Answers to the 8 Most Common Stress Questions

The irony is that it’s form of hectic to seek out solutions about stress.

There’s a lot conflicting data on the market.

However when you’re a well being and health skilled, your shoppers—perhaps even your folks and family members too—will seemingly flip to YOU for counsel.

They’ll ask issues like:

“Is stress REALLY poisonous?”

“Do you suppose stress induced this stomach fats I can’t lose?”

And:

“Are these crimson bumps from stress?”

(Why does everybody insist on exhibiting you their rashes??)

You need to assist, however arising with the precise solutions might be laborious, as a result of:

The precise reply relies upon.

It relies on WHO the asker is, WHAT their targets are, WHERE they’re ranging from, and HOW MUCH they’re keen and capable of change

The reality is, one-size-fits-all solutions to stress-related questions don’t exist.

Nonetheless, you may construct a robust basis of information about stress that may enable you to reply these questions with extra confidence and experience.

On this article, we’ll attempt to provide you with some sources to try this.

If you would like, learn the next Q and As from prime to backside. Or, simply bounce to those that curiosity you essentially the most:

Question #1. Is stress really bad for you?

Question #2. What are the signs of stress?

Question #3. Is stress making me gain / lose weight?

Question #4. How can I stop stress eating?

Question #5. How do I get rid of stress?

Question #6. How do I fit in stress-management strategies and self-care?

Question #7. Is there a diet that will help reduce stress?

Question #8. Is there any way to cool stress fast?

Query #1. Is stress BAD for you?

Sure and no. It’s all about the precise quantities—for YOU.

The connection between stress and well being has gained much more consideration and validity prior to now 30 years.

Consequently, you’ve seemingly realized to affiliate stress with every kind of horrible issues: coronary heart assaults, hair loss, early loss of life.

And whereas extreme, unrelenting stress undoubtedly erodes well being, let’s clear one thing up:

Not all stress is unhealthy.

In truth, with a view to thrive, we really want some stress to really feel juicy, purposeful, and alive.

Because the above chart reveals, it’s all about discovering a stress “candy spot.”

Go too far in both excessive, and also you’ll really feel crummy.

How do you discover your stress “candy spot”?

Stress that’s long-lasting, relentless, and demoralizing can also be the form of stress that’s related to melancholy and anxiousness, heart problems, diabetes, stroke, and most cancers.¹

In case you’re coping with these sorts of stressors, think about the place you might have management, and attempt to cut back—and even keep away from—them when you may.

Additionally, ask for assist. Generally having one other individual round to sort out an issue with you makes the distinction between feeling such as you’re drowning and feeling such as you’ll make it to the shore.

On the flip facet, when stress happens in shorter bursts, and you’re feeling like you might have some management over it, in addition to alternatives to get well in between, it might really enable you to grow to be stronger and extra resilient over time.

This type of stress tends to really feel empowering: It helps construct you up; not break you down.

One huge complication…

What feels hectic is very subjective.

Seems, your notion of stress has a huge impact on how stress feels—and what it does to your well being.

In case you consider stress is all the time horrible and must be averted in any respect prices, you’ll be extra prone to cling to your consolation zone, concern the longer term and what may occur, and keep away from conditions that might result in progress.

(You’re additionally extra prone to expertise the damaging well being results of stress, like excessive cortisol.²)

In a merciless self-fulfilling prophecy, stress really does grow to be extra dangerous.

Nonetheless, when you consider stress could make you stronger, wiser, and extra resilient, you’ll be extra prone to proactively clear up issues, search out difficult experiences—and profit from stress in your life.

Fortunately, you might have some management over your notion.

Within the spirit of serving to you shift your perspective, listed here are some examples of how some stress can really enrich varied features of life:

▶ Stress can strengthen relationships. Some battle is definitely essential for wholesome, safe relationships—it’s a pathway to raised perceive others. By working by way of issues collectively, we develop collectively.

▶ Stress could make you smarter. Managed successfully, stress helps you focus your consideration, plan for future challenges, and improve reminiscence and studying. Stressors would possibly even really feel like enjoyable puzzles to unravel.

▶ Stress can construct muscle mass and endurance. That is most likely the obvious instance, however most of us know that intermittent bodily stress—say, from a exercise—couped with acceptable restoration helps your physique grow to be stronger and extra succesful.

Select to consider that stress has the capability to profit you. It will probably enable you to be taught, develop, and dwell a much bigger, extra adventurous and significant life.

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Query #2. What are the indicators of stress?

The indicators and signs of stress rely a bit on whether or not the stress is acute or power.

Acute stress (suppose: a automotive simply swerved in entrance of you) usually causes your sympathetic nervous system to ramp up, which releases hormones corresponding to epinephrine (adrenaline) and cortisol.

With acute stress, you would possibly discover:

• Your coronary heart beats a bit sooner
• Your respiratory will get deeper and faster
• You are feeling a burst of vitality, alertness, giddiness, and/or focus
• You would possibly really feel a bit shaky and even nauseous, if the stress was intense

The stress response is built-in. You don’t must suppose consciously about it; your physique simply responds robotically on this approach to all stressors.

