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No, Stress Isn’t Always Bad. Here’s How to Harness It

AHA Publisher — Mon, 20 Sep 2021 07:00:09 +0000

University of Rochester via Newswise – Sweaty palms during a job interview. Racing heartbeat before the walk down the aisle. Stomach pains ahead of a final exam. Many of us have experienced a classic stress response in new, unusual, or high-pressure circumstances. But reevaluating how one perceives stress can make a big difference to a person’s mental health, general wellbeing, and success, according to University of Rochester psychologists. For their latest study, which appears in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, Rochester researchers trained adolescents and young adults at a community college to treat their stress response as a tool rather than an obstacle. The team found that in addition to reducing the students’ anxiety, that “good stress” mindset reset helped them score higher on tests, procrastinate less, stay enrolled in classes, and respond to academic challenges in a healthier way. To reframe their understanding of stress, the students completed a standardized reading and writing exercise that taught them that their stress responses had a function in performance contexts that applied directly to them, such as test taking. “We use a type of ‘saying is believing’ approach whereby participants learn about the adaptive benefits of stress and they are prompted to write about how it can help them achieve,” says lead author Jeremy Jamieson, a Rochester associate professor of psychology and the principal investigator at the University’s Social Stress Lab. He researches how experiences of stress affect decisions, emotions, and performance. The study builds on his earlier research on optimizing stress responses. Q&A Stress often gets a bad rap. How can stress actually be a good thing? Conventional thinking suggests that stress is inherently bad and should always be avoided. This may sometimes be misguided because stress is a normal and even defining feature of modern life. For instance, students preparing for their first job interview might perceive their racing heart and sweaty palms as signs they are nervous and about to “bomb” when, in fact, the stress response is helping deliver oxygen to the brain and releasing hormones that mobilize energy. Throughout the lifespan, people must acquire a wide and varied array of complicated social and intellectual skills, and then apply those skills to thrive. This process is inherently stressful, but it’s also essential to being a productive member of society. Furthermore, if people simply disengaged from the stressors they faced, it could put them at a serious disadvantage. So, for people to thrive in modern life and overcome threats to personal and global survival, they must find a way to embrace and overcome the stressful demands. What exactly is stress reappraisal or reevaluation? People experience increases in sympathetic arousal—which can be sweaty palms or a faster heartbeat—during stressful situations. Instead of thinking of everything as “bad” stress, stress responses, including the stress arousal, can be beneficial when it comes to psychological, biological, performance, and behavioral outcomes. Stress reappraisal is not aimed at eliminating or dampening stress. It does not encourage relaxation, but instead focuses on changing the type of stress response: If we believe we have sufficient resources to address the demands we’re presented with—it doesn’t matter if the demands are high—if we think we can handle them, our body is going to respond with the challenge response, which means stress is seen as a challenge, rather than a threat. What happened to the “reappraisal” students versus the control group? In our study of community college students taking math courses, we found that the reappraisal participants exhibited lower levels of math evaluation anxiety both immediately and on a subsequent exam. They also performed better on the exam than the control group immediately after completing our reappraisal exercise. We then assessed procrastination and goals outside the classroom. While we measured procrastination only once—so I can’t speak to the lagged effects there—the reappraisal students reported procrastinating less, which then predicted higher scores on their next exam. We also found that the reappraisal students reported more approach goals—that is, goals focused on achieving positive outcomes, such as winning a game or passing a test, rather than on avoiding negative outcomes, such as trying not to lose a game or not to fail a test—which predict positive performance outcomes and wellbeing. You looked at cortisol and testosterone levels in your two groups. What did you find? Broadly speaking, cortisol is a catabolic stress hormone and elevations are observed when people are threatened. So, it’s often interpreted as a “negative stress” indicator though it is not always “bad,” whereas testosterone is an anabolic hormone that supports optimal performance. We found that the reappraisal manipulation led to increases in testosterone and decreases in cortisol in the students for the classroom exam situations, which is a helpful pattern for performing at one’s peak. What advice do you have for parents whose kids are stressed and anxious, especially now during the pandemic? The first step is dissociating stress from distress and anxiety. Stress is simply the body’s response to any demand, good or bad. Excitement is a stress state, as is anxiety. It’s also important for parents to understand that struggles are normal and can even be growth-promoting with proper support. Nobody innovates and thrives without moving beyond their comfort zones. For kids to grow, learn, and succeed, they will need to engage with and take on difficult tasks. The goal should not be to help kids get an A, but rather to push the limits of their knowledge and abilities. Taking that difficult math course and earning a middling grade can be more important for long-term success than settling for an easy course and acing it. Normalizing experiences of stress and pushing past obstacles can help kids understand that they can do hard things. Reducing stress by removing obstacles, such as eliminating exams, making coursework easier, etc. can even hinder their progress. To read the original article click here.

