As living beings in this world, stress is not an unfamiliar concept and experience. In fact, it is so familiar that for many people, stress is a permanent, parasitic part of one’s existence. Today’s millennials are officially the most stressed out generation ever1 (though we probably did not need a statistic to convince us of that). Resultantly, 63% of us are at a high-risk for developing mental health issues2. To put the healthcare implications of these statistics into perspective, two thirds of all family doctor visits are due to stress-related symptoms3. Stress is stressful to think about. As students, we’re all familiar with the stress of writing a midterm or defending a thesis. Ideally, the stress response shouldn’t linger for too long and the body is able to go back to its homeostasis. The problem emerges when our stress is mismanaged, resulting in a chronically stressed state that not only affects our physical health, but also, profoundly, our mental.
To briefly explain the physiology of stress, the example of a caveman (or a cavewoman!) fleeing from a giant tiger is often used. Our muscles tense up, pupils dilate, heart beats quickly as we mentally get ourselves ready for a fight or flight. Stress is our body’s way of protecting us. The key player in the response is a well-known hormone called cortisol, the levels of which increase during said response and cause many of the mentioned downstream reactions. We become hyperaware as all of our energy is used towards saving our lives. Now, one can imagine the toll on our body when such a response is constantly maintained. Our immune system is supressed, our risk for cancer and cardiovascular issues is increased, our digestive and reproductive systems are disrupted and even our aging is sped up! Moreover, chronic stress negatively impacts mental health. The physiological explanation about the various impacts of stress on the brain is complicated, but it is undoubtedly one of the primary precipitating agents in many mental disorders. Chronic stress has been shown to lead to anxiety, depression, irritability, suicidal thoughts and substance abuse – just to name a few. People with chronic stress often feel helpless, easily overwhelmed and are also more likