Under pressure? Five tips to manage stress and lead a healthier life

Stress is a natural part of the human experience, and some stress can be positive. For example, temporary periods of positive stress can motivate you, boost your alertness, and challenge you to pursue your goals. However, long-term or chronic stress can negatively affect your physical and psychological health and relationships. If you're overwhelmed and looking to relieve the pressure, learning more about how to reduce stress and how stress works may help you lead a healthier life. 

What is stress?

According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), stress is the physical or mental response to an external cause or stressor, such as taking on too many projects at work or recovering from an injury. Stressors can be short-term or repeatedly happen over an extended time. If stress occurs for weeks or months, it may be referred to as chronic stress, which can have detrimental effects on the mind and body. 

Stress vs. anxiety

"Anxiety" is another term people often use when describing stress. While these feelings are related and can co-occur, there are a few significant differences between these two emotional states: 

• Anxiety is the body's reaction to stress and can occur even without a clear, current threat, according to NIMH. 

• Unlike stress, anxiety is defined by persistent, excessive worries that don't go away, even without a stressor. 

• People with anxiety often experience persistent apprehension and dread, which may be difficult to resolve without seeking professional support and finding the right coping strategies.

With healthy lifestyle choices such as adequate sleep, exercise, and nutrition, people can often improve symptoms of both stress and anxiety. 

How much stress is too much? 

Whether you're living with stress, anxiety, or both, you might wonder whether your feelings are average or a sign of an underlying concern. Whether stress is worrying depends on how long it lasts, the context, and the person. 

Chronic stress can lead to multiple health concerns, including the following: 

• Gastrointestinal issues 

• Anxiety

• Headaches

• Depression

• Sleep disruptions, insomnia, or hypersomnia (sleeping more than usual)  

• Memory and concentration issues

• High blood pressure

• Cardiovascular conditions such as heart disease and stroke

Individuals respond to stress differently, and there's not necessarily a "normal" stress response. You may be able to determine when stress levels feel manageable or too much to handle. If your body and mind feel overly stressed and out of sync, it may be time to seek professional mental health support.

Why do some people experience more stress than others?

Certain people may be more prone to stress than others, and scientists are still researching the "why" behind this phenomenon. However, most people experience stress.

Current research suggests that certain personality types, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), or a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health conditions can increase the likelihood of chronic stress. 

In personality research, scientists often reference the "big five" personality traits, one of which is neuroticism. According to the APA, this trait is characterized by chronic emotional instability and proneness to psychological distress. Within this framework, people who score high on neuroticism tend to experience more intense emotional and physiological reactions to stress and view stressors as more threatening. 

The presence of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), such as abuse, violence, and racism during childhood, can magnify personality's effects on stress. Mental health diagnoses such as PTSD can also play a role. According to the National Center for PTSD, personal factors such as previous traumatic exposure, age, and gender can all influence whether a person develops PTSD, a severe stress-related condition. Even after the traumatic event, continued stress can worsen the symptoms of PTSD, while social support can reduce stress and other unwanted symptoms. 

Responses to stress often evolve from a mixture of individual and environmental factors. While you may not be able to control every stressful situation, the following strategies may help you lead a healthier, more fulfilling, and less stressful life. 

If you are facing or witnessing abuse of any kind, the National Domestic Violence Hotline is available 24/7 for support. Call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or text "START" to 88788. You can also use the online chat. 

Five strategies for healthily managing stress 

Below are five strategies that might be beneficial for managing stress and pressure in your daily life. 

Control what you can control, accept what you cannot 

When individuals experience stress, they often struggle with a perceived lack of control over something outside themselves. For example, they might worry about a job interview, a bus running late, their child's choices, or falling behind on a group project. Research on stress indicates that people are more prone to stress when their locus of control is external. 

Psychologists use the construct "locus of control" to describe a person's perception of control over their conditions. People with an external locus of control tend to behave in response to external circumstances and perceive that their life outcomes arise from factors beyond their control. However, if you have an internal locus of control, you may behave under the assumption that your life depends primarily on your own agency, decisions, and abilities. 

Current research suggests that focusing on your power and ability to make a change, rather than external factors that fall beyond your control, is better for stress management and overall health. An internal locus of control is associated with help-seeking and positive thinking. When situations at work or in your personal life feel out of control, reach out to a loved one or therapist for support. Others can provide support by reminding you of your unique abilities and helping you navigate challenges. 