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Always Stressed? Here Are 8 Natural Stress Relievers to Try Now

AHA Publisher — Fri, 25 Sep 2020 07:00:11 +0000

Jillian Levy, CHHC via Dr. Axe – Stress: We all deal with it, yet we know how much better off we’d be — both physically and mentally — if we could only get it under control and find stress relievers that really work. While stress can be a positive, motivating factor at times (such as when you’re under pressure to perform well at work or to ace an important exam), more and more research shows that chronic stress impacts the body in ways similar to a poor diet, lack of sleep or sedentary lifestyle. Would you believe that 75 percent to 90 percent of all doctors office visits are related to conditions caused by stress? (1) How exactly does stress negatively affect our health in so many ways? It mostly boils down to changes in our hormones, which then cascade to an increase in inflammation and various other problems. Uncontrolled stress experienced over a long period of time is considered “chronic,” dangerous and capable of increasing someone’s risk for heart disease, diabetes, weight gain or obesity, mental disorders, autoimmune diseases, digestive disorders, and even cancer. Let’s face it, the stress we face today isn’t going anywhere, which is exactly why it’s more important than ever to find natural ways to bust stress that work well for us. If you’re up against large amounts of stress in your life (and who isn’t?), studies show you can greatly benefit from carving out more time in your busy schedule for things like regular exercise, meditation, spending time outdoors and keeping up with fun hobbies. We can’t always control sources of stress in our lives, but we change how we react to them. The good news is this: The human body is actually designed to experience and handle stress, which is exactly why our bodies react to it so strongly. With some practice, we have the power to learn to use certain elements of stress to our advantage (for example, the fact that stress keeps us more alert and attentive), while better controlling other negative reactions (like digestion problems or giving in to cravings for unhealthy foods). So, what are the best stress relievers available to us, and how can we ensure we don’t allow stress to control our lives? If you adhere to the following eight practices, you’re sure to feel less pressure and better manage your stress on a daily basis. We’re More Stressed Today, Whether or Not We Admit It In many parts of the world, more people today report experiencing negative experiences — which includes physical pain, worry, sadness, stress and anger — on a daily basis than at any recent point in history. What is causing everyone to feel so stressed and burnt out? The American Institute of Stress tells us that a number of studies and polls have found that some of the top reasons people feel stressed and mentally unwell include: Worries over finances and the economy Health and health care-related concerns Disapproval of government performance and worries over politics Anxiety over current events, including natural and societal events such as mass shootings, climate crisis, racial tensions and terrorism Stress due to social media and technology use Feelings of loneliness and depression Chronic stress is considered the type of stress that interferes with your ability to function normally over an extended period, such as more than 6 months. Obviously people of all ages can experience chronic stress, however it’s thought that younger and middle-aged adults between the ages of 15 and 49 are most likely to deal with debilitating chronic stress. “Generation Z” is considered to be the most stressed-out age group in many industrialized nations, due to factors like violence, political turmoil, poor finances and poor health, while “Millennials” report the highest rates of anxiety, loneliness and depression. Do people always know that they are dealing with chronic stress? Not necessarily. It’s not always easy for someone to make a connection between stress in their lives and symptoms such as pain and brain fog. People also tend to struggle with identifying exactly what’s causing them to worry or to feel angry, overwhelmed or depressed. When chronically stressed, you release more “stress hormones” such as adrenaline and cortisol, a steroid hormone in the broader class of steroids called glucocorticoids that is secreted by the adrenal glands. When levels of stress hormones remain elevated over time, they impact many bodily functions. We know that stress can negatively affect nearly all parts of the body, including the musculoskeletal system, respiratory system, cardiovascular system, endocrine system gastrointestinal system, nervous system, and both female and male reproductive systems. Here are some of the ways ongoing stress can lead to discomfort and disease: Causes headaches and migraines Makes it harder to sleep and causes fatigue Triggers digestive issues such as stomach aches or IBS Can lead to overeating and weight gain, or sporadic eating patterns and skipping meals Makes it more likely that people favor sedentary activities and don’t exercise Can lead to social isolation, loneliness and poor relationships Cab increase obesity, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes and asthma. 