Erica Rawson: Hello and welcome. My name is Erica Rawson. I'm a Clinical Mental Health Counselor by trade and currently the Health and Wellness Coordinator at San Juan College Health and Human Performance Center. You in the community might know it as the HHPC. In my role, I work with individuals throughout the community who are balancing things like the demands of work, personal health, education, studying, and caregiving.

If you're listening today, chances are you're a caregiver in some capacity, whether you're a healthcare professional, a family member supporting a loved one, or someone who provides emotional or physical care to others. And if that's the case, I just want to take a moment to recognize you. Your work is essential. Your compassion is invaluable. And yet, caring for others often comes with stress, sometimes even more than we realize.

In my line of work, I always try to assess if I am caring or carrying. As a caregiver, we're driven by compassion. We want to help, support, and ease the burden of those we care for. But there's a critical distinction we must recognize. We are here to care for others, not to carry them. When we try to carry someone, absorbing all their stress, pain, and struggle as our own; we quickly deplete ourselves. True, sustainable caregiving comes from a place of strength, not sacrifice. The best way to show up for others is to ensure we are not constantly running on empty.

That is where completing the stress cycle comes in. By allowing our bodies to fully process stress rather than accumulate it; we can maintain the energy, presence, and resilience needed to truly care without being weighed down. That's why today I wanted to talk about breaking the burnout cycle. Specifically, how can we complete the stress cycle?

The truth is, stress itself is not a problem. The problem is when we get stuck in stress mode, unable to process and move through it. In this episode, I'll explain what the stress cycle is, why it matters, how to complete the stress cycle using research backed strategies and practical ways you can integrate these techniques into your day, no extra time required.

By the end, I'll walk you through a simple movement routine that will help you physically and mentally complete the stress response so you can reset and keep going. But before we dive in, let's take a moment to acknowledge that caregiving can be physically, mentally and emotionally taxing. With everything you do for others, it's so important to prioritize yourself. Now let's explore how you can break that burnout cycle and reclaim your well being.

Understanding the stress cycle. Have you ever had one of those days where everything seems to go wrong and even when the stressful event is over, you still feel on edge? That's because stress doesn't just disappear when the situation ends. Your body holds on to it. One of my favorite books is called Burnout, The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle. It's written by sisters Emily and Amelia Nagoski. They explain that the stress cycle is a biological process. It follows a cycle and here's how it works. Number one, a stressor appears. That could be a tough shift at work, a patient emergency, a difficult conversation, or some worry about a loved one.

Number two, your body reacts. Your nervous system kicks in, increasing your heart rate, tightening your muscles, and releasing stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. This response is driven by your autonomic nervous system, specifically our sympathetic nervous system. It kind of is that thing that you might know as fight or flight response.

Adrenaline, we also call it epinephrine, is released almost instantly into your body. It gives you a surge of energy. It sharpens your focus, and it prepares you to act. It's helpful in short bursts, like when you need to respond quickly to an emergency. But if it stays elevated for too long, it can leave you feeling jittery, anxious, or completely drained.

At the same time, the second hormone, cortisol, we often refer to it as a stress hormone, it kicks in to keep you alert and mobilized. While cortisol is necessary for handling challenges, chronic elevation, chronic being long term, can contribute to fatigue, high blood pressure, weakened immunity, and even burnout.

So how do we shift out of this stress response? That's where our parasympathetic nervous system comes in. This is often called our rest and digest system. It helps your body return to a state of calm. The key player here is the vagus nerve. It runs from your brainstem down through your body. It's the longest nerve in our body and it helps regulate your heart rate, digestion, and your relaxation response.

Activating the vagus nerve through deep breathing, movement, laughter, or social connection; signals to your body, it's safe to exit survival mode and begin the recovery process. So by intentionally completing this stress cycle, we help our nervous system transition from high alert to balance. It reduces the wear and tear that chronic stress can cause us physically and emotionally.

So then that stressor goes away, your patient gets better, you're at the end of your shift, the conversation you needed to have completed, and so even when those things have happened,your body can suddenly still be in a heightened state. There's another great book I love called The Body Keeps the Score by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk.