Fortunately, the restoration response can also be built-in. As soon as a menace recedes, your coronary heart charge and respiratory will return to regular, and also you’ll really feel calm once more.

Power stress is when that sympathetic activation lasts for days, weeks, or months, with out ample alternatives for restoration.

Similar to a rollercoaster, stress can really feel energizing briefly bouts—however like a nauseating nightmare when you can’t get off the experience. Not surprisingly, power stress is extra prone to take a toll in your bodily and psychological well being.

Indicators of power stress embrace:

• Extreme worrying or anxiousness
• Low temper or vitality
• Poor urge for food, OR an elevated need to “stress eat”
• Digestive issues like heartburn or constipation
• Hassle sleeping
• Unfocused or foggy pondering
• Feeling remoted or irritable with others
• Frequent colds, flus, or infections
• Hassle recovering from exercises, or aches and pains normally
• Low intercourse drive

Whereas the stress response is regular and useful for short-lived bouts of problem and pleasure, we’re not meant to dwell in a continuing state of activation and menace.

Stress feels greatest when it’s damaged up with durations of restoration.

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Query #3. Is stress making me achieve / drop pounds?

Presumably.

However extra seemingly, stress is affecting your behaviors. And consuming behaviors undoubtedly have an effect on physique composition.

Right here’s the way it works

Once you’re confused, your physiology adjustments—at the least briefly.

Your physique’s acute stress response and the accompanying spike in adrenaline releases saved glucose (sugar) into the bloodstream so you might have vitality to cope with no matter problem you’re dealing with.

This enhance in blood sugar can cut back your urge for food, making you push away your sandwich even when you haven’t eaten all day.

The stress response additionally dampens digestion.

Even whenever you do eat, meals would possibly really feel prefer it’s simply sitting in your intestine not transferring anyplace, or it would blast by way of you so quick that you simply’re afraid to stray too removed from a washroom. As a result of digestion is compromised, you additionally might not adequately take up your meals.

It’s by way of each lack of urge for food and lack of absorption that some individuals drop pounds during times of stress.

Alternatively, weight achieve during times of stress is simply as widespread.

Particularly when stress turns into power, the stress hormone cortisol will increase. Cortisol can enhance urge for food, particularly for carbohydrate- and calorie-rich meals.^{3 4}

Most individuals discover consuming pleasurable and soothing, so turning to meals throughout instances of stress is a typical (and comprehensible) coping mechanism. In fact, when this turns into a behavior, extra energy over time can result in weight achieve.

If that’s one thing you wrestle with, try the subsequent reply under.

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Query #4. How can I cease stress consuming?

Greater than 60 % of our new shoppers listing emotional or stress consuming as a serious diet problem. What’s extra, over 50 % say in addition they “get intense cravings” and “snack when not hungry.”

In case you relate, it is likely to be a aid to know you’re not alone. In fact, that’s little comfort when your arms are fumbling for crumbs on the backside of a freshly opened bag of peanut butter pretzel bites.

However what when you realized this conduct happens…

• Each time your mother calls?
• On Sunday nights, whenever you’re dreading the beginning of a brand new week?
• Everytime you see, scent, or hear one thing that reminds you of your ex?

Emotional consuming and intense cravings are sometimes a part of a sample of conduct that’s triggered by a particular expertise—a thought, feeling, and/or state of affairs.

In case you can establish the set off, you may disrupt the sample of conduct and make completely different decisions.

Use the “Break the chain” worksheet to assist shoppers establish their emotional and stress consuming triggers. Then, apply the step-by-step technique on the finish of it to create and strengthen various coping mechanisms.

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Query #5. How do I eliminate stress?

You’ll by no means completely rid your lifetime of stress.

Nor would you need to.

As we’ve talked about, stress is a traditional—even good—a part of a full, significant life.

Nonetheless, many people find yourself with stress ranges that really feel overly disruptive or unhelpful.

Generally, that’s unattainable to keep away from. Sooner or later, most individuals will face very tough durations of unavoidable stress: sickness, accidents, monetary hardships, pure disasters, or a pandemic.

However usually, you might have some management. Perhaps much more than you suppose.

At PN, we use an train known as The Spheres of Management.

(If you would like, fill out your individual spheres of management utilizing this free worksheet.)

With the Spheres of Management train, you establish what areas you actually have energy over and focus extra on them.

This usually not solely helps individuals really feel much less overwhelmed and confused, but additionally more practical, succesful, and in management.

What about these areas you might have zero management over?

By seeing the fact on paper (or a display screen), you can provide your self permission to cease wasting your vitality attempting to regulate the uncontrollable. And that in itself might help relieve stress and anxiousness.

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Query #6. How do I slot in self-care?

Generally, including extra restoration might be simply as efficient as decreasing stress.

Once you get well, you regain, restore, or recuperate what you’ve misplaced. And you come to your baseline state of wellbeing, well being, and efficiency.

Sounds nice, besides… what when you really feel such as you don’t have time to ADD the rest, even when it’s good for you?

