From the worrying cost of living to devastating world events, stress has never been such a hot topic. Now one of the leading causes of long-term sick leave in the UK, one in three adults state they ‘always’ or ‘often’ experience high or extreme levels of stress at work.
It isn’t just the workplace that creates high amounts of stress; even positive changes, like a promotion or moving home, can cause it. While everyone experiences stress differently, almost all of us deal with it. There are currently over 100,000 books on Amazon about dealing with stress: how to manage it, recover from it…or get rid of it altogether.
But despite the topic’s pervasiveness, we still don’t understand stress very well. Stress itself isn’t an entirely bad thing that we need to eradicate. As the body’s natural response to a perceived threat, it’s essential for human existence, and one of the reasons why we’ve thrived as a species. Studies even show that lower levels of stress can strengthen neuron connections in your brain, improving memory and focus, and helping you become more productive.
It’s typically only when stress is excessive, chronic, or unmanaged that it becomes a problem. But the good news is, there are plenty of ways to manage stress and prevent it from becoming unhealthy.
One of the most helpful first steps in stress management is to understand it. So, to delve deeper into this crucial topic, we spoke to Neil Shah, founder of The Stress Management Society, the UK’s leading authority on stress management issues.
Neil helps us explore some of the most common views on stress – and consider how we can separate fact from fiction.
1. “Stress causes medical problems” – FACT
“You cannot separate your psychology from your physiology,” Shah told Rest Less. “Something that affects your mental and emotional wellbeing is going to have a physiological effect.”
This is because when you’re stressed, your body enters survival mode, triggering the release of hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. These hormones redirect resources, like oxygenated blood, from other parts of the body, sending them to the arms, legs, hands, and feet, and activating a ‘fight or flight’ response.
These resources are taken from systems not relied upon in moments of danger: usually the digestive, reproductive, and immune systems. While this is helpful for a true survival situation, shutting down the supply of oxygenated blood from these systems can be problematic. It can cause digestive issues like constipation and diarrhoea, and exacerbate existing conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and acid reflux. Limiting blood to the reproductive system can cause erectile dysfunction and menstrual irregularities.
Reducing blood flow to the immune system can cause problems, too. “Anyone who’s experienced high degrees of stress knows you’re more susceptible to bugs and bacteria, you’re more likely to come down with colds and flus,” Shah says. “Because your immune system is quite literally suppressed.”
Stress can also cause higher brain function to shut down – because in survival situations, we don’t need to solve complex problems or think laterally. “This is why we make irrational, reactive decisions when we’re stressed,” Shah told us.
These are just some of the short-term effects of stress. Long-term stress can also lead to some of the most common fatal metabolic disorders like heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, and stroke by affecting lifestyle choices such as sleep, exercise, socialisation, and increasing the likelihood of turning to unhealthy coping mechanisms. Which leads us to the next topic…
2. “Alcohol will ease stress” — FICTION
In the UK, alcohol is one of the most common ways to self-medicate stress, and many of us may open a bottle of beer or wine after a difficult day. A common misconception is that, because it’s classified as a depressant, alcohol can cause feelings of relaxation. But this is misleading, Shah says. “Technically speaking, alcohol is known as a biphasic substance, which means it does different things based on the quantities you consume.”
When people turn to alcohol to self-medicate stress, it’s often in smaller amounts – for example, a glass or two of wine, a gin and tonic, or a couple of beers. In those quantities, alcohol is a stimulant. And, when you’re stressed, the body is already in a highly stimulated state – so consuming alcohol is entirely unhelpful. “It isn’t rocket science,” Shah says. “If you have a stimulated body, and you put more stimulants in – guess what? – it doesn’t get relaxed.”
Drinking to excess won’t help with stress, either. In higher quantities, alcohol is a depressant, so it can make you feel low, and studies show it can also increase feelings of anxiety.
The perceived relaxation from alcohol and other harmful substances, like cigarettes, is often due to the associated behaviours around the activity. For example, if you’re smoking, you’re usually taking a break, or going outside to get fresh air. If you’re having a drink, you’re often removing yourself from a stressful situation, whether that’s making a drink in your kitchen or going to a pub or bar.
So, if you believe drinking alcohol does help you deal with stress, try to examine whether it’s the rituals and actions associated with drinking, not the drink itself, that you find soothing. You could try making yourself a non-alcoholic cocktail or drinking a 0% beer. Rather than going to a bar for a break, try going for a quick walk. You may well find that it’s the activity and action that’s helping, not the alcohol itself.
3. “Physical activity always helps” – TRUE
Exercise is often considered the best antidote to stress – but according to Shah, this isn’t the right term to use. “Physical activity is the antidote, not exercise, because the term ‘exercise’ can have negative connotations.”
