11 Wholesome techniques for managing stress
When stress becomes unbearable, try these techniques which are scientifically supported ideas to help you handle it.
Life often involves stressful situations and our bodies’ natural stress reaction prepares us to deal with danger. Consider a time, or imagine one, where you’ve had to deliver a lecture or a speech, or even create a course or deliver a podcast and think about how that affected you. It comes with stress does it not? But it’s also demanding and rewarding. One fo the reasons I do this is for the psychological benefits I get from helping others. It’s both stressful and stress relieving.
And speaking of stress, if you have never worked with a coach before, you really don’t know what you’re missing. One of the ways that I help is to work with you to balance the areas that are weak in the four pillars of wellness. Not only that, but I challenge you to be better. When I worked with one of my coaches, she was always challenging me to improve specific areas that at first I didn’t think were an issue until after giving in and working on them, I found out how right she was. This is one of the benefits of coaching. Life is stressful. One area a coach like me helps is in assisting you to prioritize what is good, better, and best to have the most improvement towards your goals and dreams.
I offer a free consultation to determine if we’d be a good fit to help you become the best version of you. The calendar appointment link is in the show notes.
Our biological reactions to stress can actually harm our physical and mental health when a stressor is negative, harmful, or can’t be avoided, such as layoffs or a medical emergency, or when stressful feelings become chronic. The most difficult and harmful to deal with are the physical and mental reactions your body emits as a result of chronic stress.
Fortunately, there are numerous tools that are supported by science to help manage the harmful consequences of stress. Here are 11 techniques you can use to manage stress:
1. Try to remove the stressors: The degree of psychological stress you experience depends on the situation’s severity as well as the individual experiencing it. How you view and process a stressor can have a significant impact on how you react. A great example from my own life for this I’ve shared before was the first time I knew I was being shot at when flying into and out of Iraq. On my first mission as an aircraft commander, we landed at a base and “boom” a massive explosion occurred right off the nose of the aircraft as we pulled into parking. Two different reactions occurred. The marines on the plane were up, off the plane, across the taxiway and into the bunker for safety before the dirt even hit the ground. My crew and I looked at each other, I remember saying, “that’s interesting” and then we continued with our normal shutdown procedures. Different reactions and therefore different stress results in our bodies. Even though you can’t always change the experience, you can strive to lessen the stress you are experiencing. Consider whether you can change the situation that’s causing you stress. Can you relinquish part of your responsibilities? Do you need to lower your standards or expectations? Or Do you need to request assistance? I’ve seen what happens when a leader tries to do everything and refuses to delegate responsibilities to others. This can cause your immune system to break down. Either you take care of your stress or your body will force you to do something.
2. Develop your social network: This will help you become more resilient to stress. Tread carefully. Some family members and friends may be adept at empathizing and listening. Others thrive on providing practical assistance. Others are excellent at emotional and spiritual support. But be careful that it does not become unbalanced. If you’re always the one asking, and never giving back, never offer to help, you can cause resentment…or vice versa, if you’re the friend or family member always giving and never getting anything in return, it can make you feel more stressed and resentful.
3. Seek out healthy food: Food is a controversial subject because a lot of people use food as a means of comfort and stress relief. But that food tends to be very unhealthy in nature and ultimately can cause more damage and stress. When under stress, the body releases adrenaline and cortisol, which among other physiological changes, affects your digestive system. Acute stress can make you eat less. Prolonged stress can make you crave sugar and fat because of excess cortisol production. According to research, significant levels of visceral fat, linked to metabolic and cardiovascular illnesses, may be deposited around our internal organs when high levels of cortisol and sugar are combined. A diet rich in different nutrients can both safeguard health and provide people more physical energy to tackle obstacles. No need to become a vegan, or even give up all sweets, however, you should incorporate a wide variety of colorful fruits and vegetables in your diet. I’ve personally found that removing added sugar and processed flour from my diet has helped my health immensely.
4. Progressive Muscle Tension and Relaxation: Take a deep breath in and tense your face muscles for five to ten seconds before releasing them all at once. After 10 or more seconds of relaxation, switch to the next muscle group. Work your way down your body. Passive progressive muscle relaxation is also an option. The tensing phase is skipped in this technique. Simply visualize each muscle group separately and concentrate on relaxing that area of the body. Do this while sitting or laying down and listen to calming music for best effect.
5. Meditate: A substantial body of evidence demonstrates that mindful meditation can help lessen emotional stress and anxiety. Even short-term programs for mindfulness meditation are effective. Set aside five minutes in a peaceful location to sit and breathe before you begin. When stray thoughts arise, acknowledge them and then put them out of your mind. Never criticize the fact that thoughts intrude. That’s normal. Bring the focus back to the current moment, to your breathing, and gently refocus. Over time you will be able to focus more. Listen to my episode on meditation, or the episode on centering prayer and you’ll understand that it’s not how long you do it, it’s that you do it. Over time you will be able to maintain focus on your breath for longer periods. The more you do it, the greater the effect.
