Did you know that 43 per cent of all adults suffer adverse health effects from stress?
Stress seems to be a constant presence in many lives. Therefore, it is important to know a few ways to effectively deal with stress when it becomes overwhelming. A few stress-busters, if you may.
What is stress?
Stress is our body’s natural response to changes and challenges that occur in our life. It triggers our fight-or-flight response, with its spikes of adrenaline and the stress hormone, cortisol. It helps us get through the problems that we face, like a biological force urging us to get through the tough times and get things done.
But prolonged stress is slow poison. It adversely affects you both mentally and physically - from high blood pressure to weakened immune system to chronic anxiety and insomnia. Aside from all these typical repercussions, it takes the joy out of things, dulling the colours, draining our mental bandwidth.
How to effectively manage stress?
- Listen to calm music
Music is therapy for a reason. Listening to calming beats helps us to slow down our racing hearts and be mindful. It soothes and relaxes, bringing much needed reprieve. Research has shown that rhythmic melodies help us in synchronising our brain waves, helping us reach a more relaxed, grounded state. Listening to music we enjoy also releases dopamine, a happiness hormone.
Did you know that the track Weightless by the band Marconi Union is widely regarded as the most relaxing song online? Researchers working alongside the musical band as well as sound therapists from the British Academy of Sound Therapy developed this track. A study by Mindlab International found that the composition reduces stress and anxiety by up to 65% as compared to other similar songs.
So if something is stressing you out, tune into relaxing beats and start feeling at ease.
- Move your body
Exercising reduces the physiological effects of stress. While feelings of stress are caused by the hormone cortisol, exercise releases endorphins, a set of happiness hormones or feel-good hormones. What better way to beat the lows brought on by unyielding stress than something that releases the happy hormones!
Exercising also takes our mind off persistent, unwanted thoughts that in turn become stressors. Because by moving our body, we are forcing our mind to get out of its trenches and focus on the physical activity we are indulging in. By exercising, we force our mind to ground itself in the present, in the here and the now.
- Write it down
Writing our worries down is akin to downloading them from the interwebs of our mind. It frees up mental space to do the important tasks at hand, thus aiding in productivity. A release for pent-up feelings.
In the late 1980s, psychologist James Pennebaker introduced a therapeutic approach known as expressive writing. This technique encourages individuals to write openly about their deepest emotions and personal thoughts without focusing on grammar or syntax. The process emphasizes unrestricted self-expression, allowing thoughts and feelings to flow freely onto the page.
Write it down freely, let the thoughts flow into the open pages. Verbalising and articulating our stressors makes them more approachable, instead of confining them as monsters within our mind.
- Take a stroll
Nature is soothing. Scrolling through a serene setting or a quiet pathway reduces the levels of cortisol, the primary stress hormone. Research published in Frontiers in Psychology has shown that spending 20 to 30 minutes in a calm nature setting is associated with the biggest decline in stress among individuals. After this stipulated time period, however, the benefits accumulated more slowly.
Be it under a blue sky or a brooding one, being out in the open makes us feel better. Leafy greens and melodious bird calls tune out the stressors, ushering in a sense of calm.
- Break down tasks
Breaking down tasks into smaller chunks helps us to get them done faster. When broken down, these tasks feel more manageable, helping us to get over the overwhelming starting trouble. And for many people, once they finally get the headstart, the momentum usually follows along.
So break down bigger tasks into smaller chunks to break out of the rut and get going.
- Get good sleep
A good night’s sleep is often the answer to many of life’s persistent worries. Something that might have seemed impossible to deal with often pales in severity once you approach it after proper, deep sleep. Because sleep rests us, giving us a calm body and an even calmer mind. It relaxes and rejuvenates.
A clear mind approaches problems with less panic, helping us to sift through actual troubles and those inflated by our helpless imagination. So if something is weighing you down, sleep on it. It helps.
- Let it out
Crying, letting it all out, helps. There is a reason we feel better after a good cry. Crying literally washes away stress hormones and toxins from our body. Research has also shown that crying triggers the release of oxytocin and endorphins. These natural chemicals promote feelings of comfort and well-being, helping to reduce both emotional distress and physical discomfort.
Stress is an unavoidable part of life. It is how we deal with it that matters. We could either let it get to us always or find ways to work through it, ultimately channeling it to our benefit.
So, the next time you feel stressed, try a few of the things mentioned above. Tune into a relaxing beat or walk through the meadows or just have a good, ol’ cry. It helps.
