The Stress Code, by SA health and performance educator Richard Sutton, is full of tools and skills to buffer the adverse effects of stress and enhance health. Here are five tips to manage stress this year:
Massage therapy Lowers cortisol (hormone for blood pressure control), raises oxytocin as well as dopamine and serotonin, which all contributes towards healthy cognition. Controlled breathing
Helps control blood pressure, assists with the management of anxiety and depression disorders while improving brain functioning, increasing your memory and emotional processing. Swimming
Proven to reduce symptoms of chronic illness and improve life expectancy by reducing activity in the stress axis through the survival response called the dive reflex.
Meditation
Benefits a number of cognitive domains which include memory, verbal fluency, attention and memory. It also aids our bodies physically by reducing inflammation and improving immune regulation.
Music
Listening to slow, calming music increases oxytocin levels. It increases blood flow to areas of the brain and raises immunoglobulin A, which is an antibody that increases protection against pathogens.