HOW TO COPE WITH STRESS

Before we dive deeper into coping with stress, I’d love if you would take a few minutes and answer the following questions:

• How are you feeling these days?
• How does stress show up for you on a day-to-day basis?
• What have you been doing to address your stress?
• Have you done any previous stress-reduction or mindfulness work? If so, how did it go?

What’s the difference between regular stress and something more?

These days, we have more access to information and research about mental health
than ever before. With an excess of information available to us, I think it’s important to take time to focus on some definitions and establish the difference between acute stress, chronic stress, everyday anxiety, and anxiety disorder.

 

What is stress?

Stress is the normal response our bodies have to any change—positive or negative.
Early humans developed a stress response as a way to protect themselves from danger and stay on high alert. Nowadays, we’re stuck with that same stress response with WAY less to be scared of!

Since you are reading this article, it’s likely that you’ve experienced stress and know what it feels like to be stressed out. You might get headaches, sweaty palms, a racing heart, general aches and pains, insomnia, changes in appetite, GI symptoms, or pain in your jaw from clenching or grinding your teeth. These symptoms are incredibly frustrating and can get in the way of your life.

Acute stress usually surrounds a specific event or upcoming change that you have less control over than you would like. Typically, once a stressful event (like a presentation, first date, or traffic jam) passes, symptoms will subside.

Chronic stress occurs when you are exposed to stress for a prolonged period of
time. Chronic stress is more severe than typical stress in that it creates a more
uncomfortable biological environment for the body. It can overwhelm the nervous
system to the point where physical issues, such as heart disease and high blood
pressure, can start to develop.

 

What is anxiety?

Everyday anxiety is a normal response to situations that would cause any person to be fearful, worried, or embarrassed. The difference between anxiety and anxiety disorder is the degree to which unsubstantiated or irrational worry creates meaningful stress in your life.

If your worries are causing you to avoid your loved ones, cancel plans, lose focus, or make you uncomfortable to a degree in which you’re forced to take time off from school or work, it’s wise to get evaluated by a professional.

If you’re experiencing symptoms of anxiety or believe that you could be living with a
mental health disorder, the information I’ll be covering in this article will be great
tools you can use to cope with stresses that cause pain and frustration in your life.

Just please keep in mind that for certain circumstances, additional support from a
professional may be needed.

 

Understanding The Stress Response

The fight-flight-freeze (FFF) response is your body’s natural reaction to danger. Our
ancestors developed this response as a tactic to keep them safe from perceived (and very real) threats, and we’re still living with it today.

Let’s explore this phenomenon on a more cellular level.

After the amygdala (the part of your brain responsible for perceiving fear) sends a
distress signal, the sympathetic nervous system is activated and responds by sending signals to the adrenal glands, which sit right above your kidneys. The adrenal glands pump out epinephrine, also known as adrenaline, into the bloodstream, which sets off a series of physiological changes that allow our bodies to act quickly. Specifically, our heart rate gets faster, oxygen flows to major muscle groups (often making our hands and feet cold), our pain perception drops, hearing sharpens, pupils dilate to allow more light in and help you see better, and your skin produces more sweat.

After this initial surge of adrenaline, the brain activates a second stress response
system, regulated by the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and adrenal glands (aka the HPA axis). These three parts of your body work together to keep you on high alert, releasing cortisol (the stress hormone) until the danger has passed. Then, the parasympathetic nervous system can kick in to relieve the HPA axis of its duties.

Chronic stress occurs when the brain cannot find a way to relieve the HPA axis and put the brakes on the stress response. When the HPA axis is activated for too long, too often, your body pays the price.

High levels of constant adrenaline can damage blood vessels and arteries, increasing blood pressure and raising the risk of heart attack or stroke. Elevated cortisol levels deplete energy stores, which can inadvertently contribute to fat tissue buildup and lead to increased appetite (and thus weight gain).

Unfortunately, the body can overreact to stressors that are not life-threatening—like
traffic jams, work pressure, family difficulties, or a looming deadline—and the nervous system responds the same way it would if a lion were running toward you.

Fortunately, there are ways to counter that stress.

 

Sleep is a powerful stress reducer

Following a regular sleep routine calms and restores the body, improving concentration, regulating mood, and sharpening decision-making skills. In other words, you’re a better problem solver, and are therefore better able to cope with stress, when you’re well-rested.

Despite what some workaholic friends might try to tell you, sleep is a necessary human function that allows our brains and bodies to operate optimally. When we don’t sleep well enough or long enough, our bodies don’t work as well as they could—no matter how much coffee you drink the next day!