And in there, he explains that stress and trauma don't just exist in our mind. Such an important thing to just sit with that truth for a moment. Stress and trauma don't just exist in our minds. They are stored in our bodies. So, friends, when we experience stress, especially repeatedly, our nervous system adapts by staying on high alert even when the danger has passed.

This is why we might feel tense, irritable, or exhausted long after a stressful event is over. If we don't find ways to physically release that stored stress, it can manifest in chronic tension, sleep issues, digestive problems. Even things like feeling numb or being disconnected from your body. The good news is that just as the body holds on to stress, it also releases it through, again, movement, breath, and connection.

Practices that signal to the brain it's safe to return to a state of balance. Our modern world makes this cycle even trickier. So in the past, our ancestors experienced stress primarily in the form of physical dangers. So you're running from a predator? When the danger passed, their body naturally completed the stress cycle through movement.

They ran, maybe they're shaking, deep breathing. But today, many of our stressors, work pressures, emotional caregiving, chronic worry, they aren't physical, so they live in our minds and in turn in our bodies, but they linger long after the stressful moment has passed. And so again, if we don't complete that cycle, it builds up over time, leading to burnout, exhaustion, or health issues.

So what's the good news here? Well, you don't have to eliminate stress from your life. You just have to give your body a way to move through it. How do we complete the stress cycle? Well, the Nagoskis outlined several ways to do this, each one backed by science. So we're going to break them down. My favorite and why it's something I love to talk about is physical movement.

In Burnout, The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle, Emily and Amelia Nagoski emphasized the importance of physical activity in managing stress. And I bet you knew that a personal trainer and wellness coordinator was going to come back to physical activity. However, don't get overwhelmed with this. They simply say physical activity is the single most efficient strategy for completing the stress response cycle.

So in other words, movement is the fastest and most effective process to get rid of the stress or to complete the cycle. Here's the good news again. It doesn't have to be intense. Simple actions like a brisk walk, stretching, shaking out your arms and legs, or even dancing to a favorite song can be enough to signal your body that the stress cycle is complete.

I want to take a little caveat and also talk about movement as a long term strategy. So short term we do those shaking or that brisk walk or we dance it out. But over the long term, movement really helps us in a proactive way, build resilience and ward off burnout. So the key is to find activities you enjoy.

As a personal trainer, as the coordinator here at the gym, people are always asking me, what's the perfect exercise? And my answer is always, whatever you'll do. So if it's hiking, biking, swimming, gardening, just a consistent way to move as part of your routine. So by prioritizing movement, which feels hard when you're a caregiver, but what it can do is help create a sustainable way to manage stress, restore balance, and maintain overall well-being.

So we want to have movement right after the stressor, and then we also want to think of movement as a long term strategy. It's important to note that the kind of movement you do doesn't need to be intense or time consuming. Even brief moments of movement can make a big difference. Think of it as a reset button for your body.

Something that brings you back to calm without requiring hours at the gym. Although you can come hang out with us for a few hours if you'd like. Sometimes I come in my office and I shut the door and I just do a couple of squats. It's amazing what it does to reset my body. So that's movement. The next one is deep breathing.

Slow, controlled breathing helps regulate your nervous system. One of the most tried and true research methods for slow controlled breathing is called the 4-7-8 method. You inhale for four seconds, hold for seven, and exhale for eight. So just take a moment and inhale

and hold that breath

and start exhaling.

Nice job. So just deep breaths can help reset that stress cycle. Another one, our third option is positive social connection. A warm hug, a genuine smile, or even a shared laugh with someone you trust can be enough to signal safety to your nervous system.

Creative expression, number four, writing, painting, dancing, singing. You don't have to be good at it. That's not the goal. But that creative expression helps the brain process emotions and stress. If I had a particularly stressful day as someone who specialized in art therapy in school, I will come in my office and I will set a timer for one minute and scribble as hard as I can on a piece of paper.

And when that minute's over, I get a new piece of paper and I scribble as hard as I can. And once you know within three or four pieces of paper, that stress cycle is complete. My breathing is returned to normal and there is absolutely nothing adorable about the art that I created. And that's okay.

Laughter. Not just a polite chuckle, but you know, that full body can't breathe belly laugh. Research shows that laughter releases tension and it helps complete the stress cycle. Now, I don't know if you're going to like the next one. A lot of people don't, but that's crying. It might not feel like crying is helpful to complete the stress cycle, but it is a biological release.

