Tackling Stress Head On
Stress. The word “stress” is such a buzzword nowadays, but managing it is often elusive and very hard to do in our daily lives. Stress is often defined as an actual of perceived threat to homeostasis. Sometimes, we can’t pinpoint exactly what the stressors are in our lives or how we even got there. So many factors contribute to how we feel stress and our ability to make it manageable. It could be that job promotion you are worried about. Or the kids are driving you crazy and you don’t have the help you need at home. Or simply not taking enough time to engage in self-care activities.
As a physician, I see it every day with my patients and experience it myself. No one is immune. So now more than ever, it has become super important to me to figure out what my stressors are and then come up with an action plan to tackle them appropriately. My goal is to help you do the same.
It is well known that more than anything, stress physically impacts us. On a scientific level, acute stress literally drives your body into “fight or flight” mode. Stressors, whether they are physical (such as a surgical procedure), mental, or emotional, causes your body to produce increased levels of cortisol. The whole purpose of the activation of the body’s stress response is to prepare the body for an emergency and keep you in homeostasis as much as possible. Cortisol and other similar hormones are absolutely necessary to regulate normal bodily functions. However, in excess, these hormones negatively impact how our body functions. Increased cortisol levels make us insulin-resistant and increase our blood sugar levels; causes constipation, bloating and weight gain; and increase our blood pressure, among other effects. Over time, this not only negatively affects our health but also directly impacts our mental health, as well.
How can we appropriately manage stress? One thing I hate about lists is that they usually do not include actionable steps that help point us in the right direction. Let’s change that.
1. Rest up. Stress negatively impacts our sleep, making it so that we become sluggish and have decreased productivity. Over time, sleep debt accumulates, and it is very hard to catch up. Studies show the lack of quality sleep negatively impacts our learning, memory, and how we process situations and information. While sleeping does not make your problems disappear, the proper amount of quality sleep does help us to wake up refreshed with a clear head so that we can appropriately tackle our problems. For many of us, getting a good night’s rest is very difficult. I always recommend a sleep hygiene regimen, a routine that you do every, single night to prepare your body for sleep. For many people, this consists of a hot shower or bath every night, which not only allows you to go to bed nice and clean, but also relaxes the body and mind. I also recommend no activities occur in your bed, except for sleep and sex. If you get used to doing work or reading in the bed, it is very hard to relax there. (Other recommendations: Essential oil diffuser on your nightstand with calming scents, such as lavender. Minimize sleep aids as you can become physically dependent, and over time, this negatively impacts sleep).
2. Ask for help. Chronic stress leads to feelings of fear, anxiety, and depression. Sometimes, we get so used to feeling this way that it becomes our new normal. The problem is anxiety negatively impacts how we view ourselves, how we view the world, and can ultimately be very crippling and diminish our ability to grow and succeed. At some point, we have all felt overwhelmed and unsure of what to do. If you are spiritual, that is a great way to stay grounded, but it is important to seek a professional to discuss your problems in a safe space and have an objective sounding board to help pick up the pieces. (Recommendations: Therapy for Black Girls, www.therapyforblackgirls.com; American Psychiatric Association, www.psychiatry.org)
3. Utilize your connections. Let your friends and those who love you know what is going on with you and let them spend quality time with you. We are not islands, nor were we meant to be. Let your village care for you. Pick up the phone and call, instead of texting; go to brunch; take a road trip; or just sit on the couch with a glass of wine and catch up with close friends and loved ones. Some studies indicate that these social connections may also increase our levels of oxytocin, the “feel good” hormone, making it so we are more likely to continue to nurture these relationships.
4. Give yourself a break. It is so easy to get caught up thinking about what you shouldn’t have done or allowed to happen, or wallow in a bad decision that we sometimes literally make mountains out of molehills. The world can already be hard on us. (Hello, deadlines and bills and other grown-up business we didn’t ask for!) Try not be so hard on yourself. Extend some grace to yourself. Tomorrow is a new day to tackle a goal or problem head on.
5. Plan. I often have so much going on with work, patients, meetings, and other deadlines that I literally have to write down everything I need to do for the day, and even week, to ensure that it actually gets done. When I don’t do this, I can feel my stress levels rise. Some people say that if you have to write down everything for it to happen, you might be doing too much. However, people who plan (even for emergencies) tend to be very organized and efficient. Writing down everything, from your goals to your daily to-do lists, provides a framework for you to compartmentalize and assign value to each task, with the more important tasks being done first. And of course, scratching tasks off of your list is very encouraging and empowering. Having a game plan that you can see helps to remove some of the burden and anxiety from tackling projects and responsibilities head-on.
Ryland J. Gore, MD MPH
Breast surgical oncologist living and practicing in Atlanta, GA.
IG: @rylandgoremd