Effective stress management techniques that genuinely work

Everybody gets stressed from time to time. It’s actually healthy to experience stress occasionally. Yet when you’re feeling excessively stressed, or you find that your stress levels are elevated for a prolonged period of time, there’s a significant associated risk of physical illness and adverse mental health outcomes.

Everyone’s familiar with the most common stress management techniques: meditate, practice yoga, and sleep well. But different types of stress require a targeted approach.

 

Effective stress management is vital to our physical, emotional and psychological wellbeing.

 

The Australian Psychological Society’s 2015 Stress and Wellbeing Survey reported that:

• 70% of Australians feel that stress is having a negative impact on their physical health
• Almost 65% of Australians believe that stress is affecting their mental health
• The top 3 causes of stress are financial issues, health concerns and family matters

Many people use substances (smoking, caffeine, etc…) or distractions (TV, overeating, gambling, shopping) to try to deal with their stress levels. Contrary to popular belief, these activities may actually increase stress – and in excess, these behaviours are neither healthy nor sustainable.

 

Effective stress management approaches

So how do we manage stress effectively? There’s a strong body of research that supports the efficacy of stress management counselling that combines both problem-focused and emotion-focused stress management strategies.

 

1. Problem-focused stress management techniques

Problem-focused stress management techniques aim to reduce the impact of environmental stressors. External causes of stress are targeted via practical stress management techniques such as time management, problem-solving, and if possible removing oneself from the circumstances that are creating the stress.

 

2. Emotion-focused stress management techniques

Emotion-focused stress management techniques target any feelings associated with stress, such as anxiety and anger. Emotion-focused coping techniques include breathing exercises, mindfulness meditation and progressive muscle relaxation.

“In order to effectively reduce stress levels using problem- and emotion-focused coping techniques, it’s important to identify what kind of stress you’re experiencing.”

 

Below, we outline the four major types of stress, and simple stress management techniques you can use for each:

Stress management for Eustress

Eustress is a beneficial form of stress, and the opposite of distress. Whenever we face a positive personal challenge – for instance, giving a presentation, running a race or completing an exam – the excitement and nervous anticipation of eustress can motivate us to perform at peak capacity. Eustress increases creativity and generates a sense of elated fulfilment when we achieve a desired outcome.

 

How to apply the stress management techniques for eustress stress;

Problem-focused stress management techniques: Maintain healthy levels of eustress by strategically planning your time effectively and setting challenging – but achievable – goals for yourself.

Emotion-focused stress management techniques: Eustress is all about perspective – it’s our reaction to a source of stress that determines whether our experience is positive or distressing. Maintain focus on the big picture, know that stress is temporary, and use it as motivation to reach your goals.

 

Stress management for Acute stress

Acute stress is felt if we’re exposed to a shocking or traumatic event, such as an accident, natural disaster or the death of a loved one. Acute stress is short-term, and activates the ‘flight or fight response’ – the sympathetic nervous system floods the body with stress hormones, elevating the heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure. Feelings of intense anxiety, fear and anger are common. The acute stress response usually resolves once the perceived ‘threat’ to our safety has receded. In some cases though, acute stress can develop into post-traumatic stress disorder.

 

How to apply the stress management techniques for acute stress;

Problem-focused stress management techniques: Talk it out. Talk to family, friends, or seek counselling support. By externalising your feelings about what has happened and examining ways to reduce the stress triggered by the event, you can lessen sensations of worry, anger, grief and fear.

Emotion-focused stress management techniques: Deep breathing techniques and progressive muscle relaxation can help to alleviate the emotional and physical symptoms of an acute stress reaction.

Max Strom is a globally renowned breathwork teacher and advocate – his TED Talk is an excellent introduction to the benefits of breathing exercises for stress management:

 

Stress management for Episodic acute stress

Episodic acute stress occurs when people experience a series of stressful events in succession. Repetitive stress episodes often result from a snowballing of personal challenges – such as losing a job, then developing health problems, followed by parenting difficulties. Episodic acute stress can also stem from constant worrying – it’s common in high-achieving people who place unrealistic or relentless demands on themselves in their professional and personal lives.

