The Science of Stress Management: How to Manage Stress and Improve Your Mental Health

Stress can be a major factor in our lives, affecting our mental and physical wellbeing. It can be triggered by external events such as work or family life, or it can come from within ourselves, as a result of worry, fear or feeling overwhelmed. Managing stress is essential to maintain good mental health and wellbeing. But how do we go about managing stress?

Fortunately, science has been looking into the effects of stress and how best to manage it. There are a number of practical steps we can take to reduce our stress levels, but first let’s take a look at what happens when we experience stress.

What Happens When We Experience Stress?

When we experience something stressful – whether it’s an external event or an internal reaction – our bodies respond by releasing hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. This is known as the ‘fight-or-flight’ response and is designed to help us cope with dangerous situations. It causes an increase in heart rate, breathing rate and blood pressure – all of which help us react quickly in order to either fight off the threat or flee from it.

However, this physiological response was not designed for the sort of everyday stresses most of us face in modern life. When we experience prolonged periods of stress without any opportunity for recovery (known as chronic stress), this ‘fight-or-flight’ response can have serious consequences on both our physical and mental health. It can lead to exhaustion, insomnia, depression, anxiety and even physical illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes.

How Can We Manage Stress?

The good news is that there are a number of ways to manage stress effectively. Simply being aware that you are feeling stressed can be the first step towards taking control back from your mind and body so that you can start dealing with the cause of your stress more effectively:

• Exercise: Incorporating regular exercise into your daily routine is one way to reduce stress levels; it helps release endorphins (the ‘feel good’ hormones) which counteract some of the negative effects caused by cortisol and adrenaline;

• Diet: Eating a healthy diet will help give you more energy which in turn will help reduce fatigue; eating foods rich in vitamins B6 & 12 will also help keep your mood up;

• Relaxation techniques: Taking time out each day to practice relaxation techniques such as yoga/meditation or deep breathing exercises will also help lower cortisol levels;

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT): This type of therapy helps individuals identify their own thought patterns which may be contributing negatively to their feelings of anxiety or depression; once these patterns have been identified they can then be changed so that they no longer affect an individual’s mental wellbeing negatively;

• Support networks: Talking about how you feel with friends & family members or speaking with a professional therapist/counsellor may also provide relief from feelings associated with chronic stress;

Conclusion

Stress management is essential for maintaining good mental health & wellbeing in modern society where we face stresses on a daily basis from all angles – both internally & externally generated. Fortunately there are steps we can take to reduce our levels of chronic stress such as exercising regularly & eating well, practising relaxation techniques & engaging in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) sessions if necessary; talking about how we feel with friends & family members may also provide relief from feelings associated with chronic stress