By: Margaret Carr, Correspondent
Stress can be a powerful motivator, but it can also be a destructive force. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), prolonged periods of stress can have serious consequences on long-term wellness. Research published in the The National Library of Medicine shows that chronic stress can negatively impact memory, cognitive function, cardiovascular systems and immune systems in the human body.
Because excessive stress has the potential to negatively affect your health, it’s important to find ways to reduce feelings of stress and prevent it when possible.
The term “self-care” pops up a lot in discussion around stress reduction, but sometimes taking the time for yourself can seem to increase feelings of stress and burnout. It can feel like just another thing to manage.
In order to prevent self-care from being counter-productive, it’s important to understand what it really is.
What is Self-Care?
The Journal of Nursing Sciences published research by Nicole Martínez and colleagues in 2021 defining self-care as “the ability to care for oneself through awareness, self-control, and self-reliance in order to achieve, maintain, or promote optimal health and well-being.”
Self-control is not always what comes to mind when thinking about self-care. Instead, individuals may turn to spoiling themselves, binge watching or even binge eating. When you are feeling stressed, it’s easy to turn to having an excess of the things that make you feel good because these things distract you from the stress and burnout you are feeling. However, if you are distracting yourself, then you are not achieving the awareness that is vital to self-care.
Self-awareness can be a critical contributor to overall wellness. An article published in 2022 by Europe’s Journal of Psychology discusses the relationship of self-connection to mental health and well-being. Researchers state that self-connection consists of three elements: awareness of oneself, acceptance of oneself, and behavioral alignment with oneself.
The third element is what separates self-care from self-distraction. If individuals want to truly take care of themselves, they need to be in tune with their feelings and their needs and then act in ways that work towards having those needs met. In summary, self-care is taking the time to assess your feelings and needs and then taking appropriate actions to benefit yourself long-term, not just in the moment.
This isn’t always easy. “Self-care” means doing the hard work to reduce or even prevent stress in order to improve overall wellbeing.
Stress Prevention: Stop it Before it Starts
Many people juggle work, school, raising kids, athletics and other activities. They like to keep their plates full and, as a result, almost everyone can feel stretched too thin at one point or another. This makes it important to develop tools to keep those metaphorical plates a little less full and a little more organized, resulting in the ability to minimize our stress levels or even prevent stress altogether.
Journaling is a great option for practicing introspection. People take many different approaches to journaling, but a good place to start is “stream of consciousness” journaling. Set a timer for ten or fifteen minutes and write whatever crosses your mind. It doesn’t have to flow together neatly or reflect deep thoughts and emotions. The point of the exercise is to start noticing your thoughts and feelings with more intention, which can help prevent stress from building up by recognizing needs early.
While self-awareness is critical, self-care doesn’t have to be as introspective as journaling or meditation. Sometimes it just means doing the hard things that will make life easier later. If your home is dirty or untidy, taking the time to clean can seem daunting, but ultimately you will feel more relaxed and refreshed once it’s done.
Establishing support systems is a great way to help individuals offload tasks and stay on top of their mental load. Delegation is one of the easiest ways to help minimize the chance of stress building up. In work settings, this looks like leaning on a team or being honest with management if things start to feel overwhelming. Social groups are a great place to ask for support at home. An example of this would be asking a trusted friend or family member to watch the kids to make time for catching up on chores.
Another important skill to develop to reduce your risk of chronic stress is to develop a healthy sleep schedule. Research published by the APA in 2014 shows that healthy sleep habits can help with cognitive functioning. Individuals should avoid spending time on screen for the hour before they sleep and try to be in bed and get up the next day at consistent times. The brain and body rely on routine, so if getting in the habit of staying up late and sleeping in on the weekend but expecting to wake up early and energized on Monday morning will make the rest of the week difficult.
Stress Reduction: Managing the Inevitable
The internet is full of ideas when it comes to stress management and relaxation techniques. People often turn to hobbies, social groups and self-pampering as their go-to stress reduction methods. Sometimes all we need is a distraction, like binge watching a favorite show, but be sure that this doesn’t end up taking away from your “To-Do” list and causing more stress later.
Exercise is a great option for releasing stress and improving overall mood. An article published in the International Journal of Stress Management in 2020 shows that exercise as a hobby can help prevent burnout. For those who aren’t big fans of running or the gym, a simple walk around the neighborhood can still go a long way in terms of preventing stress from building up. Yoga is another great option for self-care because it combines exercise with mindfulness.
Mindfulness is all about being present and noticing thoughts and feelings without judgement. Resources like Headspace and Calm are popular tools to learn about and practice mindfulness. The goal is not to sit silently and clear your head of all thoughts, but rather to practice noting thoughts and emotions as they occur. In one of their instructional videos, Headspace compares thoughts in our mind to cars on a highway. The idea of mindfulness is to sit and observe the traffic without judgement. Research published in the National Library of Medicine supports mindfulness as a skill that improves emotional regulation.
Creative outlets can provide catharsis and opportunities for expression that you may not get in your day-to-day life. Anyone can find release in crafting, painting or dance regardless of talent. Listening to or creating music can also be an effective way to connect with and work through emotions.
Lean on support systems. Reach out to family and friends to ask for support or vent about stressors. Many people don’t necessarily feel comfortable saying what’s on their minds to the people in their life. If that is the case, don’t be afraid to look into professional help from a therapist if stress feels like it’s reaching critical levels.
At the end of the day, there is no “one size fits all” to self-care. Experiment with different techniques based on your interests and needs. Investing in productive self-care is investing in your future.
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