I confess I have a tendency to stress\u2026 and it doesn\u2019t help that stressful events could land from any number of unpredictable areas. Teenage children generally, delayed commute to London, pressing deadlines, friends in various stages of crisis, family budget issues, relationship meltdowns, health challenges\u2026 you get the picture! It\u2019s hard to know what\u2019s going to strike, when\u2026 and that\u2019s probably why I feel like I\u2019m hurtling ever faster towards some unknown crisis point.<\/p>\n
Of course, there\u2019s nothing extraordinary about these stresses. In fact they are all par for the course as you age \u2013 and the only thing you can control is your response to the stresses. Rather than existing in a state of hyper-vigilance, braced for the next crisis to appear round the corner, a better approach is to manage our response to stressful situations.<\/p>\n
Research suggests that chronic stress is one of the greatest drivers of chronic ill health. To stay well, as much as diet, exercise, sleep and socialising, we need to limit our exposure to stress\u2026 and failing that, implement \u2018downshifting\u2019 strategies to nip stress surges in the bud.<\/p>\n
Nowhere is this better understood than the Blue Zones, pockets of the world where scientists have identified ‘super-agers’ with unusually long life expectancies. There are five Blue Zones in total \u2013 Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Ikaria, Greece and Loma Linda, California, and Okinawa, Japan. And it was during a memorable week in Okinawa living with the super-agers that I was able to find out directly from the oldest residents how to cope better with stress. I may not live on a remote Japanese island, but I can certainly adapt from of their strategies, tried and tested for generations. Here\u2019s everything I learnt \u2013 and the steps I\u2019ve taken to keep stress at bay at 55.<\/p>\n
Expose yourself to morning sunlight<\/p>\n
This one is easy. Instead of lying in bed under a duvet drinking my morning coffee at 5am while worrying about the day ahead, I\u2019ve taken a tip from Okinawan super-ager Rikio Yokoda, 82, and now start the day outside. Coffee is no longer in bed, scrolling, but on the decking, in my dressing gown, listening to the birds wake up. The science behind this simple step is powerful – exposure to morning light helps set your body clock for the day, makes sleep easier, and regulates your metabolism. <\/p>\n
Stop rushing<\/p>\n
It\u2019s time for a deliberate slow down. This flies absolutely counter to my \u2018must be productive\u2019 instinct, which means I go as fast as I can at all times\u2026 but it\u2019s critical for managing stress. \u2018Okinawans like to use the term taygay to refer to people or their society in general,\u2019 say Bradley and Craig Willcox, Okinawan researchers and the authors of The Okinawa Way<\/a>. \u2018It\u2019s a word from the Okinawan dialect that can be translated as \u2018easy-going\u2019 or \u2018laid-back\u2019. Social relations in Okinawa tend to operate on this principle, in that they lean toward a flexible, non-hierarchical, loose style.\u2019 <\/p>\n Research has found that Okinawan centenarians score extremely low in \u2018time urgency and tension\u2019. \u2018\u2018Slowing yourself down to reduce stress and its negative effects is learned behaviour,\u2019 say Bradley and Craig Willcox. \u2018We can learn how to unlearn Western time which simply gives you a choice between feeling in control of time or feeling controlled by it.\u2019 This is a work in progress for me, but I am really trying to slow my pace, be in the moment, and feel the ground under my feet. <\/p>\n All the super-agers I met in Okinawa were part of a village community. Stresses were shared, solutions are sought by thinking together about problems, and all the elders seemed aware of the greater needs of the community, and of giving back. Rikio\u2019s wife Etsuko, for example, spent her spare time caring for others in the community, knocking on doors to check in with neighbours, and connecting with her social circle every day. I\u2019m certain this helps keep any problems and stresses in perspective. I can be insular, wrapped up in my own world and personal challenges. I\u2019ve made a conscious effort to see more people regularly \u2013 and at the very least text back when I\u2019m WhatsApped. Another step I\u2019ve put in place is to re-establish sea swimming with friends; while I can\u2019t make it daily as we did during the pandemic, I can ensure I do this twice a week. The swimming is lovely \u2013 but better still is the tea and chat afterwards.<\/p>\n Tidy your garden<\/p>\n