Seeing Stress In a New Light
Changing your attitude towards stress can make a big difference in how you react to it, and the effects it has on your mind and body.
Dear Caregivers,
I was with a family caregiver yesterday during an appointment. In the middle of talking about her mother's medical condition, her phone rang. Her daughter was calling from the soccer field where she was standing in the rain. Because of the rain, she was ready to be picked up 2 hours early! That wasn't in the plans. I watched as the stress began to appear on her face and start to grow as she tried to figure out what to do.
Many of you have probably had similarly stressful moments in your journeys as family caregivers. There really is no escaping stress, but is there a way to keep its ill effects from getting the better of you?
Psychologist Kelly McGonigal, in her book The Upside of Stress illustrates that changing your attitude towards stress can make a big difference in how you react to it, and the effects it has on your mind and body. Here are some of her key ideas:
Educating Yourself: Always remember, knowledge is power! In our book Take Your Oxygen First, we talk about the benefits of educating ourselves about challenges we face. Once we are educated, we can feel empowered to make changes, and energized by our ability to help ourselves! By learning more about stress and its effects, you take the biological and psychological mystery out of the experience, and that give you the power to have more control over your stress responses.
Reframing Your Perception of Stress: Viewing stress as a harmful experience can negatively affect your body’s biology, including triggering harmful biochemical changes. But if you can regard stress instead as a kind of muscle, that with exercise can help you grow and be stronger, it can trigger a positive biological response. This change in perspective can help you see stressful situations as opportunities for personal development and growth.
Practicing Acceptance: Don’t fight your negative stressful feelings, but rather recognize that this is currently part of your mental state, and accept that “It’s OK not to feel OK”. Engaging in mindfulness training, for example, can help enable you to observe your stressful mental state from a distance, without overreacting to it.
Leaning into Social Connections: Research reveals that a hormone known as oxytocin is released as part of your body’s stress responses. Oxytocin, which is also released during childbirth, has the psychological effect of encouraging people to increase their social bonding. Making the effort to reach out to others during stressful times can be a natural stress reliever.
Getting Active: Exercise helps reduce the effects of stress, and also builds resilience against a negative stressful response in the future.
The most important thing to keep in mind is that in stressful times, regard that stress as a signal instead of a threat. Understand that being under stress helps you focus, build strength, and better meet the challenges of life.
Here is some more advice on dealing with stress:
Managing Holiday Stress:
The holiday season can be especially challenging for you and your loved one alike. There are crowds, flurries of noise, and the expectation of celebration. But by managing your expectations and planning ahead, you can make this holiday season a source of joy rather than a burden. Here are some strategies for making the most of the holiday season.
How to Practice a Daily Meditation:
Extensive scientific research has shown that as little as twenty minutes of daily meditation has dramatic effects on dealing with stress, as well as your overall mental and physical health. Here’s how to start.
Sleep the Stress Away:
The quality of an individual’s sleep is strongly connected to their overall physical, cognitive, and emotional health, and lack of sleep is a leading complaint of caregivers. Here are some tips on how to get some quality sleep.
Remember, if you can’t find the information you need on our website, you can always “Ask NAN” by clicking on this link.
Best,
Rosemary D Laird, MD, MHSA
Founder and Chief Medical Officer
“Stress happens when something you care about is at stake. It's not a sign to run away ― it's a sign to step forward.”
— Kelly McGonigal
