When we feel burned out, overwhelmed, or chronically stressed, the possible may seem impossible. But living a life without chronic stress is very possible, and in fact, if we work to optimize our brain health in several key ways, we can certainly enjoy living a life of lasting stress relief.
But first, what is stress and why do we even have a stress response in the first place? Stress is what is felt when we react to our perception of various situations, and our stress response is what is activated during these times. While our stress response is beneficial in the event of a true threat (it’s there to protect us!), triggering the stress response too often, for too long or with too much intensity can have negative effects on the mind and body. Therefore, it is important to relieve chronic stress because, left untreated, harmless conditions may intensify.
How Stress Affects The Mind & Body
When confronted with a threatening or challenging situation, the heart begins beating faster, blood pressure rises and the rate of respiration increases. In addition, the organs release specific substances, including the stress hormone cortisol.
Chronic Stress vs. Positive Stress
According to the study, Dysregulated by stigma: Cortisol responses to repeated psychosocial stress in gay and heterosexual men, the discrimination and stigma associated with being gay in a society that is prejudiced against homosexuality can contribute to the development of chronic stress, resulting in high cortisol levels.
Too much cortisol can lead to weight gain, headaches, insomnia, depression, anxiety, digestive issues and heart disease. Furthermore, since cortisol crosses the blood-brain barrier, it can influence an individual’s cognitive and affective processing, which may result in impairments related to memory, attention and the processing of emotion.
What Is Chronic Stress?
Chronic stress, also known as distress, usually causes an individual to feel poorly physically and emotionally. Distress refers to anything that negatively affects an individual. Typically, the cause of stress is easily identifiable. However, it can also result from various issues that accumulate as time passes.
Common reasons for chronic stress:
Concerns related to always wanting to please other people.
Worrying about getting judged by others..
Experiencing financial struggles.
Ending a romantic relationship.
Dealing with ridicule.
Going through a divorce.
Negative stressors can cause anxiety to increase. This increase results from worries or fears about a potential threat at some point in the future.
To reduce anxiety levels, we must have coping mechanisms and find ways to reduce chronic stress.
What Is Positive Stress?
Positive stress, also known as eustress, refers to a form of stress that is beneficial to one’s health, performance, motivation and emotional well-being. When experiencing eustress, the pituitary gland and hypothalamus release feel-good chemicals called endorphins.
Eustress is a positive form of stress because it helps individuals develop confidence, resilience and motivation.
Common reasons people experience eustress:
Starting college
Getting married
Receiving a promotion
Making new friends
Becoming an entrepreneur
Purchasing a new home
Visiting new places
Embarking on a new career
Nonetheless, even positive stress can become chronic stress.
Examples of eustress leading to chronic stress:
Exercise is healthy; exercising too much is not.
Setting challenging goals is positive; if one is unable to accomplish these goals, feeling negative about oneself is not.
Want lasting relief but don't know where to start?
10 Methods For Relieving Chronic Stress
By using science to optimize our brain health, we can relieve our chronic stress.
Here’s how.
1. Breathe Deeply
Increase your oxygen level by breathing deeply. To function properly, the brain needs a sufficient amount of oxygen. Since the brain uses 20% of the body’s oxygen supply, deep breathing techniques can help improve your brain's health.
2. Remain Active
During physical activity, the brain receives more blood. By receiving more blood, the brain’s oxygen level increases, which results in improved memory and enhanced learning abilities.
3. Stay Hydrated
The brain is 80% water. Since water allows cells to communicate, brings in nutrients and sends out waste, staying hydrated by drinking clean water can improve brain function.
4. Eat Healthier
The brain is closely connected to the gut. The good bacteria in the gut produce approximately 90% of the feel-good hormone serotonin. Therefore, following a healthy diet plan can reduce stress.
5. Get Consistent Sleep
While you are in the deep, non-REM phase of sleep, the brain flushes out waste, toxic proteins and dead neurotransmitters. We can relieve chronic stress by allowing our brains to consistently go through this waste management process.
6. Remember To Take Regularly Scheduled Breaks
After about 90 minutes of mental focus, the brain becomes fatigued. Giving yourself a few-minute mental break every 90 minutes can improve your overall productivity and brain health.
7. Acknowledge And Express Your Emotions
You can relieve stress symptoms by healthily acknowledging and releasing the negative feelings you experience. Letting them go as opposed to holding on to and suppressing them can improve your brain function, boost physical health, and increase overall energy.
8. Participate In Fun Activities
While participating in fun activities, the brain begins to produce more of the feel-good hormones (i.e., serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin and endorphins). These hormones decrease stress.
9. Find Meaningful Connections
The brain naturally connects to an individual’s life purpose, values, items that hold sentimental value, the environment, living things and other people. Finding and maintaining these connections can improve daily life.
10. Be Appreciative
By practicing gratitude, the brain reasons better and experiences a boost in positive emotions. Some find it helpful to create a gratitude journal. In this journal, you can keep track of the things you are grateful for.
Try these techniques to determine which stress-relieving methods work best for you.
If you're looking to relieve your feelings of burnout, overwhelm, or chronic stress, consider making an appointment with Andrew O’Brien, MBA, NBC-HWC, BCC, SHRM-SCP. He is the founder of The Mindblowing Coach. This innovative life-coaching practice provides support for stressed out adults, partnering with them to find relief from stress, so they can live by their True North Star.
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