Stress Isn’t Something You Just “Deal With” It’s a Skill You Can Master

When I first started working as a nurse, I thought the hardest part would be the medical skills like inserting IVs, reading labs, running codes.

But the truth? The hardest part was stress.

And here’s what shocked me: no one ever taught us how to handle it. We were trained to save lives, but not to save our own nervous systems.

That’s when I realized something powerful:

Stress management is a skill

And like any skill, it can be learned, practiced, and elevated

 Why Water Calms the System

Even mild dehydration raises cortisol, the stress hormone (Journal of Nutrition).
Your brain interprets it as danger. 

That mid-afternoon fog or pounding heart? Often just low fluids.

Try this: Next time you feel edgy, drink a tall glass of water first.

Shake It Off : The Animal Secret

Patients on my shift would sometimes tremble, and I used to think it was just fear. But animals do the same: dogs shake after fireworks, deer shiver after a chase.

This isn’t weakness
It’s the body’s way of discharging stress energy.

Researcher Peter Levine found that shaking completes the stress cycle so the body can reset.

Try it now:

Shake out your arms, legs, and shoulders for 20 seconds.
You’ll feel lighter because you just told your nervous system: We’re safe

Drink Your Calm

Stress chews through nutrients like vitamin C and magnesium:  both key for regulating cortisol.

Stress-Less Lavender Lemonade 🍋 🌿

- 1 cup cold water

-Juice of ½ lemon (vitamin C blunts cortisol spikes)

-1 tsp raw honey (supports serotonin)

-1 lavender tea bag, steeped + cooled (Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience shows lavender calms the parasympathetic system)

Optional: pinch of magnesium citrate

Pour over ice and sip slowly. This is chemistry working for you.

Stress Reset Flow Chart

Step 1: Do I have control over this?

YES → Take one small action → move forward

NO → Release the thought → redirect energy

Step 2: Immediate Reset

💧 Drink water

 🌬️ Deep breathing

👯 Talk with a friend

Step 3: Physical Reset

🚶 Take a walk

🏋️ Hit the gym

 🐾 Shake it out

Step 4: Close the Cycle

 🌟 One deep exhale

✅ Celebrate a small win

Key Takeaway

Stress doesn’t end when the stressor ends.

It ends when your body completes the cycle.

That’s why drinking water, shaking it out, moving your body, or talking with a friend aren’t “extras” ...they’re how you close the loop and tell your system: We made it. You’re safe now.

Want to Go Deeper?

Micro-shifts like these are powerful, but sometimes stress runs deeper. That’s where EFT tapping  comes in. Clinical studies show EFT can reduce cortisol by up to 43% in a single session (Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease).

This is the tool I use with high performers who need more than “just breathe.” Because when you treat stress management as a skill, you unlock clarity, focus, and energy that lasts.

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