STRESS – the infamous six-letter word that impacts everyone’s life in some way; school, work, family commitments, friendships. As we recently celebrated National Stress Awareness Day, It’s important to talk about how society normalizes and romanticizes living and working in stress. Yes, there is such a thing as “good” stress, also known as, eustress, however, its critical to differentiate between good stress and bad stress and recognize the impact of chronic stress. According to WebMD, “persistent and long-term chronic stress can result in psychological and physiological changes in the body”. For some, stress can manifest through changes in sleep or appetite, mood swings or lability, difficulty in focus and concentration, increased or decreased blood pressure and heartrate, and an overall deficit impacting immunity. So…how do we manage stress? Often times we hear people say, you need to learn to relax or just stop stressing; easier said than done. But how do we learn to stress less and relax more?
How To Manage Stress
One of the simplest and easiest methods to help manage stress in the immediate is deep breathing. Taking a few long deep breaths (inhale and exhale – count for 5 seconds as you breathe in, hold the breath for 3 seconds, and then exhale while counting for another 5 seconds). During periods of stress, cortisol which is known as the “stress hormone” is released in the brain – taking deep breaths allows more oxygen to enter our blood stream, which prompts our heart rate to slow down, ultimately releasing the “feel-good” chemical also known as endorphins. Don’t take the power of deep breathing for granted! Another method that is proven to be effective at managing stress – laughing! Watching something that physically makes you LOL like stand-up comedy, a movie, or tv show or hosting a game night with friends…anything that can make you laugh so hard you forget the infamous six-letter word! There are many other methods to help manage stress and the important factor is finding what works best for you!
As a self-care exercise, I encourage you to think about where your stress originates from and what parts of it impact you the most. Once you are able to identify the triggers and outcomes of your stress, you could learn healthier ways to manage it and work towards a plan for resolving some if not all of it.
So, now the big question is, what self-care method are you going to incorporate into your routine to help manage stress?
Uttara Desai, MA, LPC
Therapist at We Rise Therapy and Wellness
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