We live in a fast paced world that places high demands on its producers. It has torn us away from the natural human experience. It’s no surprise that Americans account for some of the most stressed people around the globe [1]. For our ancestors, stress was only experienced during life threatening situations which created this fight or flight response within the body as a way for survival. Unfortunately our bodies cannot differentiate from one stressor to another. In our modern day world, the stress we carry to meet expectations from things like work, school, and/or relationships can also turn on this fight or flight mechanism. Although the things we think and worry about are not life threatening at that moment, over time they take a huge toll on our mental and physical well being [2]. That’s why stress management is so important. Here are some ways you can manage your stress and boost your mental health.
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Practice Mindfulness
Let’s talk about mindfulness and how we can put it into practice. This topic makes me think of John Lennon’s famous line “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” This couldn’t be more true. With all the stressors we face day to day coupled with any past traumas, it's easy to get caught up trying to control our future and miss out on the present moment. We all know that stressing about the future isn’t going to change the future. The only thing it will change is our mental state. So how do we stop? Well, practicing mindfulness can help. It involves keeping our attention on the present moment so that we can fully enjoy it. I know, easier said than done right? but with patience and consistency you can really do anything you put your mind to and it’s totally worth it. Practicing mindfulness offers mental health benefits such as enhanced attention and mood regulation as well as reduced anxiety and depression [3,4,5]. So how can we fully experience the present moments we want to enjoy without being distracted by our own thoughts? How can we quiet our minds and just be? I think learning meditation is key to becoming more mindful. In fact, studies have found that it can actually rewire the brain [6]. Pretty amazing if you ask me. For beginners, the best way to start is through guided meditation and there are many resources out there to help you get started. I personally enjoy Headspace: Guide to Meditation on Netflix. They also have a book you can get on Amazon called The Headspace Guide to Meditation and Mindfulness: How Mindfulness Can Change Your Life in Ten Minutes a Day. Overall, learning meditation can really help you get out of your head and focus on your body, which teaches you to be present. Of course this takes practice, but once you get in the rhythm you can try integrating mindfulness even while you're eating or socializing [3].
Indulge Your Creative Side
Another way we can reduce stress is through tuning into our creative side. After all, we are creative beings and creative expression is a natural part of being human. Sadly, our education system doesn’t recognize the importance of art in the way it does other subjects, such as mathematics for example. I’ve had to take so many unnecessary math classes in my life. Even in college I had to take five different math classes for my degree in nutrition, starting with beginning algebra and working my way up towards college algebra for calculus. As a dietitian student, it didn’t take me long to realize that four out of these five classes were a complete waste of time and money. It also created additional stress and isolation, whereas if I had been required to take a creative writing class or a course focused on other forms of artistic expression I would’ve gained more interpersonal skills that are much more valuable in my field. During all my time in school, I could’ve definitely benefited from the mental health benefits that art provides. Tuning into our creative side and engaging in different forms of artistic expression has been found to help ease symptoms of anxiety and depression. Visual art allows us to express ourselves and helps us communicate our feelings nonverbally when we can’t form them into words. Other forms of creative expression such as movement and writing have been shown to expand self awareness, and writing has also been shown to help reduce pain. Furthermore, engaging in music can also reduce pain, cortisol levels, and provide emotional benefits [7]. Now remember the fight or flight response I was talking about earlier? Part of that mechanism involves cortisol release. Cortisol is known as our stress hormone. So with this knowledge, you can see just how healing music can be when we are under a lot of stress.
Immerse Yourself in Nature
As for our environment, this is something we don’t always have control over. If you can change your environment though, to a more natural setting, it can really help soothe your mind. In fact, studies have found that there are a broad range of benefits associated with immersing oneself in nature. These include mental, physical, social, and spiritual benefits [8]. One study which compared participants who walked in a natural environment to those who walked in an urban environment, found that the ones who took a 90 minute nature walk showed lower levels of negative thought cycles and reduced brain activity to a section of the brain associated with mental illness [9]. So what does this tell us? What I get out of this information, is that the rise in mental illness is partly due to industrialization. The good news is that people are becoming more aware of the problems with our modern day society and are starting to revert back to a more simple and natural way of living. I mean is it just me, or are more millennials homesteading? It gives me hope for our future. I know this way of living is not attainable for everyone though, at least not right away. Regardless of where you are in your life or where you live, you can still enjoy the benefits nature has to offer. It’s as simple as getting outside and taking a walk or doing other outdoor activities such as gardening. And if you’re stuck in a more urban environment, don’t fret, you can still get your dose of nature. I personally enjoy house plants like peace lilies which detoxify the air, just make sure you keep them out of reach of your furry friends, as they can be toxic. I also keep a forest scene tapestryin my room so that when I can't go outside, I have a view of nature right in front of me. Research has shown that viewing a picture of nature can offer mental health benefits. Even just the color green has a soothing effect [10,11]. So, It’s nice to know that we can still reap these benefits that nature has to offer us, even if we are stuck indoors.
Balance Your Circadian Rhythm
Circadian rhythms are changes our bodies experience in response to our internal clock that aligns with the rhythm of our environment in a 24 hour period. To make this easier to understand, think of your sleep and wake cycle which is in sync with the night and day. As the day becomes night, our eyes pick up the changes in light and the brain responds with melatonin production which is a hormone that induces sleepiness. Important functions of our circadian rhythm include its influence on hormones, digestion, and body temperature [12]. Maintaining a balanced circadian rhythm is important for mental health because it regulates your sleep and wake schedule. It's important to get proper sleep, because without it mental health problems such as anxiety and PTSD can worsen [13]. One factor that can lead to an imbalanced circadian rhythm is blue light exposure [12]. As technology takes over, blue light is becoming more prevalent. We are exposed to it through our smartphones, computers, televisions, and more recently the blinding headlights on peoples cars...drives me nuts. Luckily, there are ways we can block this type of light, including the use of apps on our electronics as well as special blue light filtering glasses. Other things that may help include practicing a sleep routine and avoiding strenuous exercise before bed. That way the brain can feel more relaxed before going to sleep [13]. Limiting caffeine intake can also be helpful in making it easier to fall asleep at night. Don’t worry, you don’t have to give up your morning cup of coffee. It's all about the timing and the amount we consume that matters. Caffeine's half life is about 5 hours. This means it can take around 10 hours or more for caffeine to fully detox out of your system, depending on your metabolism. This is why it’s best to consume early so that the body has time to detoxify before getting closer to bedtime [14,15]. For coffee lovers like myself, I recommend trying my ultimate favorite coffee alternative: Teeccino. I love their hazelnut and dandelion caramel nut flavors and it's a bonus knowing their teas provide beneficial prebiotics.
Get Moving
For many of us, our minds are over-stimulated by everyday stressors while our bodies are sedentary, increasing our risk for health problems. To get an idea of just how important it is to move your body, there was a study that found that being sedentary is actually more harmful for your health than smoking [16]. Scary right? Especially in this day and age where so many of us are working remotely. Thankfully there are different kinds of desk exercise equipment that may be helpful for some of us who are stuck on the computer for hours on end. Staying physically active not only reduces your mortality risk, but also offers a protective effect against stress and helps prevent depression [17,18]. Studies have found that exercise can improve mood and reduce stress by giving us a rush of endorphins while also increasing our endocannabinoids. Endorphins are hormones which are part of our body's own opioids; our natural pain relievers. While endorphins have been recognized as the main contributor of the “runners high” that is experienced after a run, endocannabinoids may actually be more involved [18,19]. Endocannabinoids are neuromodulators which help keep our bodies in homeostasis. One of the endocannabinoids we produce is known as anandamide, aka “the bliss molecule”. When we have lower levels of this molecule, we have higher incidences of anxiety [20,21]. This is why different forms of physical activity can be so beneficial for our mental health. Sometimes you may not feel like exercising, and that's ok, but hopefully this knowledge can be enough to motivate you to get moving a little more than you already do. There are many ways you can add physical activity into your life such as weight lifting, running, swimming and dancing to name a few. Even light movement such as yoga offers many benefits, because it not only keeps the body moving but also improves one's practice in mindfulness, which as you now already know offers many benefits [22].
Nourish Your Body
As a dietitian, I think of food as medicine and eating a well balanced diet is critical for your overall well being. A balanced diet is one that offers variety; incorporating all the colors of the rainbow from fruits, vegetables, herbs, and leafy greens so that you can gain the full spectrum of nutrients and antioxidants that these foods have to offer. What's an antioxidant? You may ask. Well, these are beneficial molecules that help protect your body from harmful free radicals. I know, what the heck is a free radical right? These are unstable molecules that can cause disease by damaging your cells. When your body is overrun by these free radicals we call this oxidative stress, hence the name “Anti”-“oxidant”. This is why eating antioxidant rich foods can protect your brain from neurodegeneration and other mental health problems [23,24]. Eating a lot of plant based foods not only provides you with the antioxidant rainbow as I like to call it, but it also provides prebiotic fibers which help feed and promote the growth of healthy gut bacteria [25]. These healthy bacteria are important because they manufacture vitamin K as well as B vitamins which are vital for brain function [26, 27]. Studies strongly suggest a relationship between the microbiome and mental health, in what we call “the gut-brain axis”. For example, the majority of serotonin, a chemical that promotes happiness, is produced in the gut where these bacteria play a large role in its production [28,29]. Other important nutrients for brain health are omega 3 fatty acids. Due to the increase in processed foods, the western diet doesn't provide the appropriate omega 6 to 3 ratio. While this ratio is supposed to be 2:1, the western diet is 20:1 meaning it’s significantly higher in omega 6’s and lower in omega 3’s [30]. Research shows that a lack of omega 3’s may lead to mental health problems and studies have found there to be an increased risk for depression and anxiety disorders associated with the western diet [30,31,32]. On the other hand, following an eating pattern such as the Mediterranean dietoffers plenty of omega 3’s as it incorporates fatty fish, nuts, and seeds onto your plate. I usually don’t advocate “diets’, but this one’s an exception being that it’s so liberal and provides your body with the variety of nutrients and antioxidants it needs. Although diet plays a large role in overall health, some people may have absorptive issues, in such cases, supplementsmay be beneficial.