Being a college student in today’s society is not easy. There is so much work and so much pressure thrown on us almost every second. A lot of college students even have to work full-time alongside their full-time education program just to pay rent and be able to eat. It’s no surprise that college students are under greater levels of stress and at greater risk for mental disorders than any time in US history (Henriques, 2014). In fact, studies suggest that between 25-33% of college students “meet criteria for an anxiety of depressive illness during their college experience” (Henriques, 2014). These numbers are scary at first glance, but it does makes sense given the amount of stress and anxiety that college students face as they leave their homes and take on the challenge of higher education. Stress can have extremely harmful effects on our minds and mental health, making things like school and socializing even harder. Thankfully, the damage can be reversed with a little patience and a lot of mindfulness.
How does stress impact the mind? Believe it or not, stress can actually reshape and restructure your brain in ways that inhibit your performance. Cortisol is a hormone released during a stress response. When we are in constant states of stress, our bodies end up with too much cortisol, which can literally change the brain. Cortisol contributes to the deterioration and shrinking of the hippocampus and other parts of the brain associated with learning, memories, and stress control (Murgia, 2015). Stress also impairs the ability of the hippocampus to produce new brain cells, so the ones being lost are not being replaced at the same rate. This greatly impairs memory retrieval and our ability to retain new information, which could put us at risk for underachievement on exams and assignments (Vogel & Schwabe, 2016). And, when the part of our brain that is responsible for our stress control deteriorates, our ability to control and manage our stress is weakened as well. All of these changes in our brain can not only make it harder to succeed in school, but it can also make us more susceptible to a host of mental disorders, such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, and even alzheimer's (Murgia, 2015). Aside from the distinct changes to the brain, cortisol can also cloud our thoughts and make it hard for us to think clearly or rationally, or remember even the simplest things, like where we put our keys (Levitan, 2015). As you can see, being under constant stress is not good for our mental health. It can cause us to underperform in all areas of life, and it prevents us from becoming the best versions of ourselves that we could be. There’s no need to worry, though, since most of the damage done can be reversed. Tips and tricks for a healthier mind When are brains are not healthy, we are not healthy. Being under chronic stress is one of the worst things we can do for our mental health, so it is extremely important that we begin to do what we can to reverse the damage stress has already made. Two of the best things we can do for our brains are meditation and regular exercise, as they both involve being aware of our surroundings and our breath. These activities have been scientifically found to reduce stress and to increase the size of the hippocampus (Murgia, 2015), which are important for stress management and for reversing of the damage I mentioned earlier. We can also set ourselves up for success by planning ahead for when we know we will be under great stress and not performing at our best to prevent any further stressors or damage. There’s a practice called pre-mortem, which involves looking ahead and seeing all that could go wrong, and trying to figure out what you can do to prevent those things from happening (Levitan, 2015). You could set a designated spot for keys, take pictures of important documents, or pack your bag ahead of time so you don’t have to stress later about forgetting something important. This is something that I do all the time, and it really does help to keep the seemingly small but extremely harmful daily stressors at bay. Regardless of what techniques you try, it is important that you have a stress management plan to help keep your stress levels low so you can avoid some of the harmful effects that stress can have on your mental health. Whatever you do, just try to “get in control of stress before it controls you” (Murgia, 2015). References Henriques, G. (2014, February 15). The College Student Mental Health Crisis. Retrieved from: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/theory-knowledge/201402/the-college-student-mental-health-crisis. Levitin, D. (2015, September). How to stay calm when you know you’ll be stressed. Retrieved from: https://www.ted.com/talks/daniel_levitin_how_to_stay_calm_when_you_know_you_ll_be_stressed?referrer=playlist-talks_to_help_you_manage_stres. Murgia, M. (2015, November 9). How stress affects your brain. Retrieved from: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-stress-affects-your-brain-madhumita-murgia#watch. Vogel, S. and Schwabe, L. (2016, June 29). Learning and memory under stress: implications for the classroom. Retrieved from: https://www.nature.com/articles/npjscilearn201611
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How often do you get outside? Not just when you’re walking to your classes, your car, or around the university, but how often do you go outside with your only goal being to spend time outside? For most of college students, the answer is not often. A recent study conducted by the EPA found that the average American spends “93% of his or her time indoors” (Li, 2018). Doing the math shows that this equates to about 23.52 hours inside, or only 28.8 minutes outside, every day. For me, being stuffed up at my house or in class makes me feel anxious and stressed. After a while, I start to feel trapped by the walls, the stuffy air, and the artificial light. However, once I get outside, I feel all those negative emotions leave my body with every breath of fresh air I take. And it’s not just me being a nature enthusiast. Being outdoors is shown to have amazing benefits for our health and well-being. Originally from Japan, a technique called shinrin-yoku, better known as forest bathing, is one way to be outside that has been scientifically proven to reduce stress, boost our immune systems, make us happier, and much more.