8 Natural Stress Relievers to Try Now 1. Exercise and Yoga One of the best stress relievers available to us is exercise, a natural remedy for anxiety because it releases powerful endorphin chemicals in the brain, which act like the body’s built-in painkillers and mood-lifters. Research suggests the negative effects of stress on the body seem to be exaggerated in people who are inactive, a phenomenon called”stress-induced/exercise deficient” phenotype. Because we react to stress by experiencing changes in our neuro-endocrine systems, regular exercise is protective because it regulates various metabolic and psychological processes in the body, including reinforcing our natural circadian rhythms, sleep/wake cycles, moods and blood sugar levels. Exercises improves insulin sensitivity, can help someone become more aware of their hunger levels, improves confidence/self-esteem, and leads to better mental processing and a lower risk for depression. (2) Can’t sleep? Well, exercise can help with that too, which is very important considering quality sleep is needed to regulate hormones and help the body recover. Yoga has been shown to have similar benefits, reinforcing the “mind-body connection,” improving how people (especially women) feel about their bodies, helping with sleep and controlling anxiety. A review of over 35 clinical trials that tested the effects of regular yoga on stress levels and health found that, overall, yoga offers significant improvements in various physical and psychological health markers for the majority of people. (3) Looking for an even more impactful way to feel the benefits of exercise? Do so while listening to uplifting music. Research findings indicate that music listening positively impacts the psycho-biological stress system, helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system, improves recovery time, and has benefits for hormonal balance and brain functioning overall. (4) 2. Meditation/Devotional Prayer Meditation and healing prayer are both proven stress relievers that help people deal with worry, anxiety and finding peace of mind. Best of all, they can both be practiced conveniently anytime of day, in your own home and with no therapist, practitioner or program needed, making them a no-brainer. Meditation and prayer have been used for literally thousands of years to improve well-being and connection to others, but today they’re actually backed up by science as well. Breathing exer Natural stress relief meditation and mindfulness-based stress reduction are types of simple mental techniques that are practiced for as little as 10–15 minutes once or twice a day in order to bring about more “mindfulness” and reduce stress or anxiety. (5, 6) Various other forms of meditation have been shown to lower physiological responses to stress, improve mental alertness, and help people overcome various emotional and physical problems, such as: anxiety, depression, poor mental health that affects quality of life, attention problems, substance use, eating habits, sleep, pain and weight gain. (7) 3. Acupuncture Acupuncture has increasingly been used to treat many stress-related conditions, including psychiatric disorders, autoimmune or immunological-related diseases, infertility, anxiety, and depression. Researchers have found that acupunture treatments result in changes in the cardiovascular and immune systems, increasing protective T-cell proliferation and helping with cellular immuno-responses. (8) Studies have shown that acupuncture is one of the best stress relievers for patients recovering from heart disease because it helps regulate the nervous system, therefore having positive effects on blood pressure levels, circulation, hormones and other factors. (9) 4. A Nutrient-Dense Diet A steady supply of nutrients like essential vitamins, trace minerals, healthy fats, electrolytes, amino acids and antioxidants all help your brain handle stress better, therefore benefiting your entire body. Some of the best foods for natural stress relief include: Foods high in B vitamins (which the body uses to convert nutrients to energy) — raw or cultured dairy products, cage-free eggs, grass-fed beef, wild-caught fish, poultry, brewer’s yeast and green leafy vegetables. Foods high in calcium and magnesium — as relaxing minerals and electrolytes, calcium and magnesium are important for relaxing muscles, relieving headaches and helping you sleep. Try unsweetened organic yogurt, wild-caught salmon, beans/legumes, leafy green veggies, cruciferous veggies like broccoli, avocados and nuts. High protein foods — foods with protein provide amino acids that are needed for proper neurotransmitter functions. Healthy fats and omega-3 fatty acids — cold-water, wild-caught fish like salmon or sardines can reduce inflammation and help stabilize moods, plus omega-3s are great for the brain, development and heart health. Other healthy fats that support brain health include nuts/seeds, avocado, olive oil and coconut oil. On the other hand, foods to avoid in order to keep stress levels down include: Packaged or sugary foods — processed, refined foods or those with added sugar can give you blood sugar highs and lows throughout the day, increasing anxiety and causing cravings and fatigue. Too much alcohol or caffeine — both alcohol and caffeine can cause or worsen anxiety, make you dehydrated, interfere with sleep leaving you tired, and make you unable to cope with stress well. Refined vegetable oils — imbalances in polyunaturated fatty acids, meaning getting much more omega-6s than omega-3s from your diet, are tied to metabolic damage, inflammation and even poor gut health, which can affect mental processes. 