From Mind to Body: Understanding How Stress Impacts Your Physical Well-being

By Melody Wright, LMFT

“I’m feeling really stressed right now, but I can handle it for a while longer, right?” Well, maybe, but we’re not sure that is a great idea. While we all experience different levels of stress throughout our lifespan, constant exposure to stress can have long-term effects on our bodies. Some individuals may be able to tolerate high stress levels for extended periods of time, but ultimately these levels of stress will begin to take their toll. While we understand that reducing stress or getting rid of certain stressors may be easier said than done, you may want to consider reevaluating your current stress levels after learning more about the long-term impact. 

The long-term effects of stress can affect different areas of our body, including our mind and emotions. Below are some of the signs and symptoms of high stress levels broken down by the areas of the body they usually affect:

Cognitive (Mind):

• Racing mind/thoughts

• Difficulty being still

• Forgetting things or feeling disorganized

• Unable to focus

• Avoiding responsibilities or procrastinating

Emotional:

• Being/feeling irrational

• Becoming frustrated or agitated easily

• Lashing out at friends and loved ones

• Feeling lonely or worthless

Physical: 

• Changes in appetite or eating habits

• Compromised immune system that leads to getting ill more often

• Constantly feeling tense (ie. muscle tension or clenched jaw)

• Gastrointestinal issues (ie. irregular bowel movements or stomach pain)

• Headaches or migraines

• Lack of sleep

• Developing chronic conditions such as heart disease or high blood pressure

If you find yourself currently experiencing some of the symptoms above, it’s not too late to address your stress levels and their subsequent effects. While not all effects are reversible, such as developing high blood pressure, addressing your stress at any age can improve your health and overall quality of life. You can start off small by adding some stress-relieving activities into your day, such as taking a 15 minute walk every evening before settling into your bedtime routine. If you’ve noticed yourself feeling drained after seeing certain friends or family, you may want to consider seeing them less often or setting up boundaries around how often you interact with them.

As mentioned before, we acknowledge that it may not be easy to completely get rid of some stressors, but you can help mitigate their effects. If your job is a constant source of stress, but you are the sole-breadwinner within your household, it can feel like you have no other option but to continue with your current routine. If you find it difficult to think of ways to help address your stress, we encourage you to consider talking to a therapist that will help you look at different options to incorporate some stress-relieving activities into your routine. For more information, click here to help schedule a consultation.

Navigating COVID: 5 Tips to Reduce Stress During the Pandemic

by Melody Wright, LMFT

Now that the one-year anniversary of the COVID-19 lockdown has come and gone, many of us are reflecting on the ways our lives have changed as a result of the pandemic. Some of those changes may be positive, such as spending more time on hobbies while we're at home. However, many of them may be the result of pandemic-related stress that we're still navigating, more than 365 days later. Our children's schools may not have reopened, so we may still be watching them, or we may still be adjusting to working from home.

And, with the vaccine becoming more widely available, many of us are facing renewed anxiety around COVID-19. There are dozens of questions on our minds: when will we be able to get vaccinated? When will we be able to stop wearing a mask? Will we be able to go on our summer vacation? In other words, just because there is hope on the horizon does not mean that pandemic-related stress is going to disappear overnight. We still need to develop healthy ways to cope with the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

These five essential tips will help you navigate pandemic-related stress in a proactive way. Strengthening your coping skills will not only serve you during the pandemic, but it will continue to improve your stress management in your everyday life.

1. Take a break from the news.

As critical as it is to stay informed, you should limit the amount of time you spend consuming news about the pandemic. Information about social distancing and vaccine scheduling matters, but it can also be incredibly disheartening when it is all we are hearing about. It's important to take time away from the news to engage in conversation about ordinary life: people we know, things we enjoy, and all the things we would talk about under "normal" circumstances! ("News" includes social media, too.)

2. Connect with loved ones.

Many of us have been isolated for some time due to the coronavirus pandemic, leaving us feeling down in the dumps. Maintaining strong social connections is essential to our mental health. Luckily, thanks to modern technology, we can still connect with friends and family from a safe distance. Scheduling virtual lunch or dinner dates, or simply picking up the phone to call a friend, can make a huge difference in helping you feel less lonely during the pandemic.

3. Follow your daily routine.

When working from home, or otherwise experiencing interruptions in your daily routine, it's easy to start the day off on the wrong foot. It may be tempting to wear pajamas to work all day (who would ever know?) or order takeout every day for dinner instead of cooking. However, keeping up with as much of your regular routine as possible can help you restore some sense of normalcy to your life. You can't control when the country reopens, but you can decide to get dressed in the morning as if you were going to the office or to meal plan the same way you would if the kids were going to school.

4. Incorporate light physical activity.

Exercise releases endorphins that boost our mood and relieve stress. The thought of going to the gym or for an hour-long run during a global pandemic may feel overwhelming, but exercise doesn't have to be structured. Your daily "workout" might include walking the dog, jumping on the trampoline with your kids, or even cleaning the house. Even simply standing up every 30 minutes while working from home can benefit your health. The key is to find easy activities you love to do that don't feel like work! 

5. Speak to your employer.

Lots of workers, especially healthcare workers and essential workers, are feeling the effects of pandemic-related stress in the office, and many employers have set up infrastructures to help employees cope. If working from home with kids or working long shifts in an essential workplace is becoming overwhelming, speak to your employer to see if there are wellness supports in place to help make things easier. You might even be able to move your shifts around or get more flexibility with time off to take care of the kids and other responsibilities at home, alleviating some of the stress of the pandemic.