What is forest bathing? The phrase forest bathing comes from the Japanese word shinrin-yoku, which means “taking in the forest atmosphere” (Fraga, 2017). While people have been walking in forests for centuries, this practice began in 1982 when it was promoted “as a form of eco-therapy” (Fraga, 2017) by the agriculture ministry of Japan. Since then, it has made its way to the United States as more and more people have been intrigued by it’s benefits and put this practice to the test. Forest bathing is nothing more than just being in nature and connecting with it “through our senses of sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch” (Li, 2018). It is simply going outside with your only goal being to slow down and take in all that nature has to offer. You can practice forest bathing anywhere that there are trees or plants surrounding you. Think of it as “a cross between a hike and a meditation class” (Aubrey, 2017). You are going amongst the trees just to be with the trees. How can this help me manage my stress? Forest bathing can be a very effective stress management tool. This is due to the higher amounts of fresh oxygen in a forest compared to a city, as well as chemicals called phytoncides that are present in concentrated areas of trees and plants. Phytoncides are “natural oils that are part of a plant’s defense system against bacteria, insects, and fungi” (Aubrey, 2017). They are released by trees, mostly by evergreens, and can be breathed in when we spend time in nature. The phytoncides can boost our immune system, lower our blood pressure, and calm our heart rate (Evans, 2018). Aside from the benefits of the phytoncides, just being in a forest or surrounded by trees has also been linked to various health benefits. Forest bathing can help lower cortisol levels, reduce anger and anxiety, and improve metabolic and cardiovascular health (Fraga, 2017 and Evans, 2018). Lowering cortisol levels is very important for effective stress management. Cortisol is a stress hormone that can cause a lot of the negative side effects of stress, like weight gain, high blood pressure, and a weakened immune system. Lowering this can do nothing but good things for our stress and our health! Just being out in nature and away from your stessors for a while can do a lot for your stress management and happiness as well. It’s not hard to get into this technique and start to see these benefits. All you really need are some feet and some trees. How to forest bathe The first step to forest bathing is finding somewhere to forest bathe. While this is traditionally and most effectively done in a forest, anywhere you can get outside with some trees and some peace will suffice. Find a spot that you enjoy and begin to walk slowly. Try not to have a destination in mind-- just walk. Focus your attention outwards, and “let nature enter through your ears, eyes, nose, mouth, hands and feet” (Li, 2018). Take deep breaths and just explore all the beautiful sights and smells. You could do yoga, eat a snack, meditate, write, draw, or simply just walk (Li, 2018). That’s really all there is to it. When you’re done, try to reflect on your experiences and how you and your stress feel afterwards. If it works as well for you as it did for me, you’ll truly feel amazing. References Aubrey, A. (2017, July 17). Forest Bathing: A Retreat To Nature Can Boost Immunity And Mood. Podcast retrieved from: https://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=536676954 Evans, K. (2018, August 20). Why Forest Bathing Is Good For Your Health. Retrieved from: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/why_forest_bathing_is_good_for_your_health?utm_medium=email&utm_source=other&utm_campaign=opencourse.es3OSXqhEea1Vw7ENWFEPw.announcements~opencourse.es3OSXqhEea1Vw7ENWFEPw.NyzGa6cwEeiD2QqOJunOiA Fraga, J. (2017, June 5). According to Science, 'Forest Bathing' Has Proven Health Benefits. Retrieved from: https://www.healthline.com/health/stress/forest-bathing-shinrin-yoku#2 Li, Q. (2018, May 1). ‘Forest Bathing’ Is Great for Your Health. Here’s How to Do It. Retrieved from: http://time.com/5259602/japanese-forest-bathing/ Whether it be caused by life changing events, unpredictable situations, or just daily hassles, all of us experience stress on a regular basis. Too much regular stress can lead to some very harmful symptoms for our health, so it is extremely important we have effective stress management techniques. There are many things we can do to reduce our stress on a daily basis, but some of the practices we could try may be too time consuming or unaffordable. And if you’re a college student like me, you probably don’t have much time or money to spend on anything other than necessities. While it is fair to say that stress management is a necessity, it is not one that most of us budget our time or money for. The good news is, you don’t have to! Here is a list of 5 free and easy stress management techniques that you can start today to be healthier tomorrow.
