Manage stress effectively with nutrition, exercise, breathing, social relationships, meditation, and the control of your thoughts.
What is Stress?
Stress is a set of physiological and behavioral reactions that our body automatically activate when we perceive danger or when we are under pressure. It’s an evolutionary survival mechanism that enables us to react quickly in the face of a threat by activating the automatic responses of defense or escape in the face of danger.
Example 1: A drunken man on the street is raising his hands at us (perceived threat) and we react immediately by running away or kicking him in his sensitive parts to immobilize him (reaction of defense or escape is the mechanism activated by stress).
Example 2: The boss assigns a new sales target that we perceive as unreachable (perceived threat). We react fiercely by opposing the new sales target (attack) or put less effort into our work and reduce our efficiency because we believe it is not worth committing to something that is impossible to achieve (escape and withdrawal).
From the standpoint of a physiological mechanism, stress works as stated below:
• The brain detects the perceived threat (e.g. excessive workload)
• The body is activated and prepared for action through the release of hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline
• Increased heartbeat
• Increased respiratory rate (fast and shallow breathing)
• Increased blood pressure
• Increased muscle tension
• More blood goes to the muscles and to the brain (we are ready to react quickly)
The mechanism of stress can help us deal with danger or even save our lives. But, when we are constantly under pressure (e.g. an excessive workload or lack of work, family issues, or an increase in taxes) our body wears down and we can get sick.
Consequences of Stress
Stress is not a disease but it can cause or contribute to disease. In fact, there are connections between high levels of chronic stress and disorders such as:
• General weakening of the immune system (e.g. increased vulnerability to colds, flus, viruses, and bacteria)
• Cardiovascular disorders (e.g. heart attack)
• Gastrointestinal disturbances (e.g. irritable bowel syndrome, gastritis)
• Musculoskeletal disorders (e.g. muscle spasms)
• Ulcers
• Diabetes
• Hypertension
• Psychosomatic disorders (e.g. psoriasis)
• Cancer
• Insomnia
• Psychological disorders (e.g. anxiety and depression)
• Behavioral disorders (e.g. nutritional disorders, alcohol abuse, smoking, or drug consumption)
Causes of Stress
Stress does not have a single cause, as our reaction to events and situations depends on many factors that interact with each other: e.g. excessive workload (situation), our personality (Do we get discouraged easily? Do we seek help from our colleagues? Do we isolate ourselves? Do we want to keep everything under control?), our environment (e.g. colleagues and superiors that support us or block/sabotage us), duration (Does the stressful situation lasts a week or two years?), and our perception of the situation (“It’s a catastrophe!” versus “It’s an exciting challenge!”).
How to Manage Stress
Nutrition
When we are under stress we should give priority to a diet of the following:
• Plenty of water
• Fruit
• Vegetables
• Oily fish (e.g. mackerel and sardines) or lean meat (e.g. chicken or turkey)
• Legumes
• Monounsaturated fats (e.g. olive oil or avocado)
• Rice and whole grains rich in fiber
If under pressure, it’s advisable to avoid the following:
• Coffee
• Fried food
• Refined sugars or food with a high-sugar content (e.g. cookies or ready-made cakes)
• Excessive salt and excessivly salted food
• Red meat, particularly that with an excess of fat (e.g. hamburgers, sausages, and bacon)
• Milk, yogurt, butter, margarine, and fatty cheeses (e.g. cheddar cheese)
In general, it is preferable to cook with steam and on the grill instead of frying.
Physical Activity
Regular physical activity helps the cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, respiratory, and muscular system. Obviously, don’t overdo it. Otherwise, it becomes stressful.
Social Life
Maintain social relationships with friends, family, and partners. Having people to talk to, trust, and exchange views with, is one of the most important supports in overcoming any difficulties.
Change Your Thoughts
One of the main causes of stress are automatic negative thoughts and our distorted and irrational beliefs.
If we change our interpretation of events we will feel better.
Let’s question the automatic thoughts that are harmful to us!
Example: Let’s imagine that our friend Lucia has just been left by her boyfriend. Try to understand and cheer her up:
Me: What happened Lucia?
Lucia: Mark has just left me. He said he no longer loves me.
Me: How do you feel?
Lucia: I feel terrible! I feel empty! I’m angry, disappointed and frustrated!
Me: What are you thinking right now?
Lucia: I think I got it all wrong and that I was a fool. Also, I think that Mark did not deserve my love and my time. He made fun of me. I’m just a fool.
What sickens Lucia is not so much that she was left but what she thinks about the situation and about herself. Lucia is sick because she thinks she was stupid.
What to do in this circumstance? We change Lucia’s thoughts, her interpretation of events, and her questions. Here are some useful questions to challenge distorted and harmful thoughts:
• What evidence do you have that you are a fool? Is it realistic thinking?
• What shows that Mark made fun of you? Are there facts to prove it?
• What do you think of the people who love you?
• Would your friends agree with your opinion?
• What would you say to a friend in your place? Would you say that he or she is stupid or would you be more compassionate?
• Are you exaggerating?
• Are you generalizing and classifying yourself?
• Are you blaming yourself?
• Are you being too hard on yourself?
• Can you give me a list of all your successes? Do these successes make you think of a stupid person?
• What benefits do you get by thinking that you are stupid? Does it help you?
• If a friend made the same mistake would you be so critical?
• Are you exaggerating the importance of the problem?
These are the questions that we can ask to others or to ourselves. Remember:
• Be realistic, rational, and look at the facts.
• Do not exaggerate.
• Be compassionate to yourself and others.
• Do what you like. Life is not only duty. It is also pleasure. To put it in a somewhat provocative way: “First pleasure, then duty.”
Breathe
When we are stressed we breathe superficially or spend most of our time in a state of apnea. Remember to breathe slowly and deeply from the diaphragm to reduce stress.
Laugh
Laughter is good for health as it:
• Reduces the levels of stress hormones (e.g. cortisol)
• Increases cellular oxygenation and helps you breathe spontaneously from the diaphragm
• Increases the release of endorphins (“feel-good hormones”)
• Stimulates the immune system (i.e. laughter increases the levels of immunoglobulin IgA and IgG)
• Is an excellent exercise for the heart
• Improves blood circulation
• Promotes playful behavior, the release of pent-up emotions, and a positive attitude towards life
Meditate
Meditation is an effective tool to decrease stress. When we meditate, we slow down the rhythm of our breathing and heartbeat, breathe more deeply, and shift the focus from disturbing thoughts to neutral or positive ones. With regular training we can even reach a state of thoughtlessness.
When meditating, we should remember not to judge anything or anyone, especially ourselves. We should adopt a passive attitude and compassion towards ourselves and life. We should observe the thoughts that pass through our minds and let them flow away. Everything flows.
Below is a simple meditation exercise:
1. Find a quiet place
2. Sit or lie down in a comfortable position
3. Concentrate on your breathing and observe the air entering slowly through your nose and out slowly through your mouth
4. Inflate the belly like a balloon when you breathe in and slowly deflate it when you exhale (diaphragmatic breathing)
5. Observe the movement of your stomach when you breathe in and out
6. Each time you exhale say a number in your head (e.g. “One”) or a word that has a neutral or positive meaning to you (e.g. “Peace”).
Other Relaxation Techniques
In addition to breathing techniques and meditation, there are also visualization techniques and specific relaxation techniques such as progressive muscle relaxation, autogenic training, and others. It may be useful to do yoga, group meditation, the Feldenkrais Method, or bioenergetics.
Exercise: Imagine a relaxing place for you and focus on the silence or the sounds there. Concentrate on the smells and imagine touching something nice and gentle. Concentrate on the colors in your relaxing place.
Thank you for your attention and I hope that I was helpful. I wish you all the best with your stress management techniques.
REFERENCES AND RECOMMENDED READINGS
How to Deal with Stress: Change Your Thinking; Change Your Behaviour; Increase Confidence and Self-Esteem by Palmer et al. Click the link to see the book http://amzn.to/2uxmNYR
The Everything Stress Management Book: Practical Ways to Relax, Be Healthy, and Maintain Your Sanity by Adamson. Click the link to see the book http://amzn.to/2utQuLT
Dr. Andrea Miriello
Business Psychologist
Consultant, Business Coach, and Trainer