5. Challenging Your Thoughts with “Cognitive Behavioral Therapy” Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of therapeutic practice that has been proven to lower anxiety, stress and multiple disorders — including addiction, eating disorders, insomnia and depression. Knowing that at least 50 percent of the time experiencing a mental disorder is due mostly to chronic, untreated stress reactions, therapists use CBT to train all types of people to better react to situations that are stressful. CBT focuses on challenging and changing your thoughts first and foremost, since the way you perceive an event (not the actual event itself) means everything in terms of how your body reacts. (10) Once you can identify the root thought pattern that is causing harmful behaviors, you can work on changing how you think about events and therefore react to them. The idea behind CBT is this: If you can reframe the way you think about events in your life — for example, instead of panicking over a job change you choose to embrace it, prepare as best you can and seize the opportunity to start fresh — you can literally reduce the stress you wind up feeling from the event. CBT is useful for training us to avoid internal causes of stress, such as “all-or-nothing” thinking, jumping to conclusions, pessimism, having unrealistic expectations for ourselves, always expecting the worst-case scenario, and feeling guilt or shame over events that are out of our control. (11) 6. Spending More Time in Nature and Being Social Making time for connecting with the people around you, spending time outside and doing things you love with family, friends and your spouse are all stress relievers that are good for your health in many ways. Social connection is tied to longevity, since it helps people feel like they’re a part of something larger than themselves and helps give them perspective. Being outdoors has some similar effects, reminding people that...

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Is Covid and Current Social Unrest Creating Chronic Stress?

AHA Publisher — Fri, 05 Jun 2020 07:00:18 +0000

Jillian Levy, CHHC via Dr. Axe – Stress. It’s an awful word and a worse feeling, isn’t it? The thing is, stress isn’t all bad. Without it, we wouldn’t be motivated to take steps to protect ourselves, to plan for the future or to perform. A certain level of stress (especially “good” eustress) helps us to adapt to our environment and pushes us to excel. The stress that is worrisome is chronic stress, which many in the world and particularly the U.S. may be suffering from right now, between the pandemic and now the social unrest that recently erupted after the killing of George Floyd by a police officer. What does chronic stress do to your body? It can affect you negatively in multiple ways; for example, research confirms that elevated cortisol levels can increase susceptibility to some illnesses, sleep deprivation, and even brain shrinkage and memory problems in adults of middle age. Early in 2020, nearly everyone around the world started experiencing more stress than they were likely accustomed to — whether in regards to their health, finances, job, politics or family obligations (or all of the above). According to the CDC, chronic stress can kill your quality of life and even dampen your immune system, which is why it’s important to incorporate natural stress relievers into your regular routine to help you cope. What Is Chronic Stress? Stress is defined as “a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances.” Your central nervous system (CNS), which is in charge of your “fight or flight” response, controls levels of “stress hormones” like cortisol and adrenaline that circulate through your body. Your hypothalamus communicates with your adrenal glands to release more stress hormones when you’re feeling threatened or overwhelmed. While stress itself may not be a good thing, in reality each of us is only here because of the stress response. Our ancestors reacted to a threat by fighting or fleeing, literally or figuratively, and so survived thanks to this fight or flight instinct. Whether it was a food shortage or a physical threat, they went into what the prominent science center, the Franklin Institute, refers to as “metabolic overdrive.” During periods of acute stress, adrenaline and cortisol flood the body Blood pressure, breathing and heart rate increase Glucose is released into the bloodstream for ready energy