COLUMN: Let’s Talk Mental Health – Stress associated with health risk

Let’s talk again, about stress. Stress is our brain’s response to any demand. Change, whether positive or negative, real or perceived, can trigger this response.

Change could be recurring, short-term, or long-term such as commuting, traveling for vacation, or moving to another home or city. Some change is mild and relatively harmless in its effects, such as winning a competition, watching scary movies, or enjoying a carnival ride. Some change is more serious, such as getting married or divorced, having a serious illness, or suffering an accident. Other change, such as exposure to violence, can be extreme in effect possibly triggering traumatic stress reactions.

At least three types of stress are known and associated with physical and mental health risks. Routine stress is daily pressures of work, family and other responsibilities. Stress caused by a sudden negative life-change includes losing a job, ending a long-term relationship, or serious illness. Finally, traumatic stress comes from events such as major accidents, wars, assaults, or natural disasters where we are injured or in danger of dying.

The human body responds to these similarly but different people may experience it in different ways. Some might note mainly digestive symptoms, while others complain of headaches, depressed mood, sleeplessness, or anger and irritability. People living with chronic stress tend to have severe viral infections, such as flu or the common cold more often and appropriate vaccines may be less effective for them.

Health changes from routine stress may be difficult to detect because they are constant. Our bodies, when under constant stress, don’t get a signal saying the need for emergency mode is over and it’s time to return to normal functioning. This continued strain from routine stress can eventually lead to heart disease, elevated blood pressure, diabetes, anxiety, and other serious illnesses.

Remember that not all stress is bad. Our stress response can be life-saving in some situations. Nerve chemicals and hormones released at stressful times prepare us to face a threat or flee to safety. In dangerous situations, our pulse quickens, breathing accelerates, muscles tense, and brain activity increases. Health problems occur with chronic stress, when these same responses go on indefinitely.

People often ask

Q. What can I do when I notice my stress levels increasing?

A. Take action. Begin with three slow, deep breaths. When we’re under stress, we’re likely to take small, shallow breaths. Then we feel faint, lightheaded, and tense. Slow, deep breaths soothe our nervous system and promote relaxation, lowering blood pressure, heart rate, and production of stress hormones. Muscle stretches are helpful as our bodies usually carry stress in headaches, neck stiffness, tense shoulders, or all-over tightness. Stretching loosens tight muscles. Biking, gardening, painting, reading, dancing, seeing a movie, getting a massage, or walking around the block can help.

Use the power of positive focus. Find a calming phrase that rings true to repeat in stressful moments. “All is well,” or “This, too, shall pass,” are examples. If we focus on only stressful things, they’ll grow. Focus on what’s meaningful, positive and supportive. . We can visualize positive outcomes or choose to focus on the present moment. We can stop, take a deep breath or two, notice where we are and what is happening around us, and non-judgmentally take it in.

We can tune in to our senses. For example, when going for a walk, we’ll feel the ground beneath our feet, smell the scents in the air, and hear the birds chirping. Research proves that we decrease anxiety and increase joy by focusing on sensations of the now.

Cultivate gratitude by focusing on five things that are going well or that we appreciate. Some people write a gratitude journal regularly to remind themselves of things to be grateful for, even when other parts of life may be difficult.

And we could combine thinking ability and power to act by identifying sources of problems or stressors, brainstorming realistic solutions, and choosing one for action. All these techniques can help us calm almost immediately, clear our heads, and gain perspective. We’ll gain reduced stress levels, the satisfaction of good self care, and improved health.