is called Release Meditation Technique. Now, this is where you simply repeat the word release while taking slow, deep breaths. It's like a reset button for your mind and your body. I'll link to a YouTube video where he explains how to do this. Research published in Frontiers in Psychology has demonstrated that slow deep breathing can significantly reduce psychological markers of stress. And, increase relaxation within just five minutes. This technique is a game changer for those moments when stress feels overwhelming. And speaking of resets, getting outside for just 15 minutes can do wonders. Sunlight boosts serotonin. Which makes you feel happier and being in nature has been shown to reduce cortisol levels almost immediately. A landmark study from Stanford university found that individuals who spent just 20 minutes in nature experienced lower stress hormone levels and improved mood compared to those who spent the same amount of time in urban environments. If you're feeling overwhelmed, step outside, breathe in the fresh air. Let your brain clear. I try and use this trick as often as the weather allows. I am fortunate to have a park that is a block away from my office. I keep a picnic blanket at my desk and walk to the park on my lunch break. I sit with my feet in the grass. I listen to some great music and I eat my lunch. In just 20 to 30 minutes, I feel like I have completely reset my day again and come back feeling recharged. I have fresh creativity and no more afternoon three o'clock slump. It's such a simple shift, but it makes an enormous impact for me. Now, what about the role of connecting with different people in the reduction of stress? We are just not meant to navigate stress alone. Having a support system, whether it's family, friends, a partner, or even pets, makes a huge difference. Studies show that spending time with loved ones, even just 10 minutes of social interaction, lowers stress hormones and boosts feel good chemicals in the brain. A Harvard Medical School report found that individuals with strong social connections had lower stress levels, better cardiovascular health, and even a longer life span Now, the simple act of just engaging in conversation or sharing a laugh or getting a hug from a loved one can make a tangible difference in how our bodies process stress. And let's not forget the power of pets. Research from the National Institute of Health shows that interacting with animals, particularly petting a dog or a cat, significantly reduces cortisol levels and lowers blood pressure. There's something truly grounding about being around animals. They bring us into the present moment, they remind us to play, and they provide unconditional love. And don't underestimate the joy of hobbies. When we engage in activities that bring us joy, gardening, painting, reading, playing music, we enter a state of flow, where stress really just melts away and our minds get a break. Dr. Heidi Hanna, a leading expert in stress and resilience. explains that engaging in creative or mentally stimulating activities can retrain the brain's response to stress, making us more resilient to it over time. One of the most impactful shifts I made in my own life was dedicating time to things that truly nourish me. For me, it was rediscovering my love for picking up a book, dancing in the kitchen and taking time to get outside and really enjoy my family. We love playing games together. I noticed that when I made time for these things, my stress levels were noticeably lower and my overall energy improved. Now, if you think about some of these things that we've touched on today, it really doesn't take a lot of time to make a big impact in your life. We're talking five minutes here, ten minutes there, fifteen to thirty minutes. It really is small moments of intentional things that can create really lasting healthy benefits in our lives. Now as we wrap up, I want to leave you with a few simple takeaways to try and implement this week. Small changes can lead to really big results, so pick just one or two of these. One of the things you could do is identify a major stressor in your life and brainstorm a way to manage it differently. Maybe it's saying no to something. Or maybe it's time to set better boundaries. Plan something fun this week even if it's just a small treat, like a favorite meal or a phone call with a friend. Anticipation of joy has real stress reducing effects. Try deep breathing. Whether it's the Release Meditation Technique or just a few slow, intentional breaths before bed or in between calls at work, a few minutes can make a big difference. Spend time outside. Even if it's just sitting on your front porch watching the sun come up. Nature is a free stress reliever. And find ways to bring joy into your day, whether it's through music, laughter, or a hobby that you love. I truly believe that healing isn't just about what we put in our bodies, it's also about what we remove from them. When we take the steps to lower stress, we give our bodies the space to repair, to rest, and to thrive. If today's episode resonated with you, I would love to hear from you. Share your thoughts, share the episode with someone, tag me on social media. Let's start a conversation about how we can design our lives for less stress and more healing. I'll link to some of the studies I mentioned in the show notes, including research on stress and inflammation. Until next time, take a deep breath, do something that brings you joy, and keep designing your well life.
The information provided on Design Your Well Life is for educational and informational purposes only, and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or health concerns. The views and opinions expressed by the host or guests on this podcast are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of any organizations they are affiliated with. While we strive to provide accurate and up to date information, we make no warranties about the completeness, reliability, or accuracy of the content shared. By listening to this podcast, you acknowledge and agree that neither the host nor any guests or contributors are responsible for your health decisions or outcomes. Always make choices that are right for you in consultation with trusted professionals.