Digestion, growth, reproduction and immune system functions are suppressed or put on hold Blood flow to the skin is decreased, and pain tolerance is increased Chronic stress vs. acute stress: what’s the difference? It typically takes about 90 minutes for the metabolism to return to normal following an acutely stressful event. However, with chronic stress, most people tend to ignore or push down symptoms until they eventually “burn out,” which can take months. When facing chronic stress, many of us don’t physically dispel stress hormones or take the time to resolve the real problems (if they are even capable of being resolved). If we aren’t able to soothe ourselves, to grieve or to take the time to question our priorities, stress can linger on and on for many months or even years. What are examples of chronic stress? Chronic stress examples can include: Emotional distress due to grieving the death of a loved one A serious health diagnosis, especially one that limits daily functioning and requires a hospital stay/ongoing treatments Financial problems, including unemployment Work stress, including feeling overwhelmed with everyday responsibilities and stress tied to commuting Emotional stress plus fatigue when taking care of others among doctors, nurses, EMTs or other health care providers/first responders Feeling socially isolated Family-related stress, often due to feeling short on time, rushed and overwhelmed War and violence, especially if serving in the military Relationship problems, especially those involving abuse or divorce Major life changes like moving to a new city or starting a new demanding career path Injuries that lead to chronic pain Imprisonment Internal causes of stress tied to one’s mindset, including living with guilt and regret, pessimism, rigid thinking, lack of flexibility, negative self-talk and perfectionism Again, during this pandemic and now the ongoing protests triggered by George Floyd’s death sweeping the nation, chronic stress is palpable in nearly every household. Symptoms What are the symptoms of chronic stress? According to the American Institute of Stress, chronic distress can cause more than 50 symptoms. Five of the most common chronic stress symptoms include: irritability, anxiety, depression, headaches and trouble sleeping. Here are some of the many negative effects that unresolved stress can have on your body: Reduced ability to concentrate and act efficiently, as stress has negative effects on memory and learning. It can lead to less fuel being sent to the brain, and poor communication between brain cells. Increased risk for substance abuse problems, including use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs Weakening of your immune system, making fighting infection much more difficult Increased inflammatory responses and release of compounds known as cytokines, which affect tissues and organs all over the body Food addictions, gambling, checking out with television and video games Accelerated symptoms tied to aging, including brain shrinkage and worsened symptoms tied to arthritis, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and osteoporosis Increased chronic pain, including neck and back pain, headaches, joint pain and muscle pain Metabolic dysfunction and potentially weight gain, since cortisol can trigger accumulation of dangerous belly fat and worsen cravings for fat, salt and sugar Higher risk for a variety of digestive disorders and symptoms, like ulcers, a bloated stomach, cramping, constipation and diarrhea Trouble sleeping, and then irritability and fatigue as a result Depression symptoms, such as feelings of helplessness and lack of control Becoming more accident-prone Not being able to plan for the future or make decisions Experiencing increased for a number of health problems, potentially including diabetes, heart attack, heart disease and stroke. Stress increases your heart rate and force, constricts and damages your arteries, and can lead to inflammation. Worsened asthma symptoms Reduced sexual desire and erectile dysfunction in men Menstrual changes in women, including worsened PMS and irregular periods Skin/hair conditions like eczema, hair loss, acne and rashes Is Covid Increasing Rates of Chronic Stress? You can see from the list above describing common causes of chronic stress that many are now more prevalent due to the Covid-19 pandemic. People of all ages are being affected by changes in their work routine, schooling, family life and community involvement. Even before the Covid-19 crisis began, a high percentage of Americans were already worrying about money, job security, and the political climate in the U.S. We can assume these worries are only intensifying due to the pandemic, and are now suddenly coupled with other concerns such as persistent racial injustice. In 2017, the American Psychological Association published research focused on the “Most Common Sources of Stress.” They found that: 63% worry about the future of our nation 62% worry about money 61% worry about work 57% worry about the political climate 51% worry about violence and crime According to some research, two of the biggest drivers of suicidal thoughts and