Many thanks to Dr. Rajiv Vyas for a wonderful session on stress management here at the State Library. As the holiday season is upon us, it’s important to have a number of tools at your disposal to deal with not only everyday stressors but also season-related stress. A reminder that if you’re experiencing significant emotional distress to get in contact with your medical provider or a mental health professional. This recap provides general information about stress and some techniques to decrease stress and increase well-being.

Stress Reduction Toolbox

In your hypothetical stress reduction toolbox, you can keep stress-reduction strategies on hand to use in moments of high stress to restore balance in your life.

Learning Objectives:

1. Define stress and its effects on your physical and mental health
2. Learn ways to decrease physical and mental stress
3. Understand the benefits of meditation and mindfulness

Questions to reflect on:

• What things are stressing you in your life?
• How are you handling this stress?

Managing stress is a life-long effort, a journey to well-being. Stresses can be unique to individuals but there are techniques proven to help reduce stress.

Breathing to Reduce Stress

Taking time in your day to complete a short breathing exercise (breathing deeply 5 or so times) can be a key aspect of reducing stress in your life. Breathing properly, with your abdomen and not your chest, every hour or so, can significantly reduce stress.

What is Stress? 

“Stress is a bodily or mental tension resulting from factors that tend to alter an existent equilibrium,” according to Merriam-Webster. Your Stress Response System is connected to a combination of systems, including the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems. When the equilibrium of your body is disrupted, stress can affect your entire day and mood. Stress can affect all the organs in the body, aggravating or precipitating illness and disease that may have never arisen otherwise.

Stress-related health conditions include:

• Anxiety and depression
• Heart disease
• Diabetes
• Gastrointestinal issues
• Sleep problems
• Memory and concentration issues

Two types of stress we are exposed to are acute stress and chronic stress. Acute stress is when you experience shorter, sudden stressors. Chronic stress is signified by long-term or daily stressors. The body is better suited to handling acute stress, like a project deadline or a one-time argument, over chronic stress, like ongoing financial issues or an unhealthy relationship.

Warning signs of excessive stress include:

• Disruption of daily activities
• Substance abuse
• Irritability or impatience
• Experiencing distressing images
• Disturbed sleep

Cortisol levels rise as we age, and is related to a reduction in cognition and the atrophy of memory-related structures in the brain.  Acute inflammation is important in the body to fight infection, but chronic inflammation, a result of stress and aging, can be the cause of many chronic illnesses like Alzheimer’s, cancer, and arthritis.

In terms of heart health, stress and inflammation are linked to high blood pressure and the accumulation of LDL cholesterol or “bad” cholesterol, and can result in a stroke. Heart issues also adversely affect “D” Personality Types (compare to a Type “A” Personality) – i.e. being negative, irritable, angry, or socially disconnected.

Strategies to Reduce Stress 

Physical Strategies 

• Sleep: 1 in 3 adults do not get enough sleep. Many adults pride themselves on “how little sleep they need” to function, but a lack of rest can result in a number of health issues, including heart disease and diabetes.
• Exercise: Exercise is a natural antidepressant that can help improve your mood; studies show that rates of depression decrease with exercise. Exercises like yoga have a powerful effect on our parasympathetic system, or “rest and digest” system.
• Diet: Maintaining an anti-inflammatory diet to encourage a healthy gut microbiome over a “pro-inflammatory” diet is important to reduce chronic inflammation. A Mediterranean diet, with fewer red meats and processed foods and more leafy greens and whole grains, is a better choice overall for your health.

Mental Strategies 

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): A highly-utilized therapy for anxiety and depression. It involves breaking out of a cycle of negative thoughts through the application of more realistic thought processes (“Catch your negative emotions, check your (automatic) thoughts, change them to more realistic thoughts”).
• Social Support: When someone you know is stressed, providing different types of social support (emotional, informational, tangible, or belonging) is important. For example: providing advice, recognizing their worth, preparing a meal for them, or inviting them on an outing are all types of social support.
• Meditation and Mindfulness: Invoking the relaxation response by activating your parasympathetic system through meditation is a good way to reduce stress. Meditating 15-20 minutes in the morning and evening, if possible, has proven to have long-term benefits, including increasing gray matter in the brain.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), or Seasonal Pattern Depression:

• Sets in in the late fall or early winter and recedes in spring or summer
• Has the same severity and often receives the same treatment as major clinical depression
• Is different from “Winter Blues”, which can make people feel lethargic and gloomy, but does not disrupt day-to-day life

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) symptoms include:

• sleeping problems
• lethargy
• depression
• mood changes
• diet changes (including overeating)

Along with standard antidepressants, bright light therapy has been proven to have significant positive effects on SAD. A reminder to check with your doctor before engaging in any new therapies. Bright light therapy is not recommended for those with bipolar disorder, and can trigger manic episodes.

Holiday Stress 

Family conflict, financial issues (often related to gift-giving), painful memories (including the loss of loved ones), and the stress of cooking and hosting can all result in high levels of holiday-related stress. Being proactive about reducing holiday stress, including incorporating strategies that have worked in the past and strategies from your new stress reduction toolbox can help waylay unhappy holiday experiences.

Mindfulness Meditation Exercise 

If you’re interested in a mindfulness meditation exercise, or additional information included in this session you can access the complete recording of this webinar on our YouTube page: https://youtu.be/XxVzCiJ1yso

More Information 

You can get in touch with Capital Health behavioral health specialists at these two Capital Health locations:

Bordentown Office

609-689-5725

100 K Johnson Blvd N

Bordentown, NJ 08505

Newtown Office

609-689-5725

2 Penns Trail

Newtown, PA 18940