Safe to say, no matter how the election plays out, the next few days are likely to be among the most stressful the nation, and we its citizens, have ever experienced. Even if everything goes without incident, the political drama of the last few months has frayed nerves and continues to feed our collective anxiety, even in those who are usually resistant to it. 

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Be it situational or chronic, we all know that stress brings with it some health-torpedoing downsides, making our stress management mission more critical than ever. Managing stress well starts with reminding yourself there are many ways to diffuse it – we need to be conscious that there are lots of ways to release stress quickly and healthily. While avoiding stress altogether is virtually impossible, the key is to pack your mental health toolbox with as many stress-busting techniques as possible, so you can tap into them whenever you feel your stress levels start to rise. Over the years, I’ve shared numerous ideas on how to keep stress from getting the best of you – and now seems the perfect time to put them front and center, so you can help yourself ride out the weeks ahead in a calmer, more relaxed state, come what may. Here’s where to start:

Health and longevity depends on good stress management.

As ‘normal’ as stress is for most of us, too much of it for too long has a massive impact on our health. And none of it is good. All that stress weakens our immunity, damages our organs – particularly our hearts and brains – and, over time, increases the risk for many of the diseases we fear most. Stress is, unfortunately, one of those things that ages us rapidly inside and out, which is one of the many reasons I’m laser-focused on encouraging my patients to do everything possible to reduce theirs. When they do, not only do they start to feel better, but they literally begin to turn back the clock, reducing wear and tear at the cellular level, slowing the aging process to boot. Fact is, biological age is to a good extent, reversable, meaning that we can age in both directions. A recent study looked at people whose bio-age had shot up after highly stressful events – major surgery, pregnancy, severe COVID, etc. – and then, after a period of recovery, had come back down. My advice? To help turn back the clock, have those de-stressing techniques at your fingertips.

Tap into the calming power of your vagus nerve.

The vagus nerve, which consists of two nerves that ‘wander’ up and down the body, is an essential part of your parasympathetic nervous system, responsible for calming and balancing the body, as well as regulating critical functions, among them, heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, perspiration, even speaking. It also calms down your organs, including your digestive tract, after your system has been ratcheted up by the sympathetic nervous system in response to a perceived threat, the so-called “fight-or-flight” response. So, one of the smartest things you can do to start mastering the art of de-stressing is to stimulate the vagus nerve to work for you. How to do that? There are a bunch of ways, with meditation topping the list, but also through activities like belly breathing, singing, massage, exercise, eating foods that are rich in omega 3s and even cold exposure. If tech is more your thing, you might consider investing in a vagus nerve stimulator device, designed to send electrical impulses to stimulate the nerve’s activity.

Best in show: meditation.

One of the best ways to stimulate the vagus nerve is through meditation. As you may know, meditation is a powerful antidote to emotional turbulence, and I urge you to make a daily meditation practice a priority (particularly now!). No matter where the stress is coming from, with a consistent meditation practice, you’re cultivating health-supportive adaptability and resilience – in effect lengthening your fuse. That makes it easier to manage strong emotions and better navigate the choppy waters of everyday challenges. When you manage your day from a calmer, more centered place, you'll be less likely to react (or overreact) impulsively when life throws you curveballs. By helping to stimulate the vagus nerve, meditation will help keep blood pressure spikes and organ damage at bay too. Unlike pharmaceutical medications, meditation offers all the stress-reduction benefits without any downsides – think of it as your emotional wellness medication, and take as much as you like! To get started right now– you can grow your practice to include longer sessions over time -- just grab a chair, close your eyes and take a 3-minute time-out to get stress under control with this super simple guided mediation for beginners.

Become breath-aware.

‍The simplest way to start training yourself to de-stress on demand, by initiating your body’s relaxation response, is to start focusing on your breath. This is the ultimate tool we all possess for inducing relaxation. The first step is simple: notice how the rhythm of your breathing varies continuously. For instance, when you're upset or anxious, your breathing quickens; when you're relaxed or sleeping, it slows down. This simple practice of breath awareness helps train your mind to let go and go with the flow in many aspects of daily life - a valuable lesson indeed!  All you need to do: 1) Breathe shallowly and rapidly, and observe how you feel in that moment. Tense, right? 2) Next, breathe deeply and slowly, and note how calm you feel. It’s like a wake-up call, reminding us just how much our breath is connected to our current physical and mental states.

Lean into rhythmic breathing.

