It’s common to hear people say “I’m so stressed” “Stop feeling stressed about little things” “Work stress has messed up my relationships” and more. The feeling of being stressed can range from mild agitation to major panic attacks, and many of us assume that stress and anxiety are an integral part of modern life.
Few of us realize that stress can become a habit. It can sneak into your life in a hundred different ways, and transform your personality, attitudes and behavior. Before you know it, stress can become the default response to any new situation or unfamiliar environment. But we can trigger the rest and digest response instead.
There is no doubt that a certain amount of stress is necessary for survival and to help you to work harder and attain your goals. The problem is prolonged exposure that causes a variety of disorders and harmful effects.
What Is Stress?
When you think of stress, it is most probably in terms of a mental or emotional process. In reality, your entire system responds to a stressful stimulus, mentally, emotionally and physically. It affects your mood and behavior as well.
There are different categories of stress such as acute, environmental, chronic, episodic, traumatic, psychological and physiological.
The stress response is also known as the “fight or flight” reaction. This reaction is one of the most ancient ones that we retain as human beings.
All creatures have to develop certain ways to identify threats that could harm or destroy them. Stress is one of these. When a danger is perceived, the organism prepares to either defend itself (fight) or escape (flight).
In physiological terms, the sympathetic nervous system is activated and “stress hormones” such as norepinephrine and epinephrine are released into the bloodstream. As a result, there is increased heartbeat and blood-pressure, higher retention of sodium and increased level of glucose, faster breathing for more oxygen.
The endocrine system releases steroid hormones such as cortisol, and the nervous system releases catecholamines. The digestive system slows down and the musculo-skeletal system becomes stiffened.
Harmful Effects of Chronic Stress
Since stress affects the entire system, you could fall prey to a variety of mental and physical health issues.
Tension headaches, asthma, GERD, ulcers, skin problems, reduced immunity, fatigue, sleep disorders, changes in sex drive, mood swings, reduced focus and concentration, memory problems, anger, depression and anxiety are some of the physical and emotional problems.
Prolonged stress can lead to over or under eating, social isolation, anger outbursts, substance or alcohol abuse, reduced motivation and poor performance. You could feel overwhelmed and fearful, and may lose your motivation to exercise or stay active, lose interest in hobbies and entertainment.
You could find it impossible to control your emotions, and you become more vulnerable to disease and allergies. Your heart muscles get damaged, causing a variety of conditions such as stroke or angina. Your arteries become clogged, while your libido vanishes. You age faster and may gain weight.
Also read: 5 Types of Entrepreneurial Stress & How to Manage Each
Combating Stress
The sympathetic nervous system triggers the stress response, and it has a complementary component in the parasympathetic nervous system. This gives rise to the “rest and digest” response which reverses the effects of the fight and flight reaction.
It allows the body to return to stasis or balance and brings all the heightened responses back to normal. Breathing, heart-rate, blood-pressure, pupil dilation, muscle stiffness are normalized, and essential functions such as digestion and excretion are resumed.
If you experience high levels of stress constantly, your parasympathetic nervous system may not get the chance to kick in automatically. You can help it along by becoming aware of how to reduce your stress and calm your system down. The rest and digest response can then do its work and return the system’s original qualities and functions.
How to Relax
Learning how to activate the rest and digest response will provide major permanent benefits. This routine can be taught in childhood and it has to become a part of your life.
It is a mistake to believe that once the real or perceived danger passes the body will automatically revert to calmness. This doesn’t happen when the stress levels become more entrenched and automated.
The rest and digest system is also known as “feed and breed.” You can learn techniques and processes that help to bring out this reaction and fade out the fight or flight reaction.
Breathing
Since fight or flight speeds up shallow breathing, you can consciously calm yourself by slowing down your breathing, taking more deep and slow breaths.
Practice this breathing regularly for at least half an hour daily so that you learn the mechanics of it and feel the calming effect more deeply. Deep breathing strengthens the lungs and reduces the heart rate.
Yoga and Meditation
Daily and regular practice of yoga helps you to center yourself and become acutely aware of your mind and body. Yoga is a mindful and calm route to peace, improves your flexibility and helps you to feel more connected to yourself and others.
Meditation is a progressive relaxation technique and it improves your focus and concentration. This helps you to analyze the stress response, recognize whether it is necessary or not, and get into rest and digest mode.
Exercise and Nutrition
Eating a balanced diet at regular intervals, suited to your lifestyle and age goes a long way in activating the parasympathetic nervous system. It gives you the right amount of energy and good health.
Regular exercise practiced consistently helps to reduce stress symptoms. Select simple, easy and convenient exercises such as walking, or fun exercises such as dance or aerobics, vary these with swimming, team sports or intellectual exercises such as Sudoku or chess.
Avoid being competitive or obsessive about exercise and make sure that you enjoy the activity, otherwise you could actually increase your stress level.
Kindness and Gratitude
Practice kindness and gratitude regularly, without expecting anything in return. You can adopt practices such as journaling, discover the joy of hobbies such as gardening or painting that calm the mind and give great pleasure. You can get more information on Rest and Digest.
Social Media Detox
A surefire way to reduce stress is to unhook yourself from social media. Constantly checking your social media accounts, mindless scrolling for “news” comparing your life to the (probably fake) lives of others can be highly stressful.
It’s a good idea to put your phone in another room when you go to bed so that you aren’t bothered by notifications, and are not tempted to check it first thing in the morning.
Final words
Stress can feel like an unavoidable companion. Yet, it doesn’t have to dominate your life. Understanding and engaging your “rest and digest” mode offers a powerful way to counteract the effects of chronic stress.
By embracing practices like mindful breathing, yoga, balanced nutrition, and acts of kindness, you can foster a more relaxed and centered life.
Relaxation is not a luxury—it’s a necessity for well-being. As you incorporate these techniques into your daily routine, you’ll not only feel more at peace but also improve your overall health and happiness.
