#E44 Stepping Off the Stress Ride: Techniques for Managing Stress Effectively

Welcome to another empowering episode of The Secrets in the Powder Room with your host, Louise Bryant. In honour of International Stress Awareness Month, we’re diving into how stress shows up in our bodies, why we turn to food and drink for comfort, and—most importantly—how we can respond with compassion instead of guilt.

Louise breaks down the science behind stress eating and drinking, shares the transformative Fairground NLP exercise, and offers practical tools to help you manage stress without falling into the shame spiral. Whether you’ve ever found yourself at the bottom of a biscuit tin or feeling the weight of stress tighten in your body, this episode is here to support you.

So, grab a cuppa, get comfy, and let’s explore how to break free from stress cycles and find kinder, more sustainable ways to soothe ourselves.
Released April 3rd 2025

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Our Host 🫶🏻

Louise Bryant is a professional certified coach, intuitive eating counsellor, and a trauma-informed domestic abuse specialist as well as survivor.

Through her platform, "Secrets in the Powder Room," Louise fosters open conversations about the often-hidden struggles women face, including social anxiety and trauma.

Her expertise, drawn from personal and professional experiences, aims to guide others in healing through alternative therapies, body kindness and intuitive eating.

Passionate about breaking the silence around women's issues, Louise provides free, simple tips and profound insights to ease anxiety and promote well-being.

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Stepping Off the Stress Ride: Embracing Calm in Chaos

Exploring the Mind-Body Connection and Techniques to Manage Everyday Stress

Stress is a relentless companion, an unwelcome guest that seems to linger far too long in our lives. While it may be internationally recognised for a limited time, it rarely respects boundaries. Louise Bryant's podcast episode, "Stress Management," delves into the intricate dance between stress and our bodies and offers practical insights into reclaiming control. Join me as we unravel these layers of tension and embrace techniques to foster calmness and stability.

How Stress Manifests Physically

Stress is not just an emotional experience; it often wears a physical cloak. Our bodies are finely tuned instruments that react to the pressures of stress with instinctual responses. Louise Bryant highlights how stress can sneak into our physiological realms, catching us off-guard with tight chests, tense shoulders, and twitchy jaws. These reactions signify our body's readiness to fend off long-forgotten dangers, akin to battling a ferocious tiger.

Understanding these signals is pivotal. Our nervous system, often operating in autopilot, can heighten the sense of danger even when none exists. Recognising these physical nuances allows us to step back and address stress with compassion. Techniques such as neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), specifically the "fairground technique," serve as grounding exercises, allowing us to metaphorically step off this tumultuous ride.

Navigating the Fairground of Stress

Louise draws a vivid picture likening stress to a never-ending fairground ride. Imagine the disorientation, the stomach-churning drops, and the overwhelming sensation of helplessness. For those with trauma-infused pasts, stress becomes intertwined with survival instincts, unleashing responses that make breaking free seem insurmountable.

Yet, Louise reassures us that stepping off this ride is possible. Through visualisation exercises, such as imagining oneself disembarking from a wild carousel, we empower ourselves to reclaim control. Breathing deeply and grounding oneself in the present moment transforms stress from a merciless foe into a manageable entity. Regular practice of these visual exercises offers a lifeline for reprogramming the brain's reaction to stressors, inching us towards stability.

The Emotional Diet: Stress, Eating, and Drinking

Stress drives many of us to seek solace at the bottom of a chocolate packet or the last drops of a wine bottle. The lure of comfort through food and drink is a common response, not a failure of willpower. It’s the cortisol-driven cravings and emotional associations with food that often capture us in their snare.

Louise shares practical approaches for gently confronting these habits. Practising the "pause and name it" trick, for instance, nudges us towards recognising our emotions before mindlessly indulging. By replacing swift gratifications with curious alternatives, like swapping chocolate for soothing tea, we create a non-restrictive space for self-reflection. This intentional alignment of choices encourages us to care for ourselves, rather than seeking control through diet restrictions.

