The Definitive Three-Minute Guide For Reducing Your Stress Levels
Elevated levels of stress pose risks towards our psychological and cardiovascular health. Find out how to combat it!
The stress response is something I’m sure we’ve all been acquainted with this year. We’ve adapted to the frustrations of working from home or the stresses of unemployment. There is no shortage of events causing us to feel on-edge, anxious and uncomfortably uncertain. Numerous studies report elevated stress levels across the world in response to different levels of lockdown and quarantine.
We must understand the biology of the stress response to combat it.
Biological Basis of Stress
Learning healthy habits to manage stress is crucial for both physical and mental well-being. While these stress-relief methods are no substitution for psychotherapy or other treatments, they are still beneficial for all of us.
Our physiological stress response is regulated by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. This master-regulator is responsible for a cascade of signalling within our body. Sometimes a stress response is beneficial, helping you finish work at the very last minute. However, high levels of stress are risk factors for anxiety, depression and cardiovascular disease.
The stress response begins in a region of the brain called the hypothalamus. When stressed, this small brain region releases a signalling molecule called the corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) to act on the pituitary gland of the brain. This gland contains other hormones released into the bloodstream. When CRH reaches the pituitary gland, it signals the release of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH).
ACTH travels in the bloodstream towards the adrenal glands, which sit atop the kidneys. This gland releases cortisol in response. Cortisol is a stress hormone recognized by many other parts of our body. Normally, cortisol provides negative feedback to the brain, to prevent more cortisol release.
Also, ACTH activates the locus ceruleus in the brain, leading to the fight-or-flight response. The locus ceruleus mediates stress and panic responses through the release of the hormone norepinephrine. This leads to increased blood pressure, heart rate, respiration to prime the body for threats. Meanwhile, cortisol is long known to impair different aspects of immunity, contribute to mood disorders such as anxiety and depression, elevate blood glucose and impair cognition.
In short, stress contributes to a variety of psychological and metabolic disorders. Learning healthy habits to manage stress is crucial for both physical and mental well-being. While these stress-relief methods are no substitution for psychotherapy or other treatments, they are still beneficial for all of us.
Breathing Exercises for Stress Relief
Try taking a moment to breathe in deeply through your nose. See if you can breathe in over five seconds. Then gently exhale and repeat!
You might recall that during stress, there is an elevation in heart rate and breathing rate. Quick, shallow breaths are hallmarks of anxiety and panic attacks and reduce levels of oxygenation in the body. Since our breathing is biologically-connected with our heart-rate, breathing exercises prove beneficial. Indeed, slow deep breaths reduce both psychological and physiological levels of stress!
There are multiple online tutorials for this exercise. Try taking a moment to breathe in deeply through your nose. See if you can breathe in over five seconds. Then gently exhale and repeat! The more you practice, the better you become at regulating your stress! It’s important to find 5 to 10 minutes during your busy day for yourself, where you can focus on reducing your levels of stress.
The Benefits of the Great Outdoors
Aside from the obvious benefits of sunshine, wildlife and exercise, going outside might reduce physiological levels of stress! A fascinating trial prescribed stressed, low-income parents with visits to a park. Remarkably, the number of park visitations associated with reductions in stress levels in these parents. Other scientific also trials support the benefits of natural green spaces for psychological stress reduction.
It’s clear the combination of nature, fresh air and wildlife are somehow capable of reducing our physiological levels of stress. Nothing is stopping you from taking your next lunch break outside or strolling through the nearest park!
Congratulations, you are now equipped to combat stress! If you’re interested in learning more about the impacts of stress during lockdown, see my previous article!