Doing Hard Things When its Easy.
Doing Hard Things When It’s Easy🔥
I’m going to share a big travel secret of mine. That has NOTHING to do with food.
It the concept of forcing yourself to practice hard things when life feels easy.
If you are a friend of Kitchen Shift you probably like and align with my advice. You understand that we dislike seed oils and copious mindless alcohol consumption. You know we are always striving to work our shift in the kitchen (aka cook our own meals). And that whole food nutrition is the way.
But! What about the deeper stuff? Like unlocking the next level of discipline. Each and every day -building habits and routines. And the ability to feel and look better than any of your peers?
That’s what this blog is about.
I think the FUTURE of wellness is going to be focused on the brain. You are asleep if you don’t see how every company is trying to hack into your mind. Some are using actually chemicals (hello industrialized food industry) and some are simply hacking into the chemicals you already have (phone addiction)
And I think the future healthy WE are going to have to fight hard to keep control our brains. And decide what we let in.
Doing this is HARD WORK
Take it from a super emotional human. I’m probably one of the most “in my head” people you have ever met.
If Instagram had an award for most captivated- it would be me.
I love connection and I want to do all the things every day. So working to get control of what I feed my brain has become the priority number one.
If you have worked with me, you have definitely heard the terms sympathetic and parasympathetic system. These are actually becoming household words. The reality is this crazy world we live in is causing us to squirt constant cortisol and epinephrine and norepinephrine-and at some point - your brain and body are going to say “ENOUGH”
So what do you do to avoid these total body and mind shut downs.
You learn and practice how to manage your stress.
Truly. It’s that simple.
So here’s the craziest thing.
Americans take vacations and actually make their stress WORSE. (For such smart people - why are we so dumb)
Yeah. That’s right.
We leave our incredibly stressful lives and we go to the beach and we:
Drink alcohol from sun up to sun down
Eat out at every meal which ends up being a copious amount of inflammatory seeds oils and minimal nutrients and fiber
We just sit. We aren’t active because we are exhausted and we just sit.
We sleep like crap.
And what are the results?
We need a break from the “break”.
Rather than offer you a bunch of tips of what to eat, how to drink less, and how to increase activity on a trip- I’m going to focus on how to get your MIND right on vacation to do these things not only on your trip but when you get back.
These are best practices that I have built while I’m in a relaxed state - and they serve me very well when I’m faced with a lot of stress back home.
I have really worked to flip my brain and body from fight or flight (sympathetic system) to rest and digest (parasympathetic) and the results are REAL.
The idea is to really work these things when life feels easy. Build the muscle memory. Build that brain resilience.
Here are my top 3.
Journaling
Research on handwriting your thoughts continues to show incredible benefit to the brain. Benefits include improved emotional control and processing, stress reduction by improving cognitive function and memory, an opportunity to self-reflect and build personal growth, and a boost in creativity and problem-solving skills. During a typical work week - this can feel very rushed. A chore.
A great way to start a journaling practice is while you’re on vacation. I began mine in 2021 after a very stressful season of life. I had a lot swirling in my brain and I found a beautiful little journal at Target and packed it in my carry-on. Each day I would spontaneously write thoughts down. I returned home and didn’t pick it back up until my next trip. That second trip I began to write in the morning. I would write about gratitude and what I was feeling and what I hoped to get from the day. I started to really connect how good it made my brain feel. After a few trips- I stated to pull my journal out at home. I have now filled 3 journals and it’s AMAZING to read back on older chapters and witness the growth I have made.
10/10 recommend beginning a journal practice on vacation.
Physical Hormesis
Hormesis is a word that may not be familiar to many so let’s first define it. Hormesis is an adaptive response of cells and organisms to a moderate (usually intermittent) stress.
Hormetic stress is the right amount of stress where your body is challenged, but you aren't overly fatigued. This sort of stress can be very good for our immune system, reversing cell damage (anti-aging) and detoxification.
So how do I do this on vacation? An example is cold plunging. This is a wildly popular thing that you see on every 3rd instagram post but the benefits are real. Cold plunging reduces inflammation, improves the immune system, facilitates the release of dopamine and serotonin and improves lymphatic drain (read: detoxification)
The problem with cold plunging is if you are doing to when the body and mind are crazy stressed- it can exacerbate the stress response. Not improve it. Especially in women. So a great way to begin or practice this is when the body is more relaxed. This way - your body can recover and gain the benefit. If you have access to a facility that has a cold plunge set up- try it! OR simply dip into a cold body of water. It’s exhilarating! When you return home- you can practice this by simply turning your shower to the coldest setting for 30 seconds at the end of your shower. This paired with a morning journey practice- you will be UNSTOPPABLE!
Breath-work
Have you ever been really stressed out to have someone tell you to “JUST relax?” This a great way to get my blood to boil over!!
Breath work can be the same. An older version of me would have no patience to sit and breath but as I have worked this tool on vacation- it’s become easier for me to practice at home. And let me tell you. This is one of the best ways to get your body out of fight flight or freeze.
Breath work has saved me from spiraling, saying things I don’t mean (tempers suck) and has also helped me wake up and focus when I normally would have reached for coffee.
There are many ways to practice breath work but one of my favorites is box breathing.
Box breathing is used by the Navy SEALS and for good reason. When in high-stress situations, it's crucial to remain calm and think clearly. Navy SEALs use box breathing as a quick way to get the nervous system under control. The technique helps them stay focused and precise during critical operations.
I practice this a lot when I travel to build the muscle memory so it’s easier to use when I’m truly stressed.
See this infographic for how to get started!
As I continue to develop my coaching techniques and methods, these “tips” are ones are that becoming more woven into my practice. If you are interested in learning more, reach out and let me share the different services I offer. Or head here to learn more!