To aid in your sleep routine, follow these tips:
• Use your bed for nothing except the 3 S’s: sleep, sex, and sickness
• Remove clutter and keep anything that might trigger stress (like a work desk, pile
of laundry, etc.) out of sight
• Keep electronics that emit blue light (televisions and phones) out of the bedroom,
as blue light sends signals to your brain to stay alert
• Keep your room at a cool temperature—the body naturally cools down as it winds
down, so turning on a fan can help with that process
• Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day (as best you can), no matter
the day of the week
• Make your bedroom a calming oasis by installing soft lighting, calming colors,
and curtains to block out outdoor light, if necessary

 

Well-nourished bodies are better prepared to cope with stress

Everybody is different, which means that an individual’s dietary needs will differ
depending on a variety of factors, including the amount of physical activity you get and your genetics. Some people might find that their bodies respond better to a diet that’s gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, or meat-free.

Generally speaking, it’s a good rule of thumb to eat plenty of vegetables, drink plenty of water, and eat a wide variety of foods.

A few things that you might want to limit or avoid include caffeine, sugar, and alcohol.

Caffeine stimulates the nervous system and is technically considered a psychoactive
drug. Too much caffeine can have a negative effect on your adrenal system, keep you from sleeping, and generally have a negative impact on your well-being.

Like caffeine, sugar gives you a temporary “high” which often ends in a crash of mood and energy. This stimulant also pushes the buttons of your nervous system, which you’re trying to keep calm!

Lastly, alcohol. While it seems like alcohol can have a calming effect on the body, it
actually causes higher amounts of cortisol to be released, which alters the brain’s
chemistry in an attempt to reset your body to a “normal” state. On top of that, alcohol disrupts your sleep.

 

Stop sweeping your stress under the rug!

One of the worst things you can do to cope with your stress is to ignore it.
If something bothers you at work, in your relationship, or with a friend, keeping your
thoughts to yourself could result in resentment, which typically pops up in an outburst somewhere down the line.

Many people believe that their thoughts and feelings aren’t worth sharing with others or that no one in their lives would care to talk with them about their issues. Usually, this is far from the truth.

Instead of biting your tongue and shying away from expressing your feelings, you can try different strategies to ease your mind, like journaling, therapy, health coaching, and others.

 

The power of setting boundaries

Personal boundaries are guidelines, rules, or limits that a person creates to identify
reasonable, safe, and permissible ways for other people to act toward them. When
boundaries are crossed, you get stressed!

Here are some examples of boundaries that someone might have:

• Not getting in a car with someone they meet on a first date
• Not working past 7 PM
• Not answering emails on the weekend
• Speaking up when someone expects you to do something you didn’t agree to
• Walking away from people who are verbally abusive

Boundaries are an important part of self-care, and they’re healthy, normal, and
necessary. Another way to think about boundaries is to think about where you draw your line. If your friends are all partaking in another round of drinks and encouraging you to do the same, but you don’t want to, saying “No I’m good,” is a way of setting your boundaries.

Nowadays, an important boundary that we each need to set is in regard to our
relationship with social media. Social media platforms were created to engage our
brains in a way that keeps us coming back for more. What this means is that the content we see on social media is having a large impact on our mental health, stress levels, and perception of the world.

If you’re guilty of comparing yourself to the people you see on social media and put your phone down feeling more stressed and less happy than you were when you picked it up, try setting some boundaries by blocking or removing people from your feed who make you feel “less than.” That might mean fitness models, celebrities, or friends from high school who seemingly have a picture-perfect life. No one is forcing you to check in on them, and nothing will happen if you stop doing so… except you might start feeling happier.

Another important boundary that we need to set is in regard to our work-life balance.
For example, will you answer work emails on the weekend? Will you stay up late to
cram in work that you put off earlier in the day, or will you stick to the schedule that you signed up for? Will you take on extra projects without thinking twice, or will you speak up and say that you need some time to consider whether you can take on the additional work?

By setting boundaries and communicating them with the people around you, you’re
setting a precedent for how people treat you. Don’t be afraid to speak up!

 

Movement is a MAJOR tool for stress reduction

I’m not going to sit here and tell you that exercise is always fun and delightful and
amazing. But it is necessary for helping your brain and body move through the stress cycle.

If you’re new to exercise, or haven’t been in a regular routine for a while, those first few steps will be hard. In the beginning, it may even seem more like work than fun.
However, as your body begins to build strength and develop new muscles, you’ll begin to adapt to exercise, then you’ll enjoy it and may even begin craving it.

When it comes to regulating stress, aerobic exercise is key. In fact, aerobic exercise is a common treatment for endurance athletes living with depression or anxiety disorders!

Exercise reduces stress hormones. It also stimulates the production of endorphins, the body’s natural pain killers and mood elevators, responsible for the “runners high” that many people experience.
On top of that, you’ll sleep better after getting a good workout in.

 

If you are feeling stuck in the crazy loop of chronic stress that affects your life we together, can bring more understanding about health and wellness into your life, how to take care of our body and mind, how to bring healing and compassion, and see how individual and unique each journey can be. There is no one-size-fits-all approach and, as we can often hear – one man’s medicine can be another man’s poison.

If you feel I can support you on your healing journey of bringing more health into your life, do not hesitate to reach out and book a 20min discovery call. You can also read more about how we can work together here.

 

Love,