Stress and How to Manage It
By: Sarah Schulz / HBSc, MScOT, OT Reg (Ont.)
What is stress and how do I manage it?
With final exams and Christmas on the horizon, I thought a talk about stress and stress management would be fitting! In today's post, I am going to talk about:
- What stress is
- What it does to our bodies
- Some strategies to manage it
What is stress?
Stress is the response of the body due to a demand put on it. This means that when we feel threatened, challenged or under pressure, our body and mind respond to this feeling. Stress is a result of hormones surging through the body, which is why people sweat, breathe quicker, and become tense in their muscles. This is called the “fight or flight” response.
The easiest example of the fight or flight response is to imagine you are walking down a dark road and someone grabs you. Immediately you get a rush of hormones, your heart starts to beat fast, and you either fight the person who grabbed you, or flight (run away). Our body does not distinguish between life-threatening stress and everyday stress, which is why an everyday stressor can cause this heart-pounding response.
What does stress do to your body?
Stress is a normal part of daily life, in certain amounts. Stress can help motivate you to reach deadlines and be on time. However, stress is harmful to the body and mind when prolonged for long periods of time. Constantly being in this “fight or flight” response can increase sleep issues, pain, depression, anxiety, blood pressure, headaches and other bodily issues. The constant rush of hormones is not healthy for the body, and in fact, can lead to damaging physical and mental health problems.
How do I manage stress?
1. Learning your signs/symptoms
The first step in managing stress is to learn your body’s way of telling you that you are stressed. There are many ways your body can tell you that you are stressed. Everyone is different, so signs and symptoms differ for each person. Signs of stress typically fit into 4 categories:
- Mind: Stress can affect how we think: Examples: Poor concentration, forgetfulness, racing thoughts, negative thoughts, confusion or ruminating/constant worry.
- Emotions: Stressful situations can make us experience many different feelings and emotions. Examples: Anxiety, nervousness, depression, irritability, anger, frustration, indifference or feeling overwhelmed.
- Body: Stress responses happen in our body. Examples: Headache, dizziness, tiredness, nausea, chest pain, restlessness, shortness of breath, muscle pain.
- Behaviours: When we feel stressed we might do things that we would not do otherwise. Examples: Fidgeting, pacing, smoking, drinking alcohol, using mood-altering substances, nail-biting, swearing, crying, self-harm, suicidal thoughts.
*Ask yourself what are your typical signs and symptoms, and look for these so you can identify when you are stressed!
2. Defining stress triggers
The next step in managing stress is defining what causes your stress. A stress trigger is an event or circumstance that causes you to feel stressed. Knowing your triggers can help you to better understand why you are having a stress response and learn how to manage. For example:
- Exams/ Projects
- Work deadlines
- Being in a noisy environment
* Identifying your stress triggers will help you remove yourself from the situations, or allow you to utilize management techniques before you get a stress sign or symptom.
3. Management techniques
Once you have learned your signs and symptoms, and your stress triggers, the last step is to learn stress management techniques! These techniques can help you to calm your body, and avoid you from going into the “fight or flight” response. Again, everyone will be different in their techniques and what works for them, so it’s all about finding what works for you! Here are some examples that I use with my clients:
- Setting goals/ priorities and schedule!
o This may be the most important/ effective way to minimize stress, by setting daily goals you want to accomplish.
o Having a day planner or calendar will help you to visualize what tasks you want to complete and by when, this way you will be able to physically see how much time you have.
o Setting small goals for each day will also help you to feel accomplished. For example: write down one thing you want to accomplish in the morning, afternoon and night. (This can be as simple as cook a healthy breakfast, go for a walk, finish homework etc)
- Deep Breathing
o Deep breathing is great to relax the body and can be used wherever/whenever
o This website has a few different guided ways to use deep breathing: https://uhs.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/breathing_exercises_0.pdf
o https://www.anxietycanada.com/sites/default/files/CalmBreathing.pdf
- Using positive self-talk
o Negative self-talk can increase our stress and decreases our ability to cope with the stress. Changing how you speak to yourself will help you overcome the stress you are experiencing.
o Some examples of how to incorporate positive self-talk: https://rmhpcommunity.org/sites/default/files/resource/Dealing%20with%20Stress.pdf
- Progressive muscle relaxation
o Tense muscles as you breathe in and relax them as you breathe out
o This technique calms the entire body
o A guided process can be found here https://www.anxietycanada.com/sites/default/files/MuscleRelaxation.pdf
- Mindfulness
o This is a state of non-judgmental awareness to what is happening at the present moment. Helps you to relax and be present!
o This website gives a few mindful exercises https://www.dermcoll.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/Mindfulness-CVI1300.pdf
o My favourite mindful exercise is called 5-4-3-2-1, and instructions can be found here: https://www.evergreenyfs.org/Youth%20Anxiety%20Handouts.pdf
Additional strategies
- Talking to a friends/family
o Talking about your stress is a helpful way to let others know what you are going through and how they can help
- Physical activity
o Such as going for walks, runs, going to the gym
o Can help clear your mind, and calm you down
o Plus gives you a boost of endorphins
- Having a good sleep routine
o With the constant rush of hormones, sleep is very difficult to maintain while experiencing stress. It is so important for you to get as much restful sleep as possible!
- Yoga/tai-chi
o These incorporate both physical activity with deep breathing and meditation
- Journaling
- Reading
- Listening to music
Remember being stressed is a normal part of life, and can even benefit us in some situations. However when your stress is impacting how you think, act and feel, it should be managed so you can use it to motivate you, not hinder you!
*If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at sarah.schulz@dal.ca
*Stay tuned for a tool to learn about your stress signs and symptoms, your triggers and explore management techniques that work best for you!