A paradigm shift that may assist

As a substitute of taking a look at stress administration as an “on” or “off” swap—you’re both doing ALL the issues or NOTHING—consider it extra like a “dial.”

The picture under reveals what stress restoration would possibly appear like on a continuum, from devoting 5 minutes a day to one thing restorative, all the best way to mainly making it your job to be a Grasp of Chill.

(If you wish to see how this idea applies to different habits—like these associated to diet or health—try this infographic: Never press “pause” on your health and fitness again)

To use this idea, begin by figuring out your baseline: Are your stress administration practices at the moment at a 1 or 2? Or perhaps even a 0?

If that’s the case, no judgment. That is simply your start line.

Take into consideration what “a bit higher” would possibly appear like.

Even by one or two “notches.”

Would possibly you add 5 minutes of journaling to your night routine? Or a ten minute stroll to get some solar and contemporary air within the morning? Think about what only a little higher would possibly appear like, and begin there.

For the additional frazzled, it would assist to know that generally the BEST time to begin a brand new behavior is whenever you’re busiest.

In case you can be taught to suit stress administration practices into your life whenever you’re swamped, it’ll really feel like a breeze to maintain them in there—and even construct on them—when life settles down.

(And if life by no means settles down, at the least you didn’t delay your self-care additional ready for the “excellent time.”)

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Query #7. Is there a eating regimen that can assist cut back stress?

All around the web, you’ll discover healing diets for stress and anxiousness. They put meals into neat little classes, and as long as you ONLY eat “do” meals—and judiciously remove “don’t” meals—your stress will go away.

If solely feeling higher have been that easy.

Reality is, good psychological well being relies on many completely different vitamins from many completely different meals, in addition to a set of basic diet rules, like:

• Getting sufficient vitality (energy) to cowl your vitality wants
• Assembly macronutrient (proteins, carbohydrates, and fat) and micronutrient (nutritional vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients) wants
• Ingesting sufficient water
• Consuming at common instances, no matter which means for you
• Consuming largely minimally-processed meals (like fruits, greens, complete grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, animal proteins, and dairy)
• Consuming slowly and mindfully
• Having fun with your meals, and the corporate you share it with

Constantly neglecting the above can add stress.

Prioritizing them—which doesn’t imply doing them completely—might be the simplest diet technique to scale back stress.

If that listing seems to be overwhelming, simply begin from wherever you’re proper now, and easily purpose to eat “a bit higher.”

Select one follow to work on from the above listing, and in a few weeks, consider whether or not you’re able to construct on it.

Grasp the basics, and also you’ll see that they’re fairly efficient on their very own, no magic eating regimen wanted.

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Query #8. Is there a approach to calm stress quick?

It doesn’t matter what’s happening in your life, one of the efficient, accessible methods to chill stress FAST is just to breathe.

Sluggish, deep respiratory stimulates your vagus nerve (the principle nerve of your “rest-and-digest” system), which might help calm down your complete physique.

In flip, this reduces not solely your physiological response to emphasize but additionally your emotional response.

Once you’re calmer and extra relaxed, you make higher selections. You’re capable of focus higher. You are feeling extra in management. And deliberate respiratory strategies might help.

One respiratory approach we like is known as “Field respiratory.” It breaks the breath cycle into 4 4-second-long phases (just like the 4 sides of a sq.).

Right here’s the way to do it

1. Take a four-second inhale by way of your nostril. However don’t simply “breathe into your stomach.” Attempt to pull the air into your chest and mid-back with out letting your ribs flare out. (You’ll really feel some rigidity in your abs.)
2. Maintain your inhale for 4 seconds.
3. Exhale for 4 seconds. Think about that you simply’re slowly blowing out a giant sigh. Preserve your physique relaxed, however put a bit rigidity into your abs so that you simply really feel them pulling your ribs down and in, towards your backbone.
4. Maintain your exhale for 4 seconds.

Repeat as many instances as you’d like. (And really feel higher.)

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Stress is uncomfortable, but it surely additionally helps us develop.

If you’re confused about answering your shoppers stress-related questions, consider it this fashion:

This is a chance to develop and deepen your data and training expertise.

(See? We’re making use of a resilience-building mindset already!)

Being a coach who helps shoppers handle their stress includes, sure, understanding about stress.

But it surely additionally means being a fellow human who can relate to their struggles.

Alongside your shoppers, you may use your data about stress and restoration to tackle challenges, and develop into a greater coach—and individual—than you have been earlier than.

References

Click on right here to view the data sources referenced on this article.

In case you’re a well being and health professional…

Studying the way to assist shoppers handle stress and optimize sleep can massively change your shoppers’ outcomes.

They’ll get “unstuck” and at last transfer ahead—whether or not they need to eat higher, transfer extra, drop pounds, or reclaim their well being.

Plus, it’ll provide the confidence and credibility as a specialised coach who can clear up the largest issues blocking any shoppers’ progress.

The brand-new PN Level 1 Sleep, Stress Management, and Recovery Coaching Certification will present you the way.