Different forms of exercise also have different effects on our body, and studies suggest that very high-intensity exercise can, under certain circumstances, exacerbate stress. This is because it can lead to elevated levels of cortisol, the ‘stress hormone’, which can cause heightened symptoms of physical stress.
Physical activity can include gentle exercise, like taking a walk, going for a swim, or riding a bike. “The moment you move your body, you’re going to start burning off the stress hormones,” Shah says, “and anyone who’s ever done physical activity during a period of stress will know that you feel better after. Because, biologically speaking, physical activity is quite literally what your body is expecting during these moments.”
Physical activity releases mood-boosting substances, like serotonin and endorphins, and encourages deep breathing, which increases oxygen intake. When you factor in that taking deep breaths is one of the most basic stress management techniques, we can see why physical activity has such a powerful effect.
Shah told us, “We’ve already considered how what affects your psychology affects your physiology – but also, the quickest way to change your psychology is to change your physiology. The two are connected; you can’t separate them.”
4. “You lose weight when stressed” – FALSE
While some people do experience a loss of appetite when stressed, the idea that it’s normal to lose weight isn’t particularly accurate. Stress can lead to both weight loss and weight gain, but the latter is far more common – and there are two reasons for this.
The first is behavioural: “When you’re stressed, you’re more likely to emotionally eat and reach for junk food, comfort food,” Shah says – and multiple studies show that stress increases the consumption of foods high in fat and/or sugar.
The second reason is biological. “The body’s ability to metabolise fat diminishes considerably when we’re stressed,” Shah tells us. “You’re more likely to gain weight, even if there are no dietary changes.”
There’s also a wide body of evidence showing that elevated cortisol levels, triggered by stress, promote fat storage around the stomach. And, even if you do lose weight when stressed, the chances are very high that you’ll regain it.
“If you lose weight because you’ve put yourself in a famine state, the moment you start eating again, your body stores more as fat,” Shah warns. “So in the short term, you might lose weight, but actually, you’ll likely yo-yo back up and put on more weight than you lost in the first place.”
So, as a weight loss strategy, stress is fundamentally flawed. However, there are ways that controlled exposure to stress can have a positive impact on weight loss: starting your day with an ice bath, for example, can help burn body fat.
5. “If you’re stressed, there’s nothing you can do about it” – FALSE
If stress exists because of life circumstances, and changing the situation or removing yourself from it isn’t possible, some people think stress simply has to be tolerated; that it’s a storm that must be ridden out.
“This is unequivocally false,” Shah asserts. “Simply searching online for stress management techniques returns tens of millions of responses.” Just check out two of our articles, 9 simple stress relieving activities and 7 tips for coping with stress and anxiety, to get a few instant ideas.
Understanding the concept of personal power can be instrumental in managing stress, too. “If you look up the word ‘power’ in the dictionary, it means ‘the ability to do or act’. It doesn’t matter what predicament you’re in, there’s always something you can do.”
Looking back through history, we can see that the people who were able to survive uniquely challenging environments, like concentration camps or shipwrecks, all had something in common. “They were able to use their mind to think: ‘There is something I can do, I can find a way through this, I will survive.’” Shah says. “Because hope inspires action.”
Today, it’s scarily easy to become consumed by depressing news stories, or endlessly doomscroll on our phones, but it’s important to look after ourselves. If you find the constant exposure to negative news overwhelming, take steps to curate your information to maintain a more balanced, positive perspective.
It’s also important to make sure we don’t take on too much and dedicate enough time to self-care. Things like meditation, media detoxes, spending time in nature, and practising gratitude are all excellent ways we can look after ourselves and feel more peaceful.
“Often, it feels very selfish to look after yourself. I would say it’s the most selfless thing you can do. When you take care of your own needs, you have more capacity to show up for others,” Shah advises. “People who look after themselves have more capacity to effect positive change than people who are tired or stressed. We need to put our own oxygen mask on first, like they tell you to do on a plane, before we help others.”
Final thoughts…
Stress is a natural part of life, and often, the factors that cause or contribute to it are unavoidable. But learning to manage our stress levels is one of the most important things we can do – not just for our mental wellbeing, but for our physical health, too.
If you’d like to find out more about managing stress, check out the resources hub on Stress.org.uk. Or why not think about attending The Stress Management Society’s free monthly webinar? Hosted by leading stress experts, these live webinars offer practical techniques for managing day-to-day pressures, explore specific wellbeing topics, and provide attendees with valuable insights and actionable strategies.
Are you currently struggling with stress – or have you dealt with high levels of stress in the past? Perhaps there are some stress management tips you’d like to share with our readers? We’d be interested to hear about your experiences in the comments below.