Whether it’s preparing a work presentation, juggling your kids’ schedules, or dealing with a refrigerator that stopped working (right after your big trip to the grocery store, of course!), no one is immune from stress. Although it never really feels great, however, sometimes stress can actually be good for us.
Here, experts explain how different types of stressful situations can affect us and how you can turn that stress into something positive.
Stress can be good for you...
Generally, it’s better if stress is acute. “Acute stress is when the stress response is activated for a short period of time, such as for meeting a deadline or responding in an emergency,” says Neda Gould, Ph.D., director of the Mindfulness Program at Johns Hopkins Medicine. “This type of stress can motivate us to act.” That’s a good thing, right?
Yes, but how we react to taxing situations—even acute ones—also defines whether stress is good or bad. “An individual’s stress response determines whether the stress response remains adaptive or becomes maladaptive,” says Eric Rutkowski, M.D., assistant professor and associate program director of psychiatry at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.
For example, if you let stress help you meet a deadline, stress can be positive. But if you tend to ruminate on the “what if” scenarios that might occur if you don’t get your project done, stress becomes counterproductive and can affect both your mental and physical health.
“‘Normal’ stress associated with a purpose or achievement, like taking care of children or working hard and getting that promotion at work, may have less of an impact on your health than ‘meaningless’ chronic stress, like that experienced by sufferers of things like generalized anxiety disorder or other clinically diagnosable anxiety disorders,” says Rutkowski.
...But not if it becomes chronic
Both good and bad stress trigger similar physiological pathways, including physiological reactions such as an increased heart rate and a rise in blood pressure. “These are primitive, built-in responses,” says Shapiro. “If your body ramps up and then you’re back to baseline afterward, that’s fine. It’s chronic stress that becomes an issue.”
The duration of stress has a big impact on your body. “Chronic stressors due to issues such as persistent relationship, work-related, or financial difficulties can cause a prolonged elevation of cortisol and inflammatory markers leading to health issues such as elevated blood pressure, anxiety, or poor sleep,” says Hilary Shapiro, M.D., MSc, FACC, an assistant clinical professor in advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology at UC San Diego Health. “For many of us, it can be a slippery slope of acute stress becoming chronic stress.”
Chronic stress also can lead to or exacerbate mental health issues such as depression and anxiety, adds Gould. In fact, studies have found that people with depression or anxiety are more likely to experience heart attacks or strokes than people who don’t have those mental health conditions.
Signs that stress is affecting your health
With our often-frenzied schedules, it may be hard to tell when stress is taking a toll on our health. “We all get used to living with a certain amount of stress, so we may not be attuned to how it is affecting us,” says Shapiro. But consider that stress may be a contributing factor if you develop new or chronic health issues, such as:
- High cholesterol
- High blood pressure
- Concentration or memory problems
- Increase in abdominal fat
- Chronic pain
- Fatigue
- Depression and anxiety
How to cope with stress
Activities that are beneficial for us, such as good nutrition and adequate sleep, can help us deal with chronic stress. But research shows a number of techniques can help you deal with stress on a daily basis. “Short bursts of time that allow you to decompress and reset your system can re-ground you and prevent acute stress from becoming chronic,” says Shapiro. Try these simple, expert-approved methods for managing stress:
Get moving.
Regular exercise is best, but even short bouts of exercise, or “exercise snacks” can be beneficial to help manage stress, enhance productivity, and improve sleep.
Go outdoors.
Ample research is finding that getting a breath of fresh air and spending time in nature can help mitigate the effects of stress, says Shapiro.
Take a micro-break.
Feeling stressed about a specific task you’re working? Stop and take a few minutes for a short diversion doing anything that’s appreciably different from your current task to redirect your brain and decompress. Take a quick walk around the office or block, play with your pet, call a friend, or make a cup of tea.
Try relaxation exercises.
Different techniques work for everyone, but you can try guided imagery exercises that walk you through peaceful settings while you sit or lie in a comfortable space, says Gould. Or sample a few guided meditations. Even if you don’t have 20 minutes to relax, just a few minutes can help reset your brain.
Practice being in the moment.
Do a super-quick mindfulness exercise where you concentrate on each of your senses, focusing on what you can hear, see, smell, and touch right now in this moment. This technique redirects your thoughts so your brain isn’t churning fruitlessly, says Gould.
Breathe deeply.
If you’re feeling anxious, research shows that breathing exercises can help. Try a deep breathing technique such as “box breathing,” suggests Rutkowski. Breathe in for 10 seconds, hold for 10 seconds, breathe out for 10 seconds, and then hold there for 10 seconds, like a box. Repeat throughout the day or whenever you start to feel yourself getting ramped up.
Practice progressive muscle relaxation.
Choose to tighten then relax any muscle group, such as your hand; for example, clench your fist and hold for a few seconds, then follow with a slow release of the fist while counting down from 10, says Rutkowski.
Do something nice for yourself.
One recent study found that something as simple as buying fresh flowers for yourself may improve your mood, reduce stress, and boost morale.
Connect with people in real life.
“The importance of social interactions can’t be underestimated,” says Shapiro. Go ahead and meet up with your friends IRL; it’s a necessity, not a luxury, for helping you stave off the effects of stress.
Get some support.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed or find that you often focus on patterns of needless worry, talk to your doctor. Adaptive coping techniques, taught by a therapist, can help change how you interpret and respond to stress, says Rutkowski. Remember: Although all stress isn’t going away, you can find effective ways to manage it.
The bottom line
Different types of stressors affect our bodies in different ways—and they’re not all bad. The key is finding ways to manage stress and ensure it doesn’t become a chronic problem. The longer it lasts, the bigger toll stress takes on your health.