attempts are job loss and social isolation. Amid the Covid pandemic, millions of people are facing unemployment, financial hardship and loneliness on a level never experienced before. To make matters worse, many of the activities that people usually engage in to improve their mood are off limits, such as socializing with friends, attending church or other religious gathering, going to the gym, and visiting parks, museums, festivals, sporting games, etc. Marijuana dispensaries and liquor stores are still open, however, as they’ve been deemed “essential,” which seems to only be promoting reliance on substances to lift people’s moods. During an acute/short-term crisis, your actions normally wind end up reversing many of the stress-related processes described above. You essentially either fight or flee and resolve the problem — then take comfort in contact with loved ones or satisfaction in your abilities. You might dispel adrenaline through pacing or some other soothing effort to restore balance. Life today, however, doesn’t often offer us the opportunity to enact a full stress response and resolution. Instead, we operate as if we’re in a constant, low-grade state of emergency, with no real end in sight. And given how the Covid-19 pandemic has upended many of our lives, in many ways our feelings are warranted. Diagnosis How do you know if you have chronic stress? Ask yourself if you’re dealing with the most common stress-related symptoms (like mood changes, trouble sleeping, pain/tension and so on). Are you feeling things are out of your control and that the future is hopeless? If you can relate to many of the symptoms above, it might be time to speak to a therapist, or at least to rethink how you’re handling your current situation. If stress has led to specific symptoms such as breakouts, GI issues and chronic pain, talk to your doctor about tests that can determine the underlying causes and come up with a holistic treatment plan together. A therapist, or even your primary care giver or a functional/naturopathic doctor, can help you manage stress with coping strategies such as mindfulness, breathing exercises, journaling, physical exercises and tools for changing your thought patterns. Ways to Cope Plenty of research has found that stress management and relaxation techniques can help you become more able to adapt to stressful events, more efficient in functioning during stressful times and better able to recover from stress. Ultimately, chronic stress treatment and recovery time depends on how severely someone is stressed and the coping mechanisms they choose to employ. Based on findings from a large body of research, these are some of the most impactful ways you can cope with chronic stress: Get regular exercise, which is one of the best ways to cope with stress and help your body return to homeostasis. Make time to engage in pleasantly challenging activities, like reading, exercising, painting, etc. Take deep breaths and stretch. Get outside and get some sunlight exposure. Get plenty of sleep, and even nap if you’re feeling run down. Eat a nourishing diet that includes balanced meals emphasizing whole foods (check out this article on eating a diet to manage anxiety symptoms, which includes foods like fish, organic chicken and free-range eggs, grass-fed beef, whole grains, nuts, seeds, olive and coconut oils, and lots of fruits and vegetables). Have something to look forward to.There’s evidence demonstrating that positive anticipation can reduce stress and anxiety because it leads to more hopeful anticipatory thoughts, leaving less room for negative thoughts and worry. Try mindfulness training, Meditation can serve as one coping mechanism, since it helps to bring your attention to the present and decrease the amount of time you spend worrying about the future. Avoid becoming overly absorbed in the 24/7 news cycle. Find ways to gain a sense of control, such as by creating a schedule and boundaries for yourself. Stress, anxiety and depression are fueled by feelings of helplessness and overwhelm. Schedule tasks, prioritize and delegate so you’re better able to cope. Try journaling, especially “gratitude journaling.” Your thoughts and emotions are the very things that you can learn to control, no matter what happens in your environment. Take a look at your life, and identify what’s causing you stress. Pay attention to your moods, and try to identify the thoughts and beliefs that may be contributing to them. Avoid alcohol and drugs, which can actually wind up worsening stress. Connect with others to talk about how you’re feeling, even if it’s over the phone, Zoom, etc. Listen to your favorite music — and sing along. Listen to music can ease anxiety and even physical pain. Try tapping techniques. Also known as the emotional freedom technique, or EFT, can reduce acute or chronic stress and improve sleeping habits. Final Thoughts Stress is normal, and some kinds of stress are good. However, chronic stress symptoms like indigestion, brain fog, fatigue and trouble sleeping that last many months are not normal. Chronic stress can affect every physical...

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