Life’s Pressures: Stress Management for Your Brain
We all know that too much stress is bad for you, and I say too much because sometimes a little focused stress can be a good thing, it can kick your brain and body into action. On the other hand, too little stress and we can become indifferent, listless, and bored in general. Things like mindfulness can help you find this stress balance.
But what if you are experiencing too much stress, especially long term and feel overwhelmed? Well, its effects can lead to physical symptoms such as insomnia, poor sleep habits, digestive issues, high blood pressure, body aches and pains, and headaches to name a few. It can also have a negative impact on your mental wellbeing, increasing your risk of depression and anxiety. But here is the big one – did you know that stress also affects your cognitive functions? This hinders your ability to make good choices or produce appropriate responses, it changes how we perceive and understand situations or challenges in our daily lives.
Stress has been a constant of human existence throughout the ages. Us humans have specific reactions to stress, if you were a caveman this could mean the difference between life and death, but you are not and very seldom are we put in similar situations as they might have been, however these reactions are still there, buried in your reptilian brain. This primitive survival instinct is the first to respond, it prompts your fight, flight or freeze reaction, flooding your brain with cortisol and adrenaline. It does not matter whether you’re facing imminent physical danger or an impossible deadline, your brain and your body react in the same way.
With the demands of modern life, we might not be fighting off larger predator type animals, but we now have other complexities, these can bring us high stress levels. Unfortunately, so many people are dealing with chronic stress, this keeps cortisol levels high, which then leads to greater risk of reduced cognitive function, poor memory, and retention. We are no longer cavemen and have learnt a great deal about how stress impacts us on many levels, the great advantage we have even with all our modern-day stressors is that we understand how we can manage stress and reduce it now.
What can you do about it, how can you reduce and improve your stress levels and in turn improve your brain health?
Here are 3 quick ways you can start on your stress management journey:
1. Recognising Your Personal Stress Responses
Learn how stress affects you by observing your physical, emotional, and mental health symptoms, when you are experiencing what you believe to be stress.
If you feel a rising tension from what you feel is a stressful situation, step back and if possible, sit with those feelings for a moment. Where are you feeling the stress, what are you feeling, such a tense muscles, overwhelm, panic etc.?
GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION to feel what you are feeling “I allow the feeling of _________ in my body.” Once Identified, when these symptoms start, if you are comfortable and safe to do so, close your eyes for a moment, take a few deep breaths – in counting to 4 for each step – in through your nose (breathe in all that is good), hold that there without pressure (feel that breath full of goodness fill your whole body), exhale through your mouth and relax (imagine and feel the opposite of what you believe to be stress indicator wash over your body, wiping those stressful manifestations away ) – repeat a few times. Every time you come across this situation repeat and do the same again.
Find that space in your head to reprogramme your mind, this is one of the key steps to stress management. Neuroplasticity is real and backed by research, you can rewire your brain so that if you keep practicing, the quicker your relaxation response is, so that major stressors no longer overwhelm you.
Like I have said, a little stress can be a good thing, but overpowering incidents or major stress is a hindrance, some people deal better with stressors than others, it is finding the balance where you perform best and feel most comfortable.
2. Identify Stress Triggers
Things or incidences that stress you out, others may not bat an eyelid to, from your partner, friend, or co-worker we are all different, so are the things which stress us. If you can identify what breaks you out in that cold sweat or raises your anxiety levels, then you can anticipate stressful situations and head them off at the pass, by identifying them or by using different techniques, such as the example I mentioned before, with breathing or at the very least you can learn to manage them better.
It is not about avoidance, but how we perceive the situation. You can also ask yourself, “What is it about this situation that is making me recognise it as stressful?” It is usually more complex than what you first though, you can keep asking yourself, what else, until you narrow it down. (If you are diagnosed with PTSD or C-PTSD – or High Anxiety, Depression or any other Mental Health condition, this technique would be best avoided alone and please consult your therapist or Doctor.)
3. Time to Just Say No
Much of our modern stress comes from feeling disempowered and overwhelmed, we can also feel overstretched and overcommitted. Along with stress management techniques like breathing, meditation, and physical exercise, learning to say NO confidently and constructively is one of the most potent weapons you can use against stress.
Once you know what triggers your stress response and how that response affects you, it is time to make self-care-based choices. This also can help self-esteem in realising that you are in control of the responses and choices you can make, this is putting you first, by accepting and valuing yourself. This is something which is in your locus (or area/point) of control, which you have a direct influence over. This is not neglecting responsibilities, but rather for situations that responsibility is optional or for engaging in activities you do not wish to.
Figure out what you want to say YES to in your life and let that drive your decision making about what you take on, and what you don’t. Does it align with your values, do you have time for it, are you just not interested, what will this take from you? Remember it is not about justifying to others, it is understanding and explaining to your own brain why you do not want this and more importantly WHAT YOU DO WANT to focus your energy on. The choice is yours.
By saying no, you make time for the things which can enrich your life, such as self-care, more time to be with your family or friends, time to take up a new hobby, or exercise more, these are all great for relieving stress too. Then after these things, if you have time, you can choose whether you want to take on those extra responsibilities in any form. You can’t fill from an empty cup, so make time to fill yours too.
You can find guidance and learn to say NO in this short article from Psychology Today : Nine Practices to Help You Say No
We can’t avoid everything that might stress us, but we can certainly reduce the effects of stress through stress management!
If you want to dive deeper into Stress Management you can read: 14 Healthy Skills to Manage and Reduce Stress