Stressed?
If thing are making you persistently tense and worried, it's not just in your mind—your body's getting on on the act too. Here are some ways to chill.
We hear a lot these days about stress. But the first thing to know is that it’s not all bad. “Stress has many wonderful attributes,” wrote Alia and Thomas Crum in the Harvard Business Review a few years ago. “It reminds us that we care; it connects us directly with the most challenging and important aspects of our lives.” Still, many of us would respond that we know we care; we’d actually like to stress a little less.
You’re not living in the wild anymore, with dangers around every bush, as your distant ancestors once did. But try telling that to the built-in responses in your own body. They seek to help you by putting your organ systems on high alert in reaction to any perceived threat. In our complicated modern world, however, too much of that, sustained for too long, can be a hazard to your health.
Acute (short-term) stress elicits our fight-or[1]flight response to a dangerous situation. Your blood pressure, heart rate, breathing rate and levels of muscle tension may skyrocket for a short time. Chronic (long-term) stress occurs over time and can lead to insomnia, anxiety, depression, panic attacks, weight gain, memory problems and headaches. It also can increase inflammation in the body, contributing to metabolic disease, fatigue, brain fog and cardiovascular illness.
Though there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to dealing with stress, handling it is crucial to one’s well-being. “Poor stress management can lead to actual physiological changes in the body through the release of hormones like cortisol and adrenaline,” says Gautam Bhasin, Psy.D., a clinical neuropsychologist and vice president of the Department of Behavioral Sciences at Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck. When patients come to Bhasin with health issues related to stress, he explains how they can use a variety of lifestyle tools to navigate stressful situations.
“The first step to managing anxiety and stress is to identify your anxiety triggers, or the specific things that cause you to have an emotional or stress reaction,” he says. “Identification of stress triggers can make life a bit more predictable and manageable, and actions can be taken to decrease the impact of the trigger itself. One step is a phenomenon called ‘behavioral activation’— doing the things you really enjoy on a daily basis. Prioritize activities in your life that bring you joy and peace; they can be restorative and help you inoculate yourself against chronic stress.”
Another way to reduce stress is to reduce time spent in front of a screen (including computers, TVs, tablets and smartphones) and re-engage with nature, family and friends. And there’s also:
Healthy eating. An old proverb states, “You are what you eat,” and if you eat well, you’ll feel well too. “There is a direct link between the food we eat and the stress we experience in our lives,” Bhasin says. “There is bi-directional network in the body known as the gut-brain axis, which directly connects the brain with your gut. The gut can play an important role in helping to regulate mood, stress and cognition.” Eating foods like yogurt with probiotics, leafy greens and prebiotics can help sustain a healthy gut-brain axis and have a positive impact on overall mood, he adds. On the other hand, foods high in sugar can negatively impact mood, as they cause rapid spikes and crashes in blood sugar levels. And highly processed foods can cause inflammation, which also negatively impacts both physical and mental health. “Eating a balanced diet with healthy fats, proteins and veggies will help regulate mood and have a positive effect on cognition,” Bhasin says.
Getting enough sleep. Resetting your body with rest can have a positive impact on stress and mood. Adequate sleep is essential for overall well-being—it helps people cope with the stresses of everyday life, regulate emotions and maintain a healthy and positive outlook on life. Too little shuteye can have the opposite effect. There is a strong connection, says Bhasin, between the amount and quality of your sleep and your mental and cognitive health. “Sleep deprivation can lead to the development of anxiety and depression, as well as causing deficits in attention, memory and decision making. Less than adequate sleep can negatively impact the way hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol are regulated in the body. Poor sleep can create a situation where stress hormones remain elevated and lead to increases in anxiety and depression.”
Meditating. Holistic approaches to stress such as breathwork and meditation also can reduce tension and anxiety. “Deep-belly breathing techniques and mindfulness mediation are at the center of most of the mental health interventions I employ across the hospital,” our expert says. “Deep-belly breathing activates the body’s relaxation responses and can have a positive effect on the parasympathetic nervous system, leading to a reduction in anxiety, muscle tension and heart rate.” Meditation, meanwhile, has been shown to reduce chronic stress, improve overall mood and decrease depressive symptoms, he says.
Bhasin reminds those who are battling excessive stress that help is always available. “Doctors can help patients navigate their mental health journey by letting them know what resources are available to them and what level of care they think would be most suitable,” he says. “There are many mental health providers out there, and it is sometimes difficult to know which type of clinician [mental health counselor, social worker, psychologist or psychiatrist, for example] would be the best fit for a patient. Consult with your physician first and ask for guidance or a referral.”
