Surprising Ways to Relieve Stress, with Jill Winger (S5 E5)

Last Updated on June 20, 2024 by Michelle

Surprising ways to relieve the stress of our modern world.

Last week we talked about 4 modern health problems we have largely because of our modern conveniences

In fact, our modern world is kinda killing us.

The #1 problem undermining our health? Stress.

What health problems does stress cause?

While stress leads to numerous health problems–including high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and diabetes–it also impacts our nutrients that we store in our body.

Stress has a profoundly negative effect on the body’s nutrient stores.

This is a double whammy because when we’re stressed, we’re tired and have no energy, so we need nutrients more than ever. But stress literally prevents us from absorbing essential nutrients.

As if that isn’t all bad enough… when we’re stressed, we have zero interest in any thing that seems like the hard choice when it comes to food prep, so we rely more on processed food instead of wholesome real food. And we crave highly processed snacks & sweets, foods that are super high in bad fats and empty calories, with zero nutrients.

Old-fashioned ways to relieve modern stress

So today we’re talking about the surprising old-fashioned ways to relieve stress in our modern world.

And I’m joined by Jill Winger, author of Old-Fashioned on Purpose, releasing Fall 2023.

As Jill describes herself, in her upcoming book: “Somehow, I’ve gone from being the lone pioneer on the fringe to riding the peak wave of the homesteading tsunami.” Jill, needless to say, gives a lot of credence to old-fashioned solutions.

GET OUTSIDE

So, is there really a magical secret to stress waiting for us just outside our back door?

Studies have shown that children without regular exposure to the germs found in dirt have increased health problems, such as asthma and allergies. This study found that playing in the dirt correlated with a longer, better life.

We’ve also seen a 41% rise in the use of prescription anti-depressants in kids as young as 5 !

DO SOME GARDENING

Last episode of S4 I talked a lot about cortisol. A hormone that our adrenal glands naturally produce to prepare us for fight or flight or stress. But here’s the crazy thing… if we’re going through menopause (ahem… I raise my hand, reluctantly…) we’re seeing a huge drop in estrogen levels, which automatically causes the body to produce cortisol. (Ugh. we 50+ ladies just can’t get a break…)

Cortisol increases our appetite (preparing us for fight or flight) and signals the body to store fat (also preparing for fight or flight)

But here’s the amazing thing… the simple act of playing in the dirt make a difference. It turns out that gardening decreased cortisol levels more than conventional occupational therapy for folks in this study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26030115/

So menopause and weight gain can BOTH be combated in old-fashioned ways… reduce our stress & simultaneously reduce our cortisol levels!

CREATE SOMETHING

What about the active component or even the creative component usually involved in being outside and away from screens? Did you know these things make our brains create happy juice (aka dopamine)?

Even cleaning house creates dopamine

If you research what you can do to lower cortisol levels:

Take deep breaths. … (fresh air)
Exercise regularly. … (which is almost always better outside)
Indulge in hobbies. … (Which, bonus, also creates dopamine)

Walking 30 minutes a day, 5x week reduces cortisol levels. Just walking. How cool is that?

SCHEDULE YOUR DOWN TIME

So how do we pull ourselves away from what the modern world says is so important? How do we MAKE ourselves and our kids get outside?

We need to, for starters, understand how important this is to our overall health. (Just cause you’re here, you can check that box already.)

Then we need to make it a priority. Try literally writing in your planner your down time, outside time, exercise time, heck even cleaning time (it all gives us that dopamine high)

When we start to truly value old-fashioned solutions to modern health concerns, everyone benefits.

As Jill writes, “Old things are solid and steady. They’ve withstood the test of time, and they have the scars to show for it. I respect that.”

Listen in to the podcast episode on this topic (S5 E5) over on Apple Podcasts right here or click below:

Join Jill & Michelle on YouTube for their conversation on this topic: