How Do Worry and Stress Affect the Body?
In times of high stress, people are often thinking ahead and worried about the future, or replaying in their minds something terrible that happened in the past. While it's normal to feel stressed out and worried during a crisis, daily challenges can also push us beyond our ability to cope.
During stressful times, we may feel helpless, sad, angry, irritable, hopeless, anxious, or afraid. We may even have trouble concentrating, feel unmotivated to do essential tasks, experience changes in appetite, have body aches or pains, and have difficulty sleeping. Research also shows that an increase in stress and anxiety caused by excessive worry, isolation, and loneliness can change our brain's chemistry in the following ways (Vatansever et al., 2020):
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Triggers inflammation in the body
Shrinks the hippocampus impacting our emotions
Affects levels of serotonin and cortisol, which also regulate our emotions
However, the great thing about the brain is that it is incredibly plastic, which means it can change and compensate for damage. Even severe conditions such as memory loss and depression can be improved by doing things that alter the brain's function and chemistry (Vatansever et al., 2020).
Building the Relaxation Response
Many of us push our minds and bodies to the limit, often at the expense of our physical and mental well-being. Our response may include an increased heart rate and blood pressure and an accelerated rate of breathing. Over time, these reactions raise cholesterol levels, disturb intestinal activities, and depress the immune system. In general, they leave us feeling "stressed out."
The good news is that we also possess the "relaxation response." Relaxation techniques are helpful tools for coping with stress and promoting long-term health. They slow the body down and quiet the mind. The following is just one of over 100 brief and effective practices from my book, Thriving in a Global Pandemic and Beyond, that you can use anytime you are feeling the impact of worry and stress.
Practice: Our Breath as a Natural Tranquilizer
PURPOSE/DESCRIPTION
One of the most powerful tools we have to calm and relax us is our breath. Our breath is always with us and is an excellent tool in settling our nerves—either as a recovery for something upsetting or challenging, or in preparation for something ahead.
You may even find it helpful for falling asleep. The benefits are subtle when you first start to practice. Still, as you continue, you will see that what once caused you stress doesn’t seem so difficult when you apply breathing techniques. You may even start to notice that your emotions are much more balanced, regardless of the situation.
This practice is known as 4-7-8 breathing and is an effective way to reduce stress relatively quickly.
ESTIMATED TIME
3-5 minutes
PREPARATION/MATERIALS
Find a comfortable seated position with your feet flat on the floor. Or, if you are using this practice to fall asleep, find a comfortable reclining position. Your eyes can be either open or closed.
It may take a few times to get the pace of your breath counts right for you. Also, most people need to complete two to three cycles of this exercise before they feel that they are calm and relaxed.
Read through how to complete the practice before you begin.
HOW
Round 1
To begin, place the tip of your tongue against the ridge of tissue just behind your upper front teeth. Keep it there through the entire practice. This will relax your jaw.
Using a pace of counting that works for you, close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a count of four.
Once you have inhaled to a count of four, hold your breath for a count of seven. Don’t be surprised if holding your breath for a full count of seven is at first difficult. Just know each time you do this exercise, you will improve your ability to hold your breath for the complete seven counts.
Your exhale should be through your mouth to a count of eight. You may notice your breath makes a quiet whoosh as you exhale.
Before you try this again, take a few normal breaths.
Round 2
Once again, make yourself comfortable with your eyes open or closed. First, place the tip of your tongue against the ridge of tissue just behind your upper front teeth and keep it there through the entire exercise. This will help relax your jaw.
Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a count of four.
Hold for a count of seven.
Exhale completely through your mouth, making a quiet whoosh sound, to a count of eight.
Now take a few normal breaths.
REFLECT/CONSIDER
When you complete this practice, think about your daily routine and see if you can identify times during the day to make this exercise a regular part of your practice.
This practice is just one of many practices that can help you calm your mind, wipe out worry, and build resiliency. Remember that relaxation techniques are skills. As with any skill, your ability to relax and reduce worry improves with practice. While these techniques may feel awkward at first, they will feel more natural with practice. If one method doesn't work for you, try another. If none of your efforts at stress reduction seem to work, you may want to talk to your doctor about other options.
References
Vatansever, D., Wang, S., & Sahakian, B. J. (2020). Covid-19 and promising solutions to combat symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression. Neuropsychopharmacology, 1.