6 Natural Techniques for Increasing Stress Tolerance
A deep breath. A quiet pause. Although these simple acts can offer momentary relief and help the body return to centre, true wellbeing runs deeper. This can stem from the mind having moved past stressors and traumas that remain in the body as physiological memory, or stored stress, which weaves through essential systems and gradually alters their communication.
These six practices support release, helping the body let go of what has been held and move toward internal regulation, where the body, mind, and energy levels can thrive together.
Restoring Regulation Through Somatic Awareness
Somatic releases use the “bottom-up” approach, addressing the physical effects of stress before the mental layers. This is effective because unresolved stress often manifests as muscle tension and tightened fascia.
There are three main types of somatic practices:
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (SP)
This approach integrates body-based awareness with talk therapy to support the release of tension that may have been stored during experiences that were overwhelming.
The Hakomi Method
Hakomi is a gentle, mindfulness-based approach that helps uncover unconscious beliefs the body may be holding. The individual is invited to notice physical reactions that arise when certain thoughts or memories surface. With the therapist’s guidance, observing these sensations without judgement gives the body space to release and heal.
Somatic Experiencing (SE)
Somatic Experiencing (SE) is grounded in the understanding that the nervous system can continue to hold physiological memory from experiences that may have been too overwhelming to process in real time. Through gentle awareness of sensation, spatial orientation, and natural movement, SE supports the release of what remained stored, allowing the nervous system to gradually return to a steadier rhythm and clearer communication across systems.
Together, these relax the nervous system, returning the body's natural energy flow.
SE Techniques
One of the most commonly practised SE techniques is body scans, beginning and moving upward, noticing sensation, and allowing each area to unwind.
Gentle shaking of the body can also help discharge stored energy, supporting the body's return to a more natural flow.
Cold Therapy
Ice plunges or cold water immersion introduce a controlled form of stress that encourages the body to re-establish balance. The anti-inflammatory response triggers physiological stress responses with hormetic effects, encouraging the body to restore its basal core temperature and increasing insulin sensitivity.
When the body enters frigid water, it moves into a controlled state of stress, working to restore temperature to a steadier level while strengthening its capacity to respond to future challenges. Research suggests this practice may enhance insulin sensitivity and support the regulation of inflammation.
Vocalisation
Humming, chanting, or singing creates vibrations that help stimulate the vagus nerve, a key pathway in the parasympathetic system, which supports rest, recovery, and emotional balance.
The vibrations from our vocal cords gently activate the vagus nerve. When the vagus nerve is activated, it switches the body out of the “fight-or-flight” response, slows heart rate, and moves the body into a more relaxed state, improving mental well-being.
Studies show that vagus nerve stimulation boosts the parasympathetic system, which is a part of the nervous system responsible for rest, recovery, and stress relief. As such, the simple yet effective habit of making long, steady sounds can actually be a stress-management technique, especially when paired with deep breathing and mindfulness.
Practices such as the long “Om” sound or “The Voo” are simple ways to introduce vocalisation into daily life. Although medical vagus nerve stimulation devices are emerging, vocal sound is a natural alternative that anyone can access.
Recent Innovations
Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) devices deliver tiny electrical impulses to the vagus nerve. This has helped to improve mood, emotional resilience, and inflammation regulation in patients.
Restoring Rhythm Through Light, Sleep, and Movement
When daily rhythms become scattered, whether through irregular sleep, inconsistent light exposure, or disrupted routines, the body’s internal timing can lose coherence. Over time, this can make it harder to navigate stress with clarity.
Restoring optimal rhythm is not often achieved solely through changes to the sleep schedule. Internal coherence is more likely to return when the body’s interconnected factors are supported together, allowing the body’s timing mechanisms to settle into a steadier, more integrated flow.
Best Practices to Reduce Dysrhythmia
When the body’s internal rhythm is off, the effects can be felt across many systems. Shifts in mood, digestion, energy, or sleep often appear as signals that the body is seeking steadiness and clearer communication among its systems.
Aequil’s Deep Reset is designed to support this return to coherence. As the body begins to regain internal organisation, discomfort slowly eases, and we gradually start to feel more consistent in our physical and emotional wellbeing.
With the support of these practices, the body may show signs of returning to a state of calm coordination, indicating that rhythm and communication are gradually being restored.
Supporting a Steady Sleep Pattern
The body tends to respond well to consistency, particularly in relation to sleep.
Individual chronotypes influence when energy feels most available. Some of us find ourselves naturally more energetic in the morning, while others feel clearer and more focused later in the evening. Whether a 'morning person' or a 'night owl', allowing sleep patterns to follow this natural tendency can support steadiness.
Managing Light Exposure
Natural sunlight plays a major role in helping the body return to a foundation of wellbeing. It acts as a primary signal for internal timing and organisation.
Spending a moment in natural light within the first half hour of waking can help the body’s systems prepare for the day. Time outdoors throughout the day increases this clarity.
As evening approaches, softer light can help the body recognise the gradual transition toward rest. Reduced screen exposure or gentle filtering of blue light can also ease this shift.
Optimising Meal Timing
Having meals at consistent times each day can help maintain dynamic balance across digestion, energy, and overall rhythm.
Leaving a few hours between the final meal and bedtime may support deeper rest, as the body is not dividing energy between digestion and nightly restoration.