In addition, a popular skill from the dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) workbook called radical acceptance can be beneficial to practice when you encounter a situation entirely out of your control. Radical acceptance can allow you to accept what cannot change and cope with painful emotions. 

Make one healthy lifestyle change 

When multiple situations are out of your control, finding one way to change your life healthily can help you feel in control of yourself. For example, sticking to an earlier bedtime, reducing caffeine consumption, or committing to a healthier breakfast may all be meaningful changes that can bolster your health in the long term. Try committing to one change at a time and introducing other healthy routines as you adapt to new habits. 

If you're trying to decide where to introduce a change, physical activity can make a tremendous difference in a stress-filled life. Studies have found that exercise increases your body's production of endorphins, neurotransmitters in the brain that induce positive feelings and decrease stress hormone production. Pair physical activity with a low-caffeine, high-nutrition diet, and you may feel more relaxed, less jittery, and sleep soundly through the night.  

Learn to recognize your stress signals

When you're stressed, how do you feel in your body? People report various physiological symptoms, from stomach woes to neck tension. These physical signs of distress can be uncomfortable to experience, and they may also impact relationships. Justin Menkes, the author of Better Under Pressure, says that when individuals speak to someone visibly stressed and agitated, they also start to feel agitated. In this way, stress is contagious, and in many scenarios, it may create further tension and worry. 

To combat physical feelings of stress as they arise, learn to recognize them and then take a moment to calm down. Relaxation can involve deep breathing exercises or confiding in a loved one. When you notice these feelings in your body, you may be better able to handle pressure and address the underlying cause of stress rather than projecting negative feelings and potentially lashing out at others. 

Practice flexible thinking

Flexible thinkers approach potentially stressful situations from several angles. They consider multiple outcomes, strategies, and solutions, "zooming in and out" on problems and facing challenges with confidence and a sense of humor. 

It can take time to develop this flexibility, but research suggests that flexible thinkers, people with more "neuroflexibility," are often better at managing their stress responses. To examine neuroflexibility, researchers looked at the ventral medial prefrontal cortex, where emotions and decision-making are controlled in the brain. They found that people with healthier stress management skills showed more flexible neural responses in this area. The exact reasoning behind neuroflexibility remains unclear, but researchers emphasize that there are ways individuals can "stretch" their brains and become more flexible in the ways they think about and respond to stress. 

Meditation is often cited as a self-care activity that can increase neuroflexibility. By taking ten to 15 minutes to disconnect from daily stressors, you can increase self-awareness, calm the mind, and focus on wholesome, rewarding thoughts, which can change your brain's plasticity in beneficial ways.

Reframe your mindset 

Stress may not always be comfortable, but it can remind you that the challenge, situation, or person in front of you matters. In some cases, the way in which you’re thinking about stress can have a greater impact than the stress itself. When pressure builds in response to a significant task in your personal or work life, you can reframe stress as an opportunity to meet a meaningful goal. 

In these high-pressure scenarios, a person's resilience and confidence can make all the difference in their stress response. According to UC Berkeley researcher Daniela Kaufer, people who are resilient and confident that they can manage stress are less likely to be overwhelmed. However, if you are less confident and resilient or you lack control over a stressful situation, you may be more likely to view stress as "bad" and experience its adverse effects, including a suppressed immune system and increased risk of cardiovascular disease. 

Reach out for professional support

With chronic stress, the likelihood of adverse effects may increase over time. However, with the support of a licensed therapist, you can reflect on how you’ve handled stress in the past and develop healthy coping skills before the effects of stress catch up to your body and mind. Many therapists offer their services through online platforms like BetterHelp, which uses a brief questionnaire to match clients with therapists who meet their preferences. 

If you're living with stress and need a professional, supportive ear, you may find that online counseling offers the high-quality support you’re looking for. You can reduce commute times, travel expenses, and parking concerns by meeting a therapist from home or anywhere with an internet connection. 

Some therapists use online mindfulness interventions, which studies indicate can be effective for people living with high stress and anxiety levels. A 2018 study found that an online mindfulness program effectively lowered stress, anxiety, and depression, which were self-reported by 118 participants. The researchers noted that online mindfulness and related programs could reduce waitlist times and costs and make mental health services available to a more diverse range of clients.