All Stressed Out!

Donna Loza, LCPC, CADC, CODP I

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?Life can feel overwhelming, even challenging at times. ?A mom who has to get up in a couple of hours for work, struggles getting her colicky child back to sleep.? A father who struggles with a gambling addiction, loses his job. ??A college student who battles with time management and focusing can get stressed out by tests and projects due. ?An adult finds out their mother has cancer and needs to move in with her can be conflicted if her husband isn’t on board.? ?

What is stress?? Stress is a physical, emotional and mental response to an external or internal cause.? A stressor may be a one-time, short-term occurrence or it can happen repeatedly over time.?? Stress can even go away once the situation is resolved, for example, the father who lost his job finds a new one or the colicky child grows up and sleep through the night. ?Sometimes the stress doesn’t have a simple timeline, how does one manage that stress?

Stress can either be positive or negative.? It may encourage a student to study for that exam and meet those deadlines, or it might encourage all family members to be on board in helping out with the mother who has cancer.? ?Stress can be negative as it could cause a person to lose sleep, be irritable at work or even lash out under pressure. ?Stress can impact men differently than women.? Men can have a stronger anger response which can encourage higher levels of aggression which might lead to unhealthy coping and cause harm to their physical health (e.g., cardiovascular disease.)?? Women can have a stronger emotional response which might lead to bouts of sadness or depression and include anxiety. This can cause relationship issues and unhealthy coping which could lead to a depletion in their physical health (i.e., migraines, or fatigue.)

How do we build healthier ways of dealing with stress?? The first thing is to pay attention to what is happening in your body.? Where are you feeling it – in your head, chest or back?? It is always recommended to get a physical with your primary care provider first to rule out any internal issues that might be going on. ?Second, seek support with a professional therapist to develop coping strategies to work through the symptoms and build resiliency.

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Some ideas in Building Resiliency to Stress

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1.?????? Learning to say,” no.”? In saying yes, all the time we are actually taking time away from our needs as we try to make life easier for others.? In the book, Boundaries: When to say yes, how to say no to take control of your life by Cloud and Townsend help the reader with stories and examples of how people could alleviate undo stress through creating healthy boundaries in our jobs, family and even with friends. ?To find out more go to www.boundariesbooks.com

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2.?????? Get active and get outdoors.? Being outdoors, among the trees, green grass and nature can reduce our stress levels and create a sense of calm and relaxation.? By being outdoors it benefits our brain health in boosting dopamine production while receiving Vitamin D through sunshine exposure.? The website,? www.discoverdupage.com provides everyone with a drop-down menu for nature/outdoor activities, adventures to do with kids as well as current events.?

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3.?????? Meditation.? This practice can encourage calm and bring relaxation to one’s body.? There are three types of meditation

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a.?????? Guideded Meditation encourages forming mental images of places you find soothing: beaches, mountains, meadows.? www.calm.com or www.headspace.com are sites to incorporate guided meditation into practice.

b.?????? Mantra Meditation encourages an individual to speak out loud or privately a calming word or phrase such as, “Peace,” or “You are loved.”?

c.?????? Mindfulness Meditation encourages oneself to be present and aware of your surroundings without judgment.? There are scripts online or in books that can be used to develop this discipline.?

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4.?????? Mindfulness Eating.? When we pay attention to what is consumed in our bodies it can impact how one manages stress.? When feeling overwhelmed, some helpful foods to increase in a diet could be sweet potatoes - rich in magnesium improves calmness and mood. ?In addition to spinach, avocadoes, winter squash, yellow bell peppers, black eyed peas, eggs, beets, broccoli and almonds can be added to any lean proteins for a healthy meal.? Water, chamomile or lavender infused hot tea can encourage calm and relaxation to the central nervous system. It is recommended that during high levels of stress to consume less sugar, salt, caffeine, and alcohol to reduce stress response.?

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5.?????? Get Social.? The hormone, oxytocin is a chemical in the brain that creates feelings of connection and intimacy when released through relationship.? When we reach out for support, we are sharing with those who are available to us through active listening by putting the phone down, and looking at one another.? Connection grows when we share encouraging words with one another. ?Acts of kindness that you put out into the world increases oxytocin between people.? Sharing smiles, hugs and laughter with one another improves overall mental and physical health.? Suppressing your emotions lowers oxytocin levels - all the more reason to get social and find support through friends, family members, or a therapist to connect with.? ??

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