Aligning Movement With the Body’s Timing
Movement is an excellent way to increase stress tolerance, lower high blood pressure, and improve physical health.
The timing of activity also plays an important role. When movement occurs earlier in the day, the body may experience a smoother transition toward evening rest.
Finishing regular exercise a few hours before bedtime may also help, as it allows adrenaline levels and body temperature to settle, creating conditions more suited for sleep.
Creating a Sleep-Friendly Environment
Small adjustments in the surrounding environment can help the body recognise nighttime as a period of restoration.
Blackout curtains or a sleep mask can reduce signals that may confuse the internal rhythm.
A quieter space and soothing background sound can also support relaxation, along with a cooler nighttime temperature, which can help the body settle into deeper rest.
Positive Affirmations and Thought Reframing
Negative thoughts can create a sensation of internal pressure, and the body may respond as if something is unsafe. Thoughts may begin to feel tight or heavy, signalling that an internal shift in perspective could be supportive.
Bringing awareness to these patterns can allow for an internal shift in perspective. Instead of assuming the worst, gentle reframing invites self-compassion and a softer interpretation.
Guided meditation can gradually increase awareness of these moments, helping the body recognise when emotional signals are asking for steadiness.
Positive affirmations can also be helpful during unexpected stressors that briefly disrupt internal balance. For affirmations to be effective, they are often most supportive when they feel believable and grounded.
For instance:
- “I am open to this becoming easier.”
- “A sense of calm is available to me.”
- “My abilities are growing with time.”
Their purpose is not to override lived experience but to offer the body a clearer and calmer signal.
Nutrient Replenishment
Chronic stress depletes nutrients essential for mood, energy, immune function, and hydration. Replenishing these nutrients can help restore the body’s stress tolerance and support physiological balance.
A System-Wide Reset
Instead of replenishing nutrients individually, supporting the body as a whole can be more effective. Aequil’s liquid intelligence was developed with this principle in mind, providing a balanced blend designed to be absorbed efficiently and to help restore coherence across interconnected systems.
Below are a few of the nutrients most closely linked with stress tolerance:
Magnesium
Magnesium plays a central role in helping the nervous system settle, which is why it tends to decline during prolonged states of stress. Magnesium also helps regulate serotonin and GABA, modulates cortisol, and supports the conditions for restorative sleep.
Low magnesium levels may be reflected in muscle tightness, mood shifts, eyelid twitching, or unsettled sleep patterns.
Natural sources include foods such as spinach, avocado, and pumpkin seeds, which offer gentle support to the body’s overall rhythm.
B vitamins
B6, B9, and B12 play a central role in the body’s stress response. These vitamins help convert food into usable energy and support healthy neurological function.
They contribute to the production of neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine, which influence emotional steadiness and cognitive clarity.
B12 supports energy by aiding the formation of red blood cells, which help transport oxygen throughout the body.
Low levels of B vitamins may be reflected in brain fog, reduced focus, mood shifts, or diminished energy.
Dairy products, meat, eggs, and fish naturally contain a range of B vitamins.
Vitamin C
During prolonged stress, cortisol levels can rise and gradually deplete the body’s stores of vitamin C. While often associated with immune support, vitamin C also plays a broader role in systemic balance.
It helps protect tissues from oxidative stress, supports repair processes linked to inflammation, helps moderate cortisol levels, and contributes to collagen formation.
Signs that the body may need more vitamin C include fatigue, frequent colds, diminished skin vitality, or slower healing.
Berries, citrus fruits, tomatoes, broccoli, and bell peppers are rich natural sources.
Iron
Iron supports the transport of oxygen through the bloodstream, allowing tissues, including the brain, to function more clearly and consistently.
When iron levels fall, energy can decline, and emotional regulation may feel more difficult.
Adequate iron allows oxygen delivery to improve, which increases concentration, focus, and overall mood, given iron’s influence on serotonin and dopamine pathways.
Low iron can lead to tiredness, reduced motivation, pale skin, breathlessness during light activity, or cognitive fog.
Red meat, spinach, beans, and oysters can help replenish iron stores.
Zinc
Zinc plays a vital role in immune strength, cognitive function, and inflammation regulation. It also contributes to mood balance and may influence how the body adapts to stress.
Zinc levels may influence mood regulation and stress responses. It can also help develop healthy sleep patterns, balance stress hormones, and support a healthy gut.
Signs of low zinc levels may include changes in skin health, reduced appetite, lowered mood, slower wound healing, or a weakened immune response.
Good sources of zinc include meat, shellfish, nuts and seeds, and dairy products.
Hydrating on a Cellular Level
Adequate hydration supports every system in the body, but water alone is not always sufficient for full cellular absorption. Electrolytes help guide water into cells, supporting energy production, stress regulation, and overall rhythm.
When hydration becomes strained, cortisol may rise more easily, and emotional steadiness may feel harder to maintain.
Water quality also plays a role. Emerging research suggests that dynamised water may support more effective cellular hydration, contributing to improved internal balance.
When the body’s ability to manage stress begins to decline, essential systems and functions can start to feel under pressure. As communication between them becomes less coordinated, overall well-being may feel unsettled.
Through a full system reset, clearing what has been stored, nourishing what has been depleted, and restoring clear communication between internal processes, steadiness can begin to return, allowing the body to feel grounded once more.
Explore AEQUIL®’s holistic formulations, crafted to restore equilibrium and support the body’s natural adaptability.