‍When stress levels start to climb, don't let your mind spiral. Instead, give yourself a time out: pause, focus on your breath, and consciously slow it down. To do that, breathe in, to a count of 6, then exhale to a count of 7, tuning into your physical sensations rather than your anxious thoughts. Within seconds, this simple breathing exercise triggers the body's relaxation response - your heart rate and blood pressure will lower, and the emotional intensity of the moment will dissipate. Shifting your focus in this way helps override obsessive or distressing thoughts, reducing their power over you. It's empowering to know you’ve got the power to calm and soothe yourself so quickly, just by breathing slowly and deeply.

Try a discreet, do-anywhere ear massage.

Though it may seem a bit unusual, massaging your ears can be a very effective, discreet way to quickly relieve stress anywhere, even on that Zoom call you’ve been dreading. To do it: gently apply pressure as you move your fingers from the earlobe to the top of the ear, then back down, several times. This massage action stimulates the reflexology points in your ears, sending calming signals to your nervous system that can help tame your body's stress response. It's like treating yourself to a no-needle acupuncture session without leaving the desk.

Tap yourself calm.

The Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) is a simple acupressure-based set of moves, a self-care practice also known as "tapping." Created in the 1980s by therapists Sue Johnson and Les Greenberg, the technique consists of tapping on specific meridian points, stimulating the vagus nerve, helping to ease stress and relieve anxiety in the moment. To learn the basic tapping sequence, check out online tutorials like this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAclBdj20ZU.

Disconnect from the stuff that ratchets up anxiety.

At this point in the election cycle, you have a pretty clear idea of who will win your vote, so I highly recommend disconnecting from all media for now. Our feeds are full of anxiety-enhancing news, non-stop notifications, unhinged comments, screaming headlines and doomsday scenarios, so the best thing you can do to tame anxiety is to pull the plug for the time being. No need to argue with your friends and relatives on the family chat, (it’s unlikely you’ll change their minds anyway), no need to fill your head with chaos. Simply step out of the news cycle. Go old school and read a book, work on house projects you’ve been avoiding, walk in nature, just focus on busying yourself in pleasurable, screen-free ways. In time, the political dust will settle, and we will be in whatever the new reality may be, so there’s no need to put yourself through weeks of relentless emotional tumult until it does.

Mind your mouth – as in what you put in it.

When we are stressed out, it’s easy to take your eye off the dietary ball and hit the alcohol or sweets harder than you might in less tumultuous times. Fair enough, but falling off the dietary wagon really just makes matters worse. With booze, after the initial feeling of relaxation passes, it exacts its pound of flesh by triggering blood sugar spikes, followed by inevitable crashes, putting you on a physiological roller coaster that can destabilize mood, and exacerbate feelings of anxiety. Sugar has a similar effect, you’re up, you’re down, you're on a chemical rollercoaster when a smooth flat ride is really what you need. Also keep in mind that booze is also a nervous system depressant, so after the initial euphoric effects wear off, it’s likely to leave you feeling blue as well. What to eat to keep your mind and body on an even keel? Here are a few tips:

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• Pass on alcohol, sugar, processed foods and stimulants – all will have a negative impact mood 
• Drink more water – stimulant free and available just about everywhere, it helps stabilize mood as low levels of dehydration can encourage depressive symptoms
• Go light on carbs and sweets -- simple carbs that dump too much sugar into your bloodstream far too quickly, pumping up cortisol, adrenaline and then sending insulin to move the sweet stuff out of your bloodstream, levels come crashing down, leaving you stressed, anxious and irritable
• Think mood managing medicinal foods – as in foods rich in B vitamins, like grass-fed and pasture-raised animals; omega 3s from small ‘oily’ fish like mackerel, anchovies, and sardines from clean waters; and lots of leafy greens. Think of it this way: good food has medicinal effects, like keeping blood sugar stable, which will enable you to side-step the stress response that boosts anxiety.
• ‍Add natural stress tamers like adaptogens – to bust stress naturally, ‘adaptogens,’ help support healthy adrenal function (think “fight or flight” response) and help regulate a whole slew of hormones and neurotransmitters that influence mood. Adaptogens like Rhodiola, Ashwagandha, American ginseng, and Eleuthero support a healthier response to stress and anxiety, as do anxiety-taming supplements like magnesium, L Theanine, GABA and DHH-B. You can also look into adding CBD and cannabidiol, or CBD, which is helpful for managing anxiety and encouraging relaxation (without intoxication).