Building a Toolkit for Coping

The quest isn't to eradicate emotional eating or drinking but to expand our toolkit for self-care. Louise reinforces that food and drink aren’t adversaries; they're part of a broader range of healing rituals. When stress prompts us to reach for comfort, the real victory lies in asking, "What do I truly need right now?"

Within this toolkit is the power to journal. Writing allows us to untangle our thoughts and emotions, providing clarity amidst the chaos. Whether it's identifying stressors, recognising bodily tension, or offering oneself kindness, these journaling prompts act as a bridge to understanding and healing.

Embracing a Future Beyond Stress

Stress is an inevitable part of life, yet how we navigate its waves is up to us. Louise Bryant's thoughtful insights remind us that we possess both the strength and the tools to step off the stress ride. From fairground visualisations to tactile pauses and reflective journaling, these techniques empower us to nurture a life centred in self-love and authenticity. As we continue our journey, let us do so with compassion, knowing that real healing begins when we tune into our needs and embrace our imperfections.

Journaling Questions ✍🏻

Here are some journaling questions inspired by the podcast episode "Stress Management" with Louise Bryant:

1. What's one thing causing you stress right now, and what's one small step you could take to ease it?

2. How does stress manifest physically in your body? Where do you tend to hold onto it?

3. Reflect on a recent experience of stress eating or drinking. What emotions were you hoping to soothe at that moment?

4. What comforting foods or drinks do you associate with safety and warmth, and why?

5. If your stress could talk, what do you think it would say to you right now?

6. What are some non-food related activities or techniques that help you manage stress effectively?

7. How do you feel about the relationship between stress and your body's response, and what changes, if any, would you like to make?

8. What's one kind thing you can do for yourself the next time you feel overwhelmed?

These prompts aim to help you reflect on your personal experiences with stress and consider practical steps for managing it.

Transcript 📝

NOTE: This podcast was transcribed by editing tool, Please forgive any typos or errors

Hey. This month is International Stress Awareness Month, but it doesn't matter when you're listening to this podcast because let's be real, stress isn't an occasional visitor. It's that clingy housemate who never gets the hint to leave. So today I am diving into how stress shows up in our bodies, why we sometimes eat or drink our feelings, and most importantly how to take back control. So grab a cuppa and let's get started. Welcome to the Secrets in the Powder Room, where we share stories and open up conversations about all the secrets women are forced to keep out of fear and shame. I'm Louise Bryant, professional certified coach, intuitive eating counselor, and trauma informed domestic abuse specialist and survivor. We're here to support you on your healing journey and help you feel like you're not alone. This | 00:00:00.640 - 00:00:49.435

This is not to be a replacement of your own professional, medical, or legal advice. This podcast contains adult language and content. Listener discretion is advised. So we're often led to believe that stress is something that exists only in our minds, but it's a very real thing and it really has a lot of impact on our bodies as well. Our nervous system responds to stress automatically, sometimes before we've even become aware of it. But noticing these physical signs is the first step towards managing stress more effectively. And some common ways stress can show up physically are maybe a tightness in your chest, so like a feeling of pressure or restriction making it harder to take full deep breaths. It could be tensing in your shoulders and your neck and your body, your body's way of, like, embracing itself, like, to fight a tiger. | 00:00:49.275 - 00:01:49.915

Often, it can lead to discomfort and even headaches. It can affect your digestive system system. So stress can trigger stomachaches. It can make you feel sick and, like, can create some nausea and have other digestive issues due to your gut and brain connection. Your jaw clenches and your teeth are grinding, a common response to tensions and which is sometimes happening unconsciously especially during your sleep. And by bringing awareness to these signals, we can begin to respond with self compassion using techniques that help regulate our nervous system and restore a sense of calm. So one technique that I use is an NLP technique, and it's the fairground technique. And it's where you are stepping off of a ride. | 00:01:49.915 - 00:02:42.655

