By: Amanda Clark, PT, DPT, SCS
Do you have a negative perception of stress? Do you think of it as a precursor to illness, your next nervous breakdown or a premature head of gray hair? Are you getting more stressed out right now just reading about stress?
Recent research has confirmed that stress is bad for you. More specifically, chronic stress can lead to high blood pressure, increased likelihood of stroke or heart attack or an accelerated aging process. Stress in the workplace costs businesses in the U.S. billions of dollars in stress-related sickness every year.
But with every negative effect of stress, there’s always a positive. Stress is an important evolutionary response to danger. Our flight-or-fight response helps us run faster, jump higher, see better and think quicker. It can help motivate us to tackle a to-do list or land a job promotion. A study from the University of California-Berkeley found that acute stress can generate new nerve cells in the brain, improving cognitive and mental performance. Dr. Kelly McGonigal, a health psychologist, explains what she calls the stress paradox. Research has found the higher a country’s stress index, the greater the GDP, life expectancy, global happiness and life satisfaction. On stressful days, individuals were sad, worried and angry. But a high stress index was also associated with feelings of joy, laughter, love and learning. The same circumstances that create stress also create these positive experiences, hence the stress paradox.
How much stress is too much?
The way we view stress may be more important than the amount of stress in our lives. A study from the University of Wisconsin found that individuals who experienced a lot of stress in the past year and viewed stress as harmful to their health had a 43 percent increased risk of dying. Those who experienced a lot of stress but did not view it as harmful had the lowest risk of dying, even lower than those who had very little stress.
Another study, by Harvard, confirmed this concept. Subjects exposed to a stressful event were instructed to view their stress response as helpful for their performance. For example, breathing faster gets more oxygen to their brain. Typically, under stress, heart rate increases and blood vessels constrict. However, the trained subject’s blood vessels remained relaxed and they were more confident and less anxious. This means changing the way we view stress could have positive effects on cardiovascular health.
How we respond to stress is also important. According to Dr. McGonigal, when oxytocin is released as part of the stress response, our bodies are nudging us to seek support. When you reach out to others, either to seek help or give support, your stress response becomes healthier and you recover faster. A study tracking 1,000 people over five years found those who experienced recent major stressful events had a 30 percent increased risk of dying. The exception — those who spent time caring for others had absolutely no increased risk of dying.
We cannot control stressful events, but we can control how we view and react to stress. What if we spend less time trying to rid our lives of stress and more time trying to use it to our advantage? A stressful life is a meaningful life.
Stress tips from the experts
Proper management of stress can lead to an improvement in your mental and physical health, and even lead to improved cardiovascular health. Consider applying these tips to your daily life:
- Retrain your brain to welcome stress and use it to reach your goals
- Attach purpose to a difficult situation
- Identify the root cause of stress and work with it
- Seek support from others
Are aches and pains stressing you out and getting in the way of your daily activities?
If simple home interventions are not helping to lessen aches, pains and discomfort, it’s time to see a physical therapist. Stop by your nearest ATI Physical Therapy clinic for a complimentary screening and get back to doing you.