Many of us are familiar with stress. It’s a normal part of everyday life and it isn’t always a bad thing. For example, you feel good stress when you’re excited.
But when stress feels debilitating, or if the episodes are prolonged, it could have some negative impacts on both your mental and physical health. And we should make an attempt to reduce it.
In this article, we discuss what stress is, its causes and its physical, emotional and mental symptoms. We will also explore practical ways to reduce stress that you can implement in your daily life.
What is stress?
Stress is a completely normal response to what we perceive as a threat, known as a stressor.
Stress can help to motivate us and help our minds to focus. But too much of it can lead to burnout, poor mental health, substance abuse, anxiety or depression. It is also associated with physical illness, such as high blood pressure and heart disease.
Of course, stress also has a significant impact on society at large. Not only can it lead to lower productivity and higher turnover, but also huge public health costs to address mental health and chronic health conditions.
Stress is very personal, and therefore its causes and symptoms vary between people. Things that cause you stress could be a huge variety of things. But some common ones that we see are relationship or friendship friction, parenting overwhelm (particularly new mums), poor work life balance, pressure at work or school/university, cost-of-living pressures, major life changes and illness.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing, 2020-21, 15% of Australians experienced high or very high levels of psychological distress. The survey also found that women were more likely than men to experience high/very high levels of psychological distress. Younger Australians were also more likely than older Australians.
Symptoms of stress
Stress can show up as physical, emotional and mental symptoms. It will look different for everyone.
Signs that you might be under stress can include:
- Feeling worried
- Feeling helpless
- Feeling irritable
- Feeling overwhelmed or like there’s ‘too much to do’
- Feeling detached from your body or the world
- Fast breathing
- Sweating
- Sleep issues
- Increased heartrate
- stomach-ache or headache
- Reduced self-esteem
- Withdrawing from friends and family
5 ways to reduce stress
There are many different ways to reduce stress, and it’s a great idea to give a few a try to find the ones that work for you. A method that has great results on one person’s stress may not work so well for yours. So, we’ve included a number of proven suggestions below.
1. Recognise your personal stressors
Addressing your unique triggers should be your first step. Are you struggling with an unfair workload at work? Are there underlying tensions at home that you need to deal with? Try to identify what it is that sets off your stress.
Next, consider if your stress response is in proportion to the trigger. If not, you could try to adjust your perspective and therefore the level of stress you feel from the situation. Practise reframing to avoid dwelling on the negatives or the ‘what ifs’.
You may also need to address the underlying issue. For example, could you talk to your boss about how your excessive workload is impacting your mental health? Do you need to address some issues with your partner?
At the very least, knowing your triggers will help you to anticipate them so you can be better prepared.
2. Take care of you
When was the last time you set aside an hour to do something you love? Perhaps a relaxed walk in nature or a catch-up with friends. Taking time for yourself is one way to reduce stress and tension in both body and mind.
Self-care activities like meditation and breathwork can help. These can take your body out of the ‘fight or flight’ response and activate the parasympathetic nervous system. Getting enough sleep is another way to take care of you. Losing sleep affects your cognition and mood. So put down the caffeine in the afternoon and put down your screens, as blue light can suppress your melatonin and therefore sleep.
3. Protect your health
Stress can impact your immune system and lead to physical illness, so it’s important to protect your own health. Eat a healthy, balanced diet and enjoy regular exercise.
Physical exercise can also have the extra benefit of helping to reduce your stress levels. Moving your body will release endorphins to decrease stress and improve your wellbeing.
Similarly, food can affect your mood. Steer clear of excessive caffeine and sugar where possible. Relying on alcohol or drugs to reduce your stress is not the way to go. In fact, it usually makes the problem far worse in the long run.
4. Share your concerns
A problem shared is a problem halved, as they say. Seek out trusted friends or family members who you feel safe talking to about your stressors. Strong social support can also improve your resilience to stress – so it helps once you’re feeling the stress, but also helps as a preventative measure as well.
Not only will this close connection help reduce your stress levels but sharing problems usually makes people feel better. Communicate first if you are seeking suggestions from them or just need a friendly ear to listen.
If you don’t feel comfortable sharing your troubles with someone, try writing them down in a journal.
5. Seek support and learn more ways to reduce stress
If you need more support than a catch-up with friends, there are a range of professionals who can offer their expert guidance. Consider talking to your GP or another professional such as a psychologist or counsellor.
Young Minds Network clinicians can talk to you about how you’re feeling and suggest a range of ways to reduce stress. Their science-backed strategies can be implemented in your daily life from the very first session.
If you’re too busy to get to a clinic, you can even take advantage of the Young Minds Network Telehealth service.
And remember, there are many free, confidential services available within Australia to help you. Beyond Blue offers a free, 24-hour telephone and online counselling service: call 1300 22 4636 or head here. Lifeline is also available 24 hours on 13 11 14.
Find out more ways to reduce stress by making an appointment enquiry today with Young Minds Network, or call us on: 07 3857 0074. We’d love to support you to find balance in your life again.