And for many of us, stress isn't just about everyday pressures. It can pressure. Sorry. It can be so deeply tied up in past experiences especially for those of us who have been through trauma or domestic abuse or like stressful relationships. And when stress shows up it can trigger our body's automatic survival response making us feel stuck in the fight, flight, freeze, flop, friend, or fall mode. And imagine stress like being on a fairground ride, and you never wanted that you never ever wanted to get on. Maybe it's, like, the water's spinning too fast, making you feel disorientated and powerless, and sick, or a sudden drop of one of them big tower rides where your stomach just lurches and you brace for impact, but your stomach just comes up into your throat. And this is often how trauma response work. | 00:02:43.034 - 00:03:42.605

They hijack our nervous system, making us feel like we have no control. But here's the truth, you can step off the ride. Okay. So we're just gonna try a really quick, fairground technique. So what I want you to do, if you're not driving, and if you can, if not, just just kind of come along with us and go on the journey. But if you can close your eyes, it's a lot easier, to picture. And if you just picture yourself on that overwhelming fairground ride, You've stepped onto it and you've sat down, and your hands are holding onto that cold bar as it's coming down and pushing into your stomach. Notice how your body reacts. | 00:03:42.605 - 00:04:26.600

Does your heart race? Are you excited? Do your muscles tense? Has your jaw clenched? Does this bring up feelings of fear or helplessness? Or excitement and adrenaline? And now just imagine this warts is spinning and spinning around on the big wheel and on its carriage itself. It's just spinning around really fast, really, really fast, going up and down, round and around. And then imagine it slowing down as it comes to a slow halt. Now imagine the bar lifting up, and you're feeling a bit sick and dizzy. And now imagine yourself standing and walking away from your chair, and now you step onto the ground. You've stepped off of the carousel or the spinning waters, and you can feel your feet firmly on the ground again, solid and steady beneath you. And you can remind yourself now that you're safe and you're in control. And now take a nice deep breath in and as you exhale visualise the stress leaving your body, like stepping away from the ride and into a calmer, more stable space. So | 00:04:27.220 - 00:05:57.315

So when we've experienced trauma our nervous system can become hyper vigilant reacting to stress as if we're still in danger. But exercises like this gently remind our brain and body that the danger has passed, helping you bring yourself and your mind back to the present moment. And it's a way to tell your nervous system that I am safe now. I am not on this ride anymore. But practicing this regularly, you can start to rewire your brain's response to stress, creating a sense of safety and grounding even in difficult moments. I've created a a free guided fairground NLP exercise that will be available for you to download, and the links will be in the description. And this is it's a little bit gentler than the the the fairground ride of going on a water, but it this is gonna work be where I take you through, an exercise where we walk onto the fairground and we go on the carousel, and then we feel all the feelings, we see all the things, we smell all the things, and we really come into our five senses. And I help you go through this, and it's longer, it's a bit more gentler, and it really helps you to tune into your body and helps you feel more grounded. | 00:05:57.075 - 00:07:17.900

It's also in this month's membership content with more exercises around the stress. So I also wanted to touch on stress eating and drinking and why we do it. So have you ever found yourself halfway through a packet of biscuits before realizing what's happened or poured yourself just one glass of wine only to find yourself refilling a few times, and before you know it, the bottle was gone. I just want you to know that you're not alone. Stress eating and drinking are deeply human responses. But here's the thing, they are not about a lack of willpower. So let me tell you a little bit about why stress makes us crave certain food and drinks. So firstly, stress triggers cortisol, which is the hormone that ramps up our cravings for sugar, salt, and fat, which are quick energy sources your body thinks it needs to survive. | 00:07:17.960 - 00:08:12.810

Also, it's a way of giving you comfort and helping you to cope. So many of us associate certain foods and drinks with warmth, with safety, or with relief, especially if we grew up using food as a source of comfort. It also creates emotional numbing, so eating and drinking can serve as ways to avoid discomfort temporarily dulling emotions like anxiety, loneliness or overwhelm. So I just want to give you some things that might help without diet rules or restrictions. So first of all, the pause and name it trick. Before eating or drinking alcohol, pause for ten seconds and ask, what am I really feeling right now? So awareness reduces the urge to self soothe automatically. And if we just have that pause sometimes, it can be really powerful. You might even wanna download the emotions wheel from the Internet and have a little think about what emotion am I feeling right now? And then you can decide in that moment, is food gonna help with that emotion? You know, really think about gentle curiosity, no judgment. So | 00:08:13.590 - 00:09:24.265

