In this episode the X-Podcast team discusses healthy ways to handle stress. They describe the different healthy ways that stress can be handled to maintain good mental health.  They also give some personal examples of how they manage their stress in healthy ways and what has happened when they have not. We tend to learn maladaptive ways to manage our stress through modeled behavior in our environment. These habits can be changed and in doing so we can take care of our mental health in adaptive ways that do not harm our mental health. Host Xiomara A. Sosa, and co-host  JRoc have a relatable and lively discussion about this topic and share some of their personal life experiences with it. 

What is Stress?

Stressful experiences are a normal part of life, and the stress response is a survival mechanism that primes us to respond to threats. 

Some stress is positive. For example, competing in a dance contest. Stressful but fun and exciting and satisfying.

Some stressors are negative. This stress can’t be avoided or fought off. For example, losing your job, the death of a loved one, a medical crisis or natural disasters, etc. 

Stress can also become chronic and this is a negative thing. Our biological responses to stress impair our physical and mental health. 

Acute versus chronic stress:

The experience of stress can be either acute or chronic. Acute stress usually occurs in response to a short-term stressor, like a car accident or an argument with your spouse. Acute stress can be very distressing, but it passes quickly and typically responds well to coping techniques like calming breathing or brisk physical activity.

Chronic stress occurs when stressors don’t let up. The roots of chronic stress can vary widely, from situations people can control or avoid, such as having a toxic friendship, to difficulties that are hard to escape, such as poverty, racism, or other discrimination. Because people respond differently to stressful circumstances, a situation that one person might find tolerable can become a source of chronic stress for another.

Chronic stress can damage both mental and physical health. Being chronically stressed may leave you feeling fatigued, sap your ability to concentrate, and cause headaches and digestive difficulties. People prone to irritable bowel syndrome often find that their symptoms spike with psychological stress. Though acute stress can heighten certain immune responses, the wear-and-tear of chronic stress is bad for the immune system. Chronic stress can also affect cardiac health, with multiple studies finding a link between chronic stress and the development of coronary artery disease.

Stress effects on the body:

Stress affects all systems of the body including the musculoskeletal, respiratory, cardiovascular, endocrine, gastrointestinal, nervous, and reproductive systems.Our bodies are well equipped to handle stress in small doses, but when that stress becomes long-term or chronic, it can have serious effects on your body.

When stress becomes unmanageable, there are evidence-based tools to tackle it in healthy ways.

We recommend that you:

• Try to eliminate the stressors:
• Cultivate social support:
• Seek good nutrition:
• Relax your muscles:
• Meditate:
• Protect your sleep:
• Get physical:
• Take a moment in nature:
• Keep your pleasurable activities:
• Reframe your thinking:
• Seek help:

These approaches have important benefits for physical and mental health, and form critical building blocks for a healthy lifestyle. If you would like additional support or if you are experiencing extreme or chronic stress, a licensed psychologist can help you identify the challenges and stressors that affect your daily life and find ways to help you best cope for improving your overall physical and mental well-being. 

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References

https://www.apa.org/topics/stress/tips?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=apa-stress&utm_content=healthy-ways&fbclid=IwAR1Zg6wMKjMRrTzqfsWardkezUTEsm2mk4GYTVTtpjSix1h1hi9IaV2TXgQ

https://www.apa.org/topics/stress/body

https://www.apa.org/topics/stress/body#:~:text=Cardiovascular%20system,on%20heart%20disease.