your reflect stress test results
Based on your responses, your stress levels appear moderate, and it seems like you’re in a particularly stressful time right now. Your stress may be brought on by a variety of factors such as work, dating challenges, relationships with others, money worries, etc. One or more of those factors might be particularly rough right now — a really busy patch at work, relationship troubles, or a string of bad investments. Bigger life events such as a wedding or new baby can even be disruptive.
Being fairly successful in life, many of us learned to deal with stress by pushing through it, no matter how bad things get. Weather the storm in hopes of calmer waters. That’s actually bad. The negative effects of stress on our bodies over time have been widely studied. And it just takes one severe episode to take the wind out of our sails.
You’re probably finding yourself eating less healthily, or some of us go the other extreme and skip meals altogether. Or you might be taking ‘work hard, play hard’ a bit harder than normal and drinking or using drugs more frequently. These are all signs that the stress you’re experiencing needs your urgent attention.
Trying to push through stress ultimately catches up with us. And when it does, it’s not pretty. You might’ve noticed this stress starting to impact your daily life or relationships with others. This is all too common for those with crazy busy lifestyles, but the warning signs shouldn’t be ignored. Researchers at the University of Notre Dame and Queen’s University in Canada found that there’s a 40-60% chance those who experience certain levels of stress or depression will have another episode if left untreated.
Our team has compiled a list of strategies that can help you manage the moderate stress in your life and triage when you have more stressful periods to prevent a future burnout.
Please keep in mind, these are not meant to be clinical recommendations based on your specific situation but are rather general guidelines based extensive research in the field.
You’re probably finding yourself eating less healthily, or some of us go the other extreme and skip meals altogether. Or you might be taking ‘work hard, play hard’ a bit harder than normal and drinking or using drugs more frequently. These are all signs that the stress you’re experiencing needs your urgent attention.
Despite how you might be feeling, it’s imperative to avoid self-medicating. Alcohol and caffeine can aggravate anxiety and trigger panic attacks. These maladaptive coping skills over time and in conjunction with chronic stress are putting you even more at risk for developing a serious medical issue down the line.
Instead, find healthy alternatives to work out your frustration such as exercise. In addition to the obvious health benefits, it is one of the best ways to control daily stress in our lives and help us manage any flare ups that occur. Physical activity helps burn cortisol, a stress-induced chemical our adrenals release to prepare the body for a ‘fight or flight’ response — in excess, as with extended periods of stress, it can wreak havoc on our health, causing everything from weight gain and shorter life expectancy. Exercise also produces endorphins, chemicals in our brains that act as natural painkillers to reduce stress and improve our ability to sleep, which in turns makes us feel happier. Regular participation in aerobic exercise has been shown to decrease overall levels of tension, elevates and stabilizes mood, and improves self-esteem.
So instead of hitting happy hour after work, head to the gym or go for a run. Your mind, liver, and waistline will thank you for it.
Our busy lives can cause millions of thoughts to swirl in our heads — questions about the past, worries about the future. Those can add unnecessary stress, prompting our bodies to switch on ‘fight or flight’ response as if there was an immediate threat. This can be even worse for those with moderate to severe stress.
Mindfulness is an ancient Buddhist concept involving being conscious and aware of the present. It’s grown more popular recently as people have searched for ways to become more grounded and happy. And it can be helpful even in more intense situations. In addition to relieving stress, it’s been shown to treat anxiety, depression, couple’s conflict, and more.
One helpful mindfulness technique involves meditation, or the practice of quieting the mind through breathing. Find a few minutes to sit quietly and focus on your breadth. Close your eyes and alternate between deep breaths in and deep breaths out. Try to calm any thoughts that may come into your mind by refocusing on the breath. If you need additional help here are a few great mindfulness apps that can help you develop good habits.
Devoting even just 5 minutes each morning to this practice can be hugely beneficial, particularly during stressful periods in your life. And when you find your stress levels flaring up during the day, take a few minutes to find a quiet place to hit the pause button (like a conference room or quiet spot in the house between kid’s naps). It can do wonders to clear thoughts, reduce stress, and re-energize you.
Humans are innately social creatures. Social support actually has a biological effect by changing the balance of our hormones. Adequate amounts of social support are associated with increases in levels of a hormone called oxytocin, which functions to decrease anxiety levels and stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system calming down responses.
As such, connecting with other people can play a huge part in reducing stress. Having a positive social interaction someone else, face-to-face has been found to reduce stress, even when the stressful situation itself cannot be altered.
The problem is stress can cause us to pull away from the very people that can help. One in four people report that they have been alienated from a friend or family member because of stress, with 8 percent connecting stress to divorce or separation. When you’re stressed, it’s actually more important to make an effort to connect with others. You need to know you’re not alone.
Especially during bad periods, stress can cloud your judgment and prevent you from seeing things clearly. Try to find time to connect with friends or family and share how you’re feeling. Their shared empathy can do wonders in helping you change your outlook. Social interactions can also help you gain perspective, develop better coping skills, or find a solution that helps you change your situation.
Sometimes friends aren’t always readily available when our stress presents or we want an unbiased opinion to help us take action. It’s still important to have social support, particularly if your stress levels are escalating. That’s one of the main reasons we started reflect. We provide a sounding board to help you manage your moderate stress, identify insights, and create a plan to navigate these changes.
If you’re interested in learning more, click below to get matched to the right therapist for you and try for free.