So if you do eat or drink for comfort, meet yourself with kindness instead of guilt and ask, why do I actually need this in this moment? You could also try maybe a sensory swap. So if you're craving chocolate or sweets, maybe try a warm soothing tea at first. Maybe you're thinking about wine. You could start with maybe a sparkling water with some lime, but there's no restrictions, just curiosity. And then if you still want it afterwards, then go ahead and have it without any judgement and without any guilt. You could also try changing your state, which is where you can move your body in a way that feels good. Often in our courses, we all go for a swim. So this could be a case of standing up, really stretch your body, take a big inhale, and just wiggle your body, moving your right left side. | 00:09:23.865 - 00:10:24.715

This might be taking a short walk or it might be splashing some cold water on your face and this could really help shift your nervous system out of stress mode. But just remember, food and drink aren't the enemy. This is about expanding your coping tools, not taking anything away. Your body deserves care, not control, and next week's podcast is gonna be more about this stress and food and drink, so keep an eye out for that one. So just a little final thought around that before we move on, and I just wanted to share something. So here's the truth, sometimes we will eat when we're stressed and that's okay. Food is not the enemy and neither are you. The real goal isn't to fix emotional eating or alcohol drinking, it's to build a toolkit and a toolbox of ways to care for yourself, food included. | 00:10:25.040 - 00:11:18.535

So next time you find yourself reaching for a snack or for the wine, instead of asking, how do I stop this? Try asking, what do I need right now? And that's where the real healing begins. So I just wanna take this time as usual on the podcast is to just take a pen and a paper. And I know journaling sounds like one of those nice ideas we should do, but never get around to. But trust me, getting your thoughts out of your head and onto paper helps massively. Okay. So here's just a few prompt prompts to try. So what's one thing causing you stress right now? And what's one small step that you could take to ease it? What does stress feel like in your body? And where do you hold on to it? What's one kind thing that you can do for yourself when you feel overwhelmed? And if your stress could talk, what would it say? Okay, my lovely listeners, stress is inevitable, but staying stuck in it, well, that's optional. I really hope today's episode has given you some practical tools to handle stress better. | 00:11:19.400 - 00:12:41.970

So next time you find yourself reaching for a snack or for the wine, instead of asking, how do I stop this? Try asking, what do I need right now? And that's where the real healing begins. So I just wanna take this time as usual on the podcast is to just take a pen and a paper. And I know journaling sounds like one of those nice ideas we should do, but never get around to. But trust me, getting your thoughts out of your head and onto paper helps massively. Okay. So here's just a few prompt prompts to try. So what's one thing causing you stress right now? And what's one small step that you could take to ease it? What does stress feel like in your body? And where do you hold on to it? What's one kind thing that you can do for yourself when you feel overwhelmed? And if your stress could talk, what would it say? Okay, my lovely listeners, stress is inevitable, but staying stuck in it, well, that's optional. I really hope today's episode has given you some practical tools to handle stress better. | 00:11:19.400 - 00:12:41.970

And if you want to go deeper, don't forget you can download my free Fairground NLP exercise. You can join the free membership and get access to my fourteen day self care course. You can upgrade to 11 pound a month from the membership and get full access to workshops including this month's Deep Dive Into Stress. And if you need some personal support, I also offer one to one coaching to help people break free from stress, emotional eating, and toxic relationships. And you can DM me on Instagram at louise bryant coach. Until next time, be kind to yourself, step off the stress ride, and remember, you're stronger than you think. Thank you for joining me, Louise Bryant, in this episode of The Secrets in the Powder Room. You are enough. You | 00:12:42.050 - 00:13:25.235

You deserve love, respect, and a life that makes you feel good, not just in relationships, but within yourself. If this episode resonates with you, please subscribe, share, and leave a review as it helps others find the show and start their own healing journey. Until next time, take care of yourself and remember real love starts with you. | 00:13:24.995 - 00:13:42.290