Today’s episode is part two in a three-part series. Last week, I talked about what a stress cycle is and how it shows up in your parenting. If you missed it, you can listen here. Today, we’re taking it to the next step: When you’re in a parenting stress cycle, how do you get out of it?The first step is to deal with the stressor, and this is the one that most of us are already pretty good at. We deal with the situation. But that isn’t the end.Ending a stress cycleTo complete the stress cycle, you also need to deal with the stress juice - that cocktail of hormones and chemicals flowing through your body. Sometimes, this happens naturally, but sometimes you need to take intentional actions to move through the stress and release it.One example of completing a stress cycle naturally is when you drop your kids off somewhere where you feel that they are safe. It’s that “ahhh” feeling. You can exhale, you feel your shoulders relax and your body lighten. You can breathe deeply.For me, these are all signs that I’ve completed my stress cycle. It feels like relief.Bedtime might be another one. That moment when things are finally quiet, you slip into your pajamas and get your Netflix on. You’re off duty.The moments when this happens for you might be different, but it comes down to the feeling of relief and relaxation.The mama stress spiralOften, we take internal stressors with us. So while the situation may have calmed down, our minds have not. Worries, fears and criticisms continue swimming around in your head, creating even more stress juice in your body.If you’re living in a chronic state of stress, you may not even know how to give your body the signal to relax. Your stress juice may have been building up for days, weeks, months or even years of a stress cycle. I think of this as a mama stress spiral, because it feels like there is no end. And this makes it really difficult to be calm and think clearly.Here are a few signs that you might be stuck in a stress spiral:You find yourself in stress-activating situations that OUTPACE your ability to process them. There is so much coming at you that you don’t have a chance to reset.Simple tasks or requests feel overwhelming.You suffer from 'Mad Mom' syndrome.You engage in self-destructive behaviors on a consistent basis (overdrinking, drug abuse, binge watching, excessive news checking, scrolling social media, overeating, over-exercising, restrictive dieting, obsessive thinking, picking at things or your body).Avoidance & checking out; aka ‘hiding from your life’. Not returning texts or phone calls. Declining invitations. Not working on projects.Your body is out of whack. You feel sick all the time. You have chronic pain, injuries that won’t heal or recurring infections.Sadness that won’t go away, rage that feels out of control or negative or anxious thoughts that you can’t shake.How to release stress juiceSometimes, you have to work a little bit to move through the stress cycle and release the stress juice. The cool thing is that just being aware of your stress cycles is enough to help your brain start paying more attention. Getting out of a stress cycle is similar to digesting or metabolizing food that comes into your body. Your body has to process the stress juice, just like it has to process the food that you eat.And if you have to do this more than once a day, that’s ok. When you have more coming at you, you’ll need to reset more often.The most effective way to complete a stress cycle is with movement. Moving your body for 20-30 minutes a day is going to reset your stress cycle and give that...