STRESS and stress resets
It seems it doesn't matter who you are… life is a wee bit (or a lot bit) stressful these days.
At retreats, we typically lead a reflection process on adding to your coping skill “toolbelt”. It’s not that yoga, meditation, journaling, self-care, outdoor recreation, nature immersion and mindfulness solves allllll the world’s problems, or your own for that matter. But these tools help us find more ease and flow in taking on the challenges we must face.
We can manage stress much more effectively when we also take the time to pause, care for ourselves, and respond, in productive ways. I often say that attending a yoga retreat is like getting an oil change or going to the dentist. A retreat offers an opportunity to bring our physical body, emotional body, and psychological body back into alignment. A retreat offers our autonomic nervous system a full reset.
At our upcoming retreat at Sugar Lake Lodge, we’re combining both a full reset with a retreat setting, and a book club book that offers some simple, science-backed strategies to regulate stress in everyday life.
Even if you aren’t joining us this time, we wanted to share our book club pick because this one might be worth adding to your shelf.
Our next read is Stress Resets by Dr. Jennifer Taitz. Stress Resets offers 75 quick, science-backed techniques to help you manage stress effectively.
Dr. Taitz, a clinical psychologist specializing in mindfulness-based behavioral skills, provides practical tools to help you regain control over your emotions and responses to stress.
Much of the stress coming at us on an average day is normal actually. BUT, it’s how we manage those stressors that’s the key. Dr. Jennifer Taitz introduces the following to consider:
…and she also emphasizes that it doesn’t have to be this way.
I actually used the very first strategy from her book just last week.
Something stressful happened at work. I felt that familiar spike of anxiety spiking. Instead of reacting, I did… nothing. I paused. I let myself sit with the feeling. I slept on it. Dr. Taitze shares that when we react in a moment of high-stress, we often make things worse. Sometimes, doing nothing is exactly the right move.
Dr. Taitz acknowledges that when you’re stressed out, sitting down with a book about how to get out of it, isn’t exactly practical.
This is why she created a science-backed, approachable resource that reads like a cookbook. Take what you need in small, digestible recipes designed to help you manage stress effectively.
The book is divided into three main sections:
Understanding Stress: Explores the science behind stress and its effects on the body and brain.
Mastering Stress: Introduces evidence-based strategies, including mindfulness and cognitive-behavioral techniques, to manage stress.
Thriving Beyond Stress: Focuses on cultivating a thriving mindset through self-care, positive relationships, and finding meaning in life.
I know I will be using this book time and time again. These practices will be helpful not only for me, but will also be helpful strategies I can share with my children. In my role as a manager, I will also be using some of these “recipes” with my team.
A few of my favorite strategies from the book:
1. The Power of the Pause
When you're overwhelmed, resist the urge to act immediately. Pause. Breathe. Let the wave of emotion pass before responding. Often, time brings perspective—and prevents regret.
2. The 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Technique
This quick mindfulness trick brings you back to the present moment.
5 things you see
4 things you can touch
3 things you hear
2 things you smell
1 thing you taste—or are grateful for.
Perfect for moments when anxiety feels all-consuming.
3. Box Breathing (a.k.a. Square Breathing)
Inhale for 4, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4. Repeat.
This technique helps regulate the autonomic nervous system, calm your mind, and slow a racing heart.
4. Name the Emotion
Feeling stressed? Say it out loud: “This is anxiety.” “This is fear.” Naming the emotion helps your brain shift from reaction mode to problem-solving mode.
5. Do One Kind Thing
When stress narrows your focus, expand it by doing one kind, intentional act—text a friend, hold the door, leave a positive review. Kindness reconnects you with purpose and gets you out of your own head.
6. Sing a Silly Song with New Words
Dr. Taitz recommends changing the lyrics of a familiar tune to match your stressor. For example, sing “This meeting is stressing me out, stressing me out, stressing me out…” to the tune of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” It sounds goofy—and that’s the point. Humor helps create distance between you and the problem, activating a different part of your brain.
Join us at Sugar Lake Lodge May 30-June 1, 2025 to put stress resets practices into action.
