Managing Stress

“Stress” is the term used to describe changes in the body that occur when we are faced with “stressors”. The exact stressors in each of our lives differ, but can include physical stress (e.g. over-exertion, illness or injury), psychological stress (e.g. anger, worry or grief), psychosocial stress (e.g. relationship problems, money problems), or psychospiritual stress (e.g. loss of purpose). 

Not all stress is bad, and in fact some types of stress are good for us. Exercise is a great example of a good stress; putting our muscles under a small amount of physical stress, and then allowing them to recover, is how we build more muscle and improve our physical health. However, longer term stress and stress that is allowed to go on unchecked becomes a negative type of stress that can lead to health problems and can negatively impact our life as a whole. 

What Happens When We’re Stressed?

When we feel stressed, our bodies go into ‘fight or flight mode’ and release hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline. Historically, this would have helped us to deal with our stressors by giving us a boost of energy, allowing us to outrun that sabre tooth tiger and live to see another day. Unfortunately, in our modern world, most of our stressors – work and study deadlines, financial pressures – can’t be outrun. When we don’t adequately manage our stress, we can end up feeling physical and emotional symptoms, such as:

- Irritability, anxiety, aggression, depression, loneliness

- Poor concentration, restlessness and fidgeting, feeling tired all the time

- Headaches, dizziness, high blood pressure, indigestion or heartburn, constipation or diarrhoea

- Difficulty sleeping, nightmares

Although it's virtually impossible to completely eliminate stress from our lives, we can manage the effect it has on us. Below are my top 8 tips for managing stress and helping to feel more in control of your life.

8 Tips for Managing Your Stress

1. Plan out your day and manage your time

Organising your time can help you to feel in control of your daily tasks. This can be as simple as writing out your schedule in a planner, or using the calendar app in your phone. You can also make a list of tasks to be completed and organise them by putting the most urgent tasks at the top, so you can be sure you won’t miss completing an important job throughout the day. Both “Google Keep” and “Todoist” are great apps for keeping a digital to-do list if that’s more your style.

2. Exercise

When we become stressed, our bodies are geared up and ready for physical activity to outrun any danger. Exercise, and particularly aerobic exercise such as jogging, swimming and cycling, are an important part of managing stress, because they mimic the physical burst of energy our bodies expect of us to help bring our stress hormones back under control. Just 20-30 minutes of these types of exercises can help to reduce feelings of stress for several hours afterwards. Aim for a total of about 2.5 hours per week of moderate intensity exercise to help keep feelings of stress at bay. 

3. Take time out to relax and unwind

With hectic work schedules and endless to-do lists, it can be easy to skip the relaxation part of the day. It’s important to remember that a balance between work, rest and play is vital for our well-being, and trying to do everything every day isn’t always achievable. Taking time out to relax can help us feel more present and on-the-ball when we do engage in work, so although it may seem like ‘slacking off’, we end up better off in the long run.

4. Spend time with family and friends

Spending time with loved ones is also vital for a balanced life and can help us to feel more connected and less stressed. Why not combine this with point number 3 and plan a relaxing activity for you and a loved one to do together!

5. Make sure you get enough sleep

Feeling stressed often means not only less sleep, but also poorer quality sleep, leading to fatigue and the need to grab stimulants like coffee to get through the day, which ends up making matters worse! Support your sleep the best you can by going to sleep and getting up at the same times every day, avoiding caffeine (especially after 2pm), and making sure you switch off from all digital screens at least an hour before bed time.

6. Eat a balanced diet

When we are stressed, we can have a tendency to skip meals, or opt for less nutritious choices, especially sugary or starchy foods, but supporting our bodies with the right foods is important for recovering physically from stress. Make sure you’re supporting your body by eating a diet rich in colourful vegetables and fruits, with plenty of good quality proteins such as eggs, legumes, nuts, seeds, fish and lean meat. Replace refined, “white” bread and rice with more nourishing whole grain products and brown or black rice. Avoid foods and drinks that can make symptoms of stress worse, especially caffeine, alcohol and refined carbohydrate-rich foods, such as chips, chocolate, cakes, etc. 

7. Incorporate a meditation or yoga practice into your day

Meditation helps us manage stress by helping us to be more self-aware and in control of our emotions. In fact, just 8 weeks of daily meditation can actually lead to physical changes in the parts of your brain responsible for regulating your emotions! Many different types of meditation have been found to be helpful, including mindfulness, progressive muscle relaxation and even guided imagery meditations, so if you find one style doesn’t work well for you, there are plenty of others to try. You can find meditation centres if you’d like to experience group meditations, but you can just as easily buy a meditation CD or use an app such as “Headspace” (for mindfulness meditation) or “Insight Timer” (for a bit everything!). 

Yoga is another great relaxation practice you can use. Studies from around the world have found it to be helpful for stress management, which it does by helping us to get out of our “fight or flight” mode. In fact, just one 60-minute yoga session per week can help to reduce feelings of stress. There are a range of different types of yoga. For a more athletic style, try Vinyasa yoga, or opt for Yin yoga if you’d like something for before bed-time. Try out some of the free instructional videos on YouTube (“Yoga with Adriene” is a popular channel) or check out your local area for a yoga school. Some yoga schools will even offer outdoor classes!

8. Address some of the causes of stress

Although some causes of stress are out of our control, many stressors are avoidable, or at least modifiable. Identifying and addressing some of the causes of stress in your life can help you to feel more in control and better able to deal with stress. Try keeping a ‘stress journal’ – each time you feel stressed, write it down in your journal, keeping note of what caused your stress, how stress manifested for you, and what you did to make yourself feel better.

About the Author

Lizzie Stow is a degree-qualified naturopath from Newcastle, Australia.

To find out more about Lizzie, click here.

Book an appointment with Lizzie click here.

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