Understanding the effects of stress on the brain and how to implement effective management and positive mindset techniques to help reduce stress and improve your overall well-being.
Stress is a common occurrence for a lot of people, especially those with high-powered jobs and demanding professional roles. Around 33 percent of people who report feeling stress, consider it to be extreme. 77 percent of people experience stress that affects their physical health and 73 percent of people say it significantly impacts their mental health.
So how is the brain particularly affected by stress?
When the body is under stress, it releases hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline. These hormones are designed to help the body respond to stress by preparing it for something well-known as “fight or flight”. However, when the body is under chronic stress, the constant release of these hormones can have negative impacts on the brain and how it functions.
One of the most notable effects of stress on the brain is that it can cause physical changes to the brain’s structure and function. Prolonged stress can shrink the hippocampus, a part of the brain that is important for memory and learning. It can also increase the size of the amygdala, a part of the brain that is involved in the processing of emotions. These changes can lead to problems with emotional regulation, learning, and even memory.
Stress also affects the brain’s chemistry, leading to an imbalance of neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are the chemicals in the brain that help to transmit messages between nerve cells. When the balance of these chemicals is disrupted, it can lead to a variety of mental health problems such as anxiety and depression as well as have an impact on mood and decision-making.
Stress not only has significant effects on the brain but if left unmanaged it can also have negative effects on the body. Stress can contribute to many health problems, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and diabetes as well as lead to other physical symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, and muscle tension.
So in order to begin managing stress, it is first important to understand what is causing your stress and develop strategies to help reduce or cope with it in a way that fits in with your lifestyle.
5 Ways you can help manage your stress.
- Work out what the main causes of your stress are. Is it mostly work-related, financial or family problems? Is it your busy lifestyle or maybe even your own isolation? Discovering what areas of your life need the most work can help you to manage your stress more effectively.
- One of the most effective ways to manage stress is through a series of relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, and yoga. These techniques can help to reduce the physical and emotional symptoms of stress, reset your mind to a more positive mindset and improve your overall well-being.
- Exercise is a proven and widely used effective stress management technique. Regular physical activity can help significantly reduce the levels of stress hormones in the body and improve your mood. It is also a great way to reduce any physical symptoms of stress such as muscle tension and fatigue.
- Getting enough sleep, eating a healthy diet, and avoiding alcohol and drugs can all contribute to lessening the symptoms of stress. These strategies can also help to improve your overall health and well-being, which in turn, can make it overall easier to cope with and effectively manage stress.
- Learn to manage your time effectively. Try not to take on too much or spread yourself too thin, this can very quickly turn into burnout and make managing stress much more difficult. Begin by setting priorities, creating a realistic schedule, and practicing saying no when necessary. It is also essential to try to maintain a healthy work-life balance. This can involve setting boundaries between work and personal time, taking regular breaks during the workday, and making time for leisure activities and hobbies.
3 Key Mindset Tips For Stress Management.
- A key aspect of stress management can be as simple as learning how to identify and challenge negative thoughts that can contribute to your stress. This can involve learning to question any negative thoughts you have, look for evidence to support them, and consider alternative perspectives.
- Mindfulness is the practice of being present and fully engaged in the current moment, without judgement. It involves paying attention to thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations without getting caught up in them. Mindfulness practices such as mindfulness meditation, mindful breathing, and mindful movement can help you to reduce stress by improving focus and attention, decreasing negative thoughts and emotions, and promoting relaxation.
- Another mindset practice for stress management is to practice gratitude. Gratitude is the practice of being thankful for all the good things in your life no matter how small or seemingly insignificant. It can be as simple as keeping a gratitude journal, where you write down three things you are grateful for each day, from a morning cup of coffee to the last rays of the sun at night. Research has shown that practicing gratitude can improve mood, increase feelings of social connectedness, and reduce stress.
Stress is something many of us will experience at some point in our lives. Whether that’s work-related stress, postpartum stress, or just life in general getting on top of us, we will all experience its effects at some point. To effectively manage stress (and its impact on our lives) it is important to understand its causes and develop realistic, attainable strategies to reduce and cope with stress.
Relaxation techniques, exercise, sleep, diet, time management, seeking support, mindfulness practices, gratitude, and maintaining a healthy work-life balance are all effective ways you can help manage your stress and reduce the negative effects it has on the brain, your body, and your overall well-being.
