Top 3 Ways to Reduce Stress in a Fast Paced World

Stress is something none of us are immune to.It's a term that we all vividly recognize on some level and are highly interested in avoiding on another.With countless books, technology devices, and online articles all available at our fingertips, sometimes too many options or information can have the exact opposite effect in adding more levels of stress to an already overcrowded life. The old adage of "sometimes less is more" can ring vibrantly true for many who are looking for a simple, yet effective process that actually works.I'll be the first to admit that there are many different schools of thought when it comes to what stress actually is and how to go about reducing it. Personally for myself, no matter the time or life circumstances that have been thrown my way, these 3 strategies have proven to provide the most bang for the buck in my own stress managing protocol...

1.  Start each and every day with a Daily Gratitude Practice.

When we first begin the waking process each morning, our brains are in a primal state to absorb any and all thought patterns. This is a unique opportunity for us to hijack our mind in order to, over time, program it to a state that better serves us.Waking up feeling lethargic, angry, or downtrodden is a sure fire way to carry those same emotions with you over the course of your entire day.The brain has 4 main wave patterns:

1. Beta
2. Alpha
3. Theta
4. Delta

Beta refers to our conscious or awake state. (Think of being fully alert and aware of all thoughts.)Alpha is our when our mind is relaxed and calm. (Think in a semi-meditative state, like when daydreaming or first waking.)Theta is when we're completely relaxed and in the deepest form of relaxation without actually being asleep. (Think lucid dreaming.)Delta is when we are in our deepest sleep or REM state. (No dreams here. Just sound asleep.)Well, there's a beautiful moment that we all have an ability to tap into upon waking and that is the bridge between the alpha and beta state. This short but unique period in which our brains are still very much openly transitioning to a fully conscious state, therefore allowing us to, in a sense, take hostage of what we're feeding it and redirect it.I mention this because it's an absolute PERFECT time to get into the habit of doing a gratitude practice. Starting your day from a sense of openness and appreciation by verbalizing and writing down 10 things you are grateful for can be a game changer for reversing unconscious, negative-tilting mental patterns that have creeped up into your psyche.The best part is how simple it is to start:

1. Put a journal next to your bed on your night stand.
2. Grab it as soon as you wake up in the morning before doing anything else.
3. Date it and write down the first 10 things that comes to your mind that you are thankful for.
4. Afterwards, repeat those 10 things out loud to yourself.
5. You're done! Put the journal back in it's original place and repeat the following day.

Mark your calendars and try this out for 30 days. I promise you'll notice a difference in your overall mood and energy to start each day.

2. Minimize sugar intake (especially at breakfast).

Sugar is something we ALL love. If you don't agree then I'm sorry but you're lying to yourself.It gets in our systems (blood, to be exact) super quickly which then has an amazing (though temporary) effect on our dopamine levels, causing us to feel a sense of euphoria. That morning bagel, donut, or other carb enriched breakfast can give us the jolt of energy needed to start our day, however within a couple hours we begin to feel tired and start craving more sugar laden foods.This is an epic cycle that many are caught in each and everyday. When our blood sugar drops we aren't able to mentally function as efficiently as we'd like and we become lethargic.If you find yourself falling into this daily pattern of high energy to low lulls, then try an experiment of eating a more protein and quality fat enriched breakfast to see how you respond.Try eating a couple of eggs (hard boiled if in hurry) with an avocado to start your day. Even better if you're able to throw some veggies (spinach, mushrooms, onions, etc...) in there as well to help with mineral and antioxidant absorption.Eating like this to start your day helps stabilize your blood sugar, which in turn helps to create a steady balance between your brain, mood, and the ability for you to have smooth consistent levels of energy throughout the day.Similar to step 1, think of your body as an empty painting canvas to start each day. Whatever you nourish it with first thing in the morning is a direct driver for what it craves throughout the rest of the day.Starting the process of minimizing sugar and carbs in the AM and replacing with protein (eggs) and fat (avocado) not only helps to keep you satiated until lunch time, it also promotes better mental clarity and efficiency.

3. Ask yourself: "What am I meant to learn from this?"

This may be the third on the list but I find it to be the most important. All of us are going to deal with moments that we simply aren't able to fully understand or grasp in the present state. One of the easiest and most self defeating ways to approach any challenging situation is to blame the circumstance on others. This is full on "victim" mode and it does absolutely nothing for empowering ourselves to push towards the greatness that each and everyone of us aspire for."What am I meant to learn from this?"Taking a few deep breaths to calm yourself down and become present, while repeating this phrase at your most challenging times is another tool to train your mind to look for patterns as well as opportunities to learn, adjust, and grow from.One of the best personal examples I can think of for this is at previous corporate company parties or functions where I was no stranger to being "that guy."Everyone knows him.The one who couldn't hold down his alcohol and properly made an fool of himself for everyone to see, nearly each and every time adult beverages were involved. This was a pattern that followed me for many years and through multiple employers until I took a step back and asked myself: "What am I meant to learn from this?"It wasn't until I was genuinely fed up with my behavior and compassionate enough with myself to change it, that I finally created a boundary for how much I would drink."Two drink max Brandon... No excuses. Make it happen." I would repeat to myself. No matter how much was offered or who was doing the offering, I over time made this my normal mantra.The beautiful part was the more I thought back to what it was meant for me to learn from the past, the less and less I needed to think about it. Over time, it became a newly formed habit that no longer required conscious attention.The more we practice asking ourselves this question in the present state, the less likely non-serving patterns are to develop that not only keep us from our greatness, but require a greater depth of action for reversal.Managing stress is a full-time job and requires our daily attention in order to keep it at bay.But by approaching it headfirst, we put ourselves in a prime position to take on more positive habits. Over time these newly formed routines truly put us in the drivers seat to live a life with more peace, balance, and overall happiness.