1. Progressive Muscle Relaxation In this relaxation technique, you lie down and focus on slowly tensing, and then relaxing each muscle group. This not only helps you relieve tension you have stored up in your body due to stress, but it also helps you focus on the difference between tension and relaxation (Mayo Clinic). Becoming more aware of your how your body feels in different states can help you recognize your body’s subtle reactions to stress, since tension is a very common stress symptom. Over time, you will become more aware of when and how stress is arising in you, making it easier to manage and calm the stress reaction. Try beginning at your head and tensing your forehead for a couple of seconds, then continue to tense and relax every body part until you’ve made it down to your feet. 2. Deep Breathing Deep breathing is one of the easiest techniques to try since you already have everything you need to get started- a mouth and some lungs! Deep breathing can either be practiced with a specific technique, like a 4 count breath, or by just simply breathing in fully and exhaling slowly for a few minutes. Deep, focused breathing allows us to bring awareness to ourselves and one of the most important functions of our existence. This technique also reduces the levels of stress hormones in our body, so it actually lessens the intensity of any stress symptoms caused by these hormones, like a rapid heartbeat or anxiety (Seppälä). Deep breathing also helps us become more aware of our breath and it how changes in different situations. For example, we breathe faster during stress and slower when we’re calm. If we breathe deeply when we are stressed, we are sending a message to our bodies that we are calm (whether we really are or not), and that slows down our stress response and lessens our stress symptoms (Harvard Health). If you feel like you need a specific deep breathing technique to follow, try breathing in for 4 seconds, holding for 4 seconds, exhaling for 4 seconds, and holding again for 4 seconds. If 4 seconds is too long, try 3. If 4 seconds is not enough, try 5. There is no right or wrong way, so experiment until you find something that works for you. All that matters is that you are breathing in and out fully and doing your best to be aware of your breathing. 3. Physical Activity Physical activity, like deep breathing, helps to reduce the amount of stress hormones in our bodies. Physical activity also help our bodies produce endorphins, which are chemicals boost our mood and ease our pain (Harvard Health). Using regular exercise as a stress management technique is very efficient, as we reduce our stress hormones, which can cause nasty health effects, and replace them with endorphins, which make us feel happier and more at ease. Just taking the time for yourself to get away from your daily stressors and get moving can make us feel much less stressed as well. You don’t need a gym membership or any fancy equipment to reap the benefits that physical activity has to offer. You can do a quick 30 minute body-weight workout at home, go for a run, take your dog on a walk, or even just speed walk or jog around your neighborhood. There are many YouTube videos that will lead you through at home workouts if you are just getting started with a fitness regime and don’t know what moves to do. Harvard Health suggests that you should aim for 30-40 minutes of moderate exercise a day, which is not much longer than a typical TV show. And, if you don’t have a full 40 minutes every day to dedicate to exercising, you could separate it out into three or four 10-15 minute work out sessions. 