 

How to apply the stress management techniques for episodic acute stress;

Problem-focused stress management techniques: Seeking support is the key to problem-focused coping when you’re feeling burdened by multiple sources of stress. Talk to your employer if you’re overcommitted at work, and ask for help from family and friends if you’re finding it hard to cope with commitments at home. Reducing the burden of episodic acute stress hinges on effective time management and sharing the load of daily responsibilities wherever possible.

Emotion-focused stress management techniques: If you’re experiencing a range of stressors and they’re taking their toll on your emotional wellbeing, it’s vitally important that you’re gentle with yourself. Remind yourself that you’re coping as best you can in the circumstances, and focus on what you have achieved. For instance, the dishes are done, medical appointments are attended, or you’ve updated your CV. Reframe negative or catastrophic thoughts about your situation by reminding yourself that you are coping, and moving in the right direction.  

       

Stress management for Chronic stress

Chronic stress results from feeling an immense amount of emotional and psychological pressure over a prolonged period of time. Chronic stress may develop in response to external circumstances, or as a reaction to a person’s internal state. For instance, chronic stress often stems from overwork, physical illness or a mood imbalance, like anxiety.

 

How to apply the stress management techniques for chronic stress;

Drinking orange juice can significantly decrease cortisol and symptoms of stress

 

Problem-focused stress management techniques: Chronic stress responds incredibly well to simple lifestyle adjustments. Getting more sleep, exercising and maintaining a healthy diet seem like stress management clichés, but the evidence shows they work.

A German study demonstrated that a daily dose of ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) alleviates the symptoms of chronic stress, by reducing cortisol levels. An orange a day to keep the stress at bay? It’s a great start!

Emotion-focused stress management techniques: Mindfulness meditation is an incredibly useful tool to combat the low moods associated with chronic stress. A recent meta-analysis of 47 trials researching the benefits of mindfulness meditation to treat stress found that mindfulness meditation significantly reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression for study participants, and the effects were still in evidence 6 months later.

 

There is extra support available for those experiencing stress in their lives

Of course, if you’ve tried a range of stress management techniques and still find that you’re in a constant state of nervous tension – or feeling overwhelmed by all that life has thrown at you – counselling can help. Speaking to an experienced stress management counsellor or psychologist about what’s bothering you, identifying ways to solve your issues and putting those solutions into action can significantly improve your stress levels and overall wellbeing.

 

Effective stress management techniques research resources

Brody, S., Preut, R., Schommer, K., & Schürmeyer, T. H. (2002). A randomised controlled trial of high dose ascorbic acid for reduction of blood pressure, cortisol, and subjective responses to psychological stress. Psychopharmacology, 159(3), 319-324.

Carroll, L. (2013). Problem-focused coping. In Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine (pp. 1540-1541). Springer New York.

Christmann, C. A., Hoffmann, A., & Bleser, G. (2017). Stress management apps with regard to emotion-focused coping and behaviour change techniques: A content analysis. JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 5(2), e22.

Cusack, K., Jonas, D. E., Forneris, C. A., Wines, C., Sonis, J., Middleton, J. C., … & Weil, A. (2016). Psychological treatments for adults with posttraumatic stress disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 43, 128-141.

Goyal, M., Singh, S., Sibinga, E. M., Gould, N. F., Rowland-Seymour, A., Sharma, R., … & Ranasinghe, P. D. (2014). Meditation programs for psychological stress and well-being: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Internal Medicine, 174(3), 357-368.

Jamieson, J. P., Mendes, W. B., & Nock, M. K. (2013). Improving acute stress responses: The power of reappraisal. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 22(1), 51-56.

Regehr, C., Glancy, D., & Pitts, A. (2013). Interventions to reduce stress in university students: A review and meta-analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders, 148(1), 1-11.

Shields, G. S., Sazma, M. A., & Yonelinas, A. P. (2016). The effects of acute stress on core executive functions: A meta-analysis and comparison with cortisol. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 68, 651-668.