6. Protect your sleep: Stress throughout the day interferes with sleep at night. Even worse, lack of sleep can have a huge impact on mood and cognition. How can you get better sleep? Several steps are possible. Try to establish a bedtime routine. Try to set a regular sleep schedule. Try to set a schedule that gives you time to unwind before going to bed. Insomnia can be relieved by relaxation and meditation. Avoid alcohol and caffeine late in the afternoon and evening. Put down screens an hour or two before bed, since it's been shown that blue light interferes with melatonin production. Checking social media before sleep is not beneficial to a good night’s rest. Finally, make sure you’re active during the day. The benefits of exercise are documented in many studies and show that working out, walking, moving, helps sleep, especially in middle-aged and older people. Personally, when I work out, I sleep much better than when I don’t. That brings us to our next step.
7. Workout/get moving: Vigorous exercise not only promotes restful sleep but also effectively reduces stress. In one study, working individuals who exercised moderately throughout the week reported feeling half as stressed as those who didn’t work out. Exercise is known to counteract some of stress’s negative consequences. Increasing physical activity doesn’t have to be expensive or difficult: a 30-minute brisk walk or a living room dance party will work just fine. You haven’t destressed until you’ve thrown your favorite songs on from your teen years, cranked the volume to 10, and danced like no one is watching.
8. Spend some time in nature: Research from numerous nations has shown that being around greenery and nature elevates mood. Compared to videos of metropolitan areas, even nature videos can hasten recovery from stress. I love watching and have created calming beach and nature videos to relax and shared them on YouTube in my meditative minds channel. Even in a busy city park, pausing to observe nature can help you focus and destress. My personal favorite method is lying on the beach and listening to the surf or taking a walk in the woods to find a waterfall.
9. Keep doing things you love: When life becomes too busy, people frequently give up their leisure time, yet that is exactly when they need to increase it. Denying pleasurable activities can work against you. Find time to take care of yourself even when you don’t have much, whether it’s by reading a book, singling along to your favorite songs, or watching your favorite Netflix show. Laughter and humor are good for our mental and physical well-being.
10.Thing differently: Of all the scientifically backed methods for reducing stress, cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT, has the most success. This therapeutic strategy is based on knowing that our thoughts affect our emotions. These then affect our behaviors. Changing the way you think about a stressful situation might help you better control your emotions and lessen your stress. Some advice: Stop thinking about the worst-case situations and if you notice that you are doing so, change your mental dialogue. Set reasonable goals for yourself. Try to be accepting of circumstances that are out of your contro.
11.Finally, get professional help: Look for a psychologist, or other mental health professional, who can assist you to learn how to successfully manage stress, especially if you are feeling overwhelmed and self-help isn’t working. They can assist you in identifying events or actions that add to your stress so that you may create a plan of action to alter your stressors, your surroundings, or your reactions. If you don’t feel you need a medical professional, you can work with a life coach or a coach like me, to work on balancing your areas of stress in your life.
As I discussed in the first paragraph today, stress can be either acute or chronic. A vehicle accident or a fight with your spouse are common examples of short-term stressors that can cause acute stress. Acute stress can be quite upsetting, but it usually passes fast and reacts well to your body’s coping mechanisms like deep breathing or vigorous exercise.
However, when stressors persist, chronic stress develops. The causes of chronic stress can range greatly, from things that people can influence or avoid, such as having a toxic acquaintance, to challenges that are difficult to overcome such as poverty, low self-esteem, or discrimination of all types. People react to stress in different ways, so something that one person may find manageable may become a source of chronic stress for another.
Chronic stress can be harmful to one’s physical and emotional well-being. Chronic stress can make you feel worn out, impair your ability to focus, and lead to headaches and stomach problems. Irritable bowels syndrome sufferers frequently discover that psychological stress makes their symptoms worse. Even though short-term stress might increase some immune responses, long-term stress damages the immune system over time. Numerous studies have found a connection between chronic stress and the onset of coronary artery disease, suggesting that chronic stress can potentially have an impact on cardiac health.
In the end, managing stress, and combatting chronic stress is of primary concern. Your mental and physical health will thank you. As you know, not all of these techniques will work for you. Each situation is unique and may require trial and error to find the method that works best for you. Consistency of effort is the key to successfully lowering your overall level of stress and minimizing the harmful effects of stress.
I just want to reiterate that I am here to support you. Take a moment and schedule a 10 minute free call to see if one of my programs or plans will work for you to help you lower your chronic stress and become consistent with your efforts.