If you feel the tears coming on, let them flow. It's your body's natural way of releasing stress and processing it. And you won't cry forever, I promise. Affection and physical touch, a 20 second hug, holding hands. My personal favorite, petting a furry friend. Those can all lower cortisol levels and provide a sense of calm.

These aren't just nice to haves. Friends, they're essential for preventing burnout and protecting your long term health. So how do we integrate these stress completion practices into what is a busy day if you're a caregiver? You might be thinking, oh, this sounds great, but I don't have time for a yoga session or therapy appointment every day.

That is completely understandable. The good news is these practices don't require extra time. They can fit into what you're already doing. And if could just pause and tell you, don't feel like you have to do all of them or remember all of them. Pick a couple from the list that I suggested and just start there.

It's just about transforming ordinary moments into opportunities for release and recovery. I want to give you a couple of examples of how you can integrate stress relief into your daily routine. Are you walking between rooms? Make it brisk and intentional. Washing your hands. Use that time to take three deep breaths, interacting with a co-worker, share a genuine laugh or a small moment of connection, feeling overwhelmed, step into a private space, shake out your arms and just stretch for 30 seconds.

Sitting at your desk, roll your shoulders, stretch your neck, maybe draw some circles with your nose. That's one of my favorite. Couple of right to left, couple left to right. Maybe do a few seated twists, drinking water. Use that pause to exhale slowly before taking another sip. Getting into your car before driving off, take a second to wiggle your toes and relax your jaw. Ending your day, listen to a favorite song and sway, stretch, or dance for a moment.

I just want to take a minute to talk about something that well, anybody that knows me knows I talk about it all the time, and that is that we want to create a toolbox before we need it. We don't want to take our toolbox with one tool in it to build a house.

We want, when we have time and energy and we're not under stress, to fill our burnout toolbox with different ideas. So when you have a moment, make a playlist of songs that make you want to dance or make you feel happy. Maybe take a hand lotion that smells good and put it in your purse or your desk before you need it.

When I'm having a great day, I love to listen to music that reminds me of the summer. Like I can almost close my eyes and feel the heat. And so I will create a playlist in the summer and I will listen to that music when I'm driving in my car and I'm kind of warm. And then in the middle of the winter when it's dark and cold; I draw that playlist back up and wouldn't you know, I can feel the sun on my face and everything feels like it's going to be okay. So all these ideas that I gave you or ideas that came to you; when you have time, prepare a few of them ahead of time. If there is a YouTube video that makes you laugh every time you watch it, save it and pull it up when you need it.

Is there a picture of a loved one that just releases a bunch of oxytocin and dopamine in your body when you look at it. Make sure to put that in your favorites album. So each of these actions help signal to your body that the stress cycle is complete, giving your nervous system the reset that it needs.

The key, friends, is consistency. Small, mindful moments throughout the day add up to long term resilience and well-being. We're just going to call these sprinkles throughout your day. So to close out our time together, I just wanted to guide you through a quick under two minute movement routine; if you have time and you're in a safe place that you could do it, you can do it with me now or come back to it.

You can do this in between patients, in your office, before heading home. So just wherever you are, take a deep breath, inhale through your nose for four counts,

hold at the top of your head,

exhale out your mouth. Long, long exhale. Let's

do that one more time. Inhale through your nose for 4, 3, 2, 1 and hold. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Exhale 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Big breath in. Good job. Now gently roll your shoulders back and then forward and just slowly tilt your head from side to side, right to left.

Now being careful of any arm chair, or anything on the floor, just start to lightly shake out your hands, your arms, your legs for a few seconds. Just loosen up the tension. And then interlace your fingers. Flip your palms towards the ceiling. Reach your arms overhead. Try to lengthen the space between your ribs and your hips.

And then reach your body to the right.

Come back to the center, big push with your palms towards the ceiling, and lean to the left.

Bring those hands gently down into your lap, and take a final deep breath.

That's it. Just two minutes, but enough to signal to your body that the stress cycle is complete. You deserve moments of release, recovery, and resilience. Keep these practices in mind, and remember every small step you take to care for yourself makes a difference. Thank you for listening, and be well.