Let's talk about STRESS, baby

Stress. It affects all of us, it is all around us. We talk about feeling it, we

try to avoid it, we curse it...but what is it?

Stress is essentially a natural response to change. Our body and mind reacts to change by releasing a series of hormones that disrupt the equilibrium enough to force us to react. Not all stress is bad though! Stress forces us to be alert, make decisions, get tasks done, and make necessary change for us to thrive. Those are some great things! What is not so great is when we are stressed for prolonged periods of time. In those cases stress can become chronic.

Why is chronic stress risky? Well...lets talk some biology. Stress leads to our sympathetic nervous system kicking in or our "fight or flight response." The hormones that release in our body at that time cause changes like decreased metabolism, increased heart rate, increased muscle tension, and more. Evolutionarily, they are the responses we needed to battle in or run away from unsafe situations to stay alive. Today, most of us are not getting stressed because a bear is chasing us (if you are though, more power to ya!). Because we do not do anything that releases this state, we continue to sit with those hormones at levels that are creating physiological changes. Prolonged periods of stress hormones affects your whole body. Even for someone with no other health conditions stress can lead to increased appetite, mood swings, difficulty with memory/learning, fatigue, weight gain, chronic pain, sleep disturbances, increased susceptibility to illness, and more. This can lead to the onset of illness or an increase in symptoms of an existing illness.

I once did a talk on the impact of stress for those undergoing cancer treatment and created a symptom checklist to determine the impact of stress. There were 115 symptoms I listed and I did not even come close to listing them all. That is a LOT that stress can impact. The most important take home of that checklist was not the number though. It was that a large number of those symptoms also overlapped with the side effects of cancer treatments. It would be impossible for me to say that dealing with stress would eliminate all side effects...but what many people found was that over time if they practiced stress management techniques many of their symptoms lessened and some went away completely. I've seen similar success with people that live with chronic gastrointestinal illnesses, mental illness, chronic pain, etc. Many of us don't realize that stress is compounding what our body is already struggling with. If we cope with that stress, we unlock more comfort, happiness, and (dare I say it!) wellness.

So are you ready to break-up with your chronic stress? I am.

We need short term and long term strategies to approach this.

Short term strategies - or reducing stressors in the moment. This is that "oh crap!" response. When you feel yourself spiraling, have a few ideas in your back pocket of what to do react healthily in the moment.

Long term strategies - build resilience into your routine. Work stress reducing activities into your everyday routine, even the days you are not stressed. When they are part of your everyday life you will find yourself more resilient to the everyday stressors and when something big and unavoidable pops up - you will be ready to respond as part of your regular routine.

Now let's strategize!

CONTROL: Most of us feel stressed when we feel like whatever is happening is out of our control. In fact, control is one of the biggest contributors to our experience of stress. It takes a lot of practice to recognize what in the current situation is in your control and what is out of it. When I was first getting used to doing this, I was in college and had just gone through a low point living with Depression. I used to make lists of what was and was not in my control. Writing it down really helped me realize that I was obsessing over things that had nothing to do with me and not choosing to make changes that were accessible and would be helpful. I used to use the serenity prayer often as a reminder of this. Regardless of spiritual or religious belief, its a beautiful reminder of this concept of control. "Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."

SOCIAL SUPPORT: A lot of the time we think of seeking help as a weakness which is so far from the truth. I think it shows great strength, courage, and insight when we admit we need help in the big and the small moments. The people in our lives are there for a reason whether its your best friend, your therapist, or the financial advisor that your job has available for you to talk to. We all have different expertise and as a community, we can all help each other. Seek support. Life is always less scary when there is someone there with you.

EXERCISE: Last blog post I touched on this a bit. In times of stress, your body is seeking fight or flight. Those are physical activities your body is geared up to do in response to stress. An easy way to reduce those hormone levels is to engage in something physical. Exercise releases hormones that are the physiological antidote to stress. It decreases health risks, improves mood, and improves cognitive functioning. Something as simple as going on a 20 minute walk everyday can be hugely beneficial. If you hate walking or exercising try combining exercise with your social support and call someone on the way. Time flies when you are on the phone with that really chatty friend or family member.

RELAXATION TECHNIQUES: Relaxation strategies help to turn off that sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) and turn on your parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest). This leads to the direct opposite of the impacts of chronic stress. It restores your body's equilibrium so your energy can be used to promote healing. Some strategies include breathing techniques, mediation, visualization, biofeedback, and progressive muscle relaxation. All of these take practice. If you don't know where to start there are tons of apps and YouTube videos with guided meditations or visualizations that are great and free. Try to commit to 10-15 minutes of relaxation per day and see how that affects you.

Contrary to popular belief, TV, social media, and video games are not the same as relaxing. They are physiologically stimulating and do not induce the same chemical response in your body.

ENGAGEMENT IN OCCUPATION: Alright y'all...I'm an occupational therapist. What did you expect? We've already talked about this. Do the things you love! They will make you happier and feel more at ease. Prioritize you by prioritizing your meaningful occupations. Plain and simple.

POSITIVE EMOTION: Some of us automatically turn towards negativity or positivity. Worrying always seemed to come really naturally to me so I definitely grew up leaning towards the negative side. One of my favorite things about myself is that people now know me for being smiley. I had an acquaintance in my last job that literally called me "Smiley." (I don't know if he actually knew my real name but that's alright!) How did I break that worrying habit and steer away from negativity? Practice, practice, practice. To make the change, you need to make a conscious effort to focus on your positive emotions. The simple act of laughing and smiling produces endorphins so do that! Often! I'm not saying I never worry. I still do... I can say though that it happens far less and has a smaller impact on my life than before.

FUEL YOURSELF: Your eating and sleeping habits are huge when it comes to your emotional state. You need to sustain your physical body in order to have the capacity to deal with what life throws at you. When I am tired and/or hungry and something stressful happens, it feels impossible to cope. As it is, stress hormones impact your digestion and sleeping habits. You need to at least try to set yourself up for success. Part of having resilience in stressful situations is having the energy it takes to hold it all together.

I cannot teach you how to get rid of every stressor in your life and hiding from those stressors will make life mundane. What I can do is help you reduce the impact of those stressors and the impact it has on your body and mind. You get to make the choice to thrive in eustress (positive stress) rather than drown in distress. Start now. Make a list of short term strategies to cope with stress. Choose one long term strategy to integrate today. See what changes you can make. It is possible.

For more information on the symptoms associated with chronic stress or more individualized approaches comment below or send a message from the "Contact" page.

#mentalhealth #wellness #selfcare