4. Journaling I know that when I experience a particularly frustrating or stressful event, I just want to talk and vent about it. Talking about my stressors helps me to work through and better understand how to manage them. However, I don’t always have someone around that I can confide in about my experiences. This is where self-reflective journaling can come into play. With self-reflective journaling, we can use our words to dig deeper into our thoughts and feelings so that, through the process, we can learn more about our stress triggers and how we usually manage them when they arise. Once we have our thoughts on paper, we can review what we’ve written and see if we can come up new ways to overcome the struggles and stressors we are facing (Tams). For me, the best part about journaling is that I get the stressful thoughts out of my head and onto paper. When I have the negative emotions and worries swirling around in my head, it often causes me a lot of stress and self-doubt. Writing them down helps me to remove them from my mind and work through them so that I can learn from experiences instead of being bogged down by them. It can be hard at first to sit down and reflect about our experiences on our own, but even just a few minutes a day of self-reflective journaling can greatly help us reduce our stress. 5. Practice positive thinking I’m sure most of us have been in a situation where you’ve been feeling down or stressed, and someone’s advice to you was to “just be happy” or “just think more positively.” As frustrating as that can be to hear when you’re in a stressful situation, the advice is truly valid. Fostering a more positive and growth-oriented mindset has actually been proven to make us more effective and relieve our stress. It’s a trick that your mind can play on your body. When you begin to feel stressed, your body reacts in different ways-- your heart rate and breathing increase, you may get shaky, have an upset stomach, or you start to sweat. Understandably so, most of us view these symptoms as obstacles. However, if we can tell ourselves that these symptoms are actually beneficial to our performance, they will be. A study conducted by the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Rochester found that when teenagers were went through a 30 minute growth mindset seminar, they performed better in stressful situations, and their levels of stress hormones were significantly lower than the teenagers who didn’t (Wheeler). This means that just by changing how we view our stress, that stress can actually help us. This is a technique that definitely takes consistent practice to fully reap the benefits of, but it is extremely effective at reducing stress and it’s symptoms. As you can see, it doesn’t take much more than your own body and mind to effectively reduce stress. While these are not the only free ways to reduce stress, I have found these 5 to be the most effective in my life. Some of them may work for you and others may not, but it is worth trying if it means you can ease your stress and relax. If you have any free and easy ways to reduce stress that work for you that I didn’t list, please leave them in the comments below! :) References Mayo Clinic Staff. (2017, April 19). Relaxation techniques: Try these steps to reduce stress. Retrieved from: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/relaxation-technique/art-20045368. Harvard Health. (2018, July 13). Exercising to relax. Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/exercising-to-relax. Wheeler, S. (2016, August 23). Can a Change in Mindset Help Teens De-stress? Article retrieved from: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/can_a_change_in_mindset_help_teens_destress Tams, L. (2013, May 1). Journaling to reduce stress. Retrieved from http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/journaling_to_reduce_stress. Seppälä, E. (2014, February 7). Benefits of Breathing: The Scientific Benefits of Breathing Infographic. Retrieved from: https://emmaseppala.com/tag/breathing-exercises/ Do you ever feel like you always have tension in your body, or maybe that you’re always sick? Maybe you just have no energy and are always tired. My first 2 years of college, that’s exactly how I felt. My neck, shoulders, and back were always tight and I always had a mild cold and stuffy nose that I could never seem to get rid of. I tried to take medications to ease my symptoms, but it never made things go away. It wasn’t until I started tuning in more to my body and digging deeper into the causes of my pain that I realized what the major contributor to all my symptoms had been-- stress. Moving out of my hometown and starting a new part of my life was stressful enough, but with all the school work and extracurricular activities piled on top, I was under more constant stress than I ever had been. After so long, the daily stress of college life began to impact my body in ways I never would’ve thought possible. Consistent stress can negatively impact the body that might surprise you. Fortunately, there are many things we can do combat the harmful symptoms and live in harmony with our stress.
What happens in our body during stress? Stress can manifest in our bodies in many different ways. It is first important to know a little bit about what biologically happens inside our bodies during stress. Most of the stress symptoms we feel arise due to the hormones released during our stress response- two of which are cortisol and adrenaline. These hormones are released to stimulate and prepare our bodies for a stressful situation. They cause the increased the heart rate, faster breathing, and sweaty palms that we’re all familiar with, as well as many other more specific symptoms that I will get into later in the post. Our bodies are designed to undergo stress for a certain period of time, and then return to homeostasis. However, with the increasing pressures and stressors of daily, modern life, most of our bodies are not returning to homeostasis, and our stress response is activated almost 24/7. This means that our bodies are constantly impacted by stress, and we never really get a chance to recover. How does stress impact the body? Constant stress can wreak havoc on our health and well-being. It affects all areas of our body, including our cardiovascular, digestive, and immune system, as well as our mental health. I’ll go into each system a little more in depth so you can get a full picture of how stress influences the body. Effects of Stress on the Cardiovascular System We know already that adrenaline and cortisol are stress hormones that are released during a stress response. Adrenaline causes our heart to beat faster and stimulates the production of blood cells, which raises blood pressure (Hanafi, 2015). While this can be helpful in the short term stress response, over time, it actually causes chronic hypertension. Cortisol can cause the inner lining of the blood vessels to not function properly, which has been seen as early step in cholesterol build up in the arteries (Bergquist, 2015). Since our bodies are almost always in a stress response, this means that we are releasing more stress hormones than we need to be. Both of these hormones do have important functions in our bodies, but too much of a good thing is always a bad thing. Chronic stress can lead to consistently high blood pressure and plaque filled arteries, which together, greatly increase your risk of a heart attack or a stroke. Effects of Stress on the Digestive System Our guts have natural rhythmic movements to help push food along and stimulate digestion. A healthy gut is also full of healthy bacteria that helps us break down and digest our food to get all the nutrients we need from it. However, both of these are compromised with an overproduction of stress hormones, as they can disturb the natural movements in our gut and actually change the composition and function of our gut bacteria (Bergquist, 2015). Not only that, but cortisol increases our appetite for calorie loaded foods, like carbohydrates. I know that when I am stressed, all I want is pizza or pasta or something that will comfort me. However, this can make us overeat, and cortisol increases how much visceral fat our bodies stores. Visceral fat is hard to get rid of because it is stored deep within our abdominal tissue. Visceral fat also releases more hormones (which you hopefully know by now is the opposite of what we want) and it increases your risk for chronic diseases (Bergquist, 2015). All of this combined leaves us with an underperforming gut and a growing belly, just because we are too stressed out on a daily basis. Effects of Stress on the Immune System Our immune system keeps us healthy and heals us when we are not. We have many different immune cells that talk to and work with each other to help us fight off pathogens and viruses. However, cortisol inhibits immune cell signaling, which is the process by which the immune cells communicate (Hanafi, 2015). If the cells can’t talk to each other, they can’t properly fight off invaders or heal wounds. The humoral response of our immune system is responsible for the production and execution of antibodies, which are blood proteins that stick to foreign cells to remove them from the body. However, the humoral response is severely impacted by stress and stress hormones (Hanafi, 2015). When we are under chronic stress, our humoral response is constantly being limited. We aren’t properly fighting off illness or healing our ailments, and this is keeping us from ever truly healing. We are more susceptible to illness and we take longer to recover from that illness, keeping us feeling unhealthy on a regular basis. Effects of Stress on our Mental Health When we are stressed out, we’re often spread thin trying to get everything accomplished in a short period of time. If this only happens every once in a while, it is probably nothing to worry about. However, if this is happening on a daily basis, it’s only a matter of time before our minds get tired of so much stress and worrying and it leads us to something more serious. We may feel worry, irritability, restlessness, anger or hostility. We might have a hard time concentrating since we have so much else on our mind, or we may even begin to feel anxiety and panic at the prospect of overcoming everything on our to-do list. We start to feel stress and all the negative emotions that come with it more than we feel relaxed and happy, and this may make us worry even more! Sometimes, the negative emotions can manifest themselves as physical symptoms in our body. For example, when I feel anxious, I tense my neck and shoulders, which leads to knots in my upper body. Then, I get worried about the tension in my neck, which causes me additional mental stress. With an overactive stress response, the “mind and body can amplify each other's distress signals, creating a vicious cycle of tension and anxiety” (Harvard Health, 2018). Keeping our bodies in a constant state of stress is fuel for this cycle, causing us more mental and physical pain than needed. Things we can do reverse this impact As you can see, the impact that stress has on the body can be extremely harmful to all aspects of our health. Our bodies and minds suffer greatly when we live under constant stress and pressure. We will never be able to completely remove all of our stressors, but we can learn to manage our stress so that its impact on our bodies is beneficial. It is possible to live and grow through your stress, it just may take some practice. One of the biggest things we can do is implement behavioral and mindfulness training into our daily lives. This type of practice can ease the mental effects we feel from stress, as we take time away from our stressors. to calm our minds, breathe, and relax. These practices can also help ease some of our physical symptoms as well. Like I mentioned earlier, my stress causes me a lot of neck and shoulder pain, because I tense my shoulders very tight when I am stress. Similarly, many people experience tension in their upper body and back due to stress. A study conducted by the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute and the University of Washington in Seattle found that “both mindfulness-based stress reduction and cognitive behavioral therapy proved more effective than “usual care” in relieving chronic low back pain and improving patients’ function” (Brody, 2017). These practices teach people to rethink their views on their problems and get more in tune with their bodies, minds, and lives. Meditation is one mindfulness technique that they used for their patients to help them slow down and reduce stress. It must work, since meditation has actually been proven to “lower the heart rate, lower the blood pressure, reduce the breathing rate, diminish the body's oxygen consumption, reduce blood adrenaline levels, and change skin temperature” (Harvard Health, 2018). Most of us have high levels of adrenaline and high blood pressure due to our chronic stress, so lowering both of those is extremely beneficial for reducing our stress response symptoms. Exercising is another way that we can reduce our stress and counteract the symptoms that we feel. Exercise is often used to help treat anxiety and depression due to its amazing biological effects in our bodies. Physical activity can reduce the levels of the stress hormones, and replaces them with endorphins, our body’s “natural pain killers and mood elevators… responsible for the ‘runner's high’ and for the feelings of relaxation and optimism that accompany many hard workouts” (Harvard Health, 2018). Given that we have an overproduction of stress hormones in our bodies, reducing them will greatly improve our health. Exercise also just helps you look and feel healthier, which increases our physical and mental strength! It also gives you time to do something good for yourself and take time away from your stressors, allowing you to relax your mind and get your body moving. While stress may be the root of a lot of our health issues, it is not something we have to live with forever. By taking a little time everyday to practice being with and managing our stress, we can learn to live in harmony with it. Our bodies, minds, guts, hearts, and immune systems will all be very thankful if we do. Reference List Bergquist, S. (2015, October 22). How stress affects your body TED Ed. Video retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-t1Z5-oPtU. Brody, E. (2017, September 11). Alternative to Drugs for Treating Pain. Retrieved from:https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/11/well/alternatives-to-drugs-for-treating-pain.html Hanafi, Z. (2015, March 23). PSA: Stress and The Immune System. Video retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrihWOruRgQ Harvard Health. (2018, July 13). Exercising to relax. Retrieved from: https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/exercising-to-relax. |
AuthorHannah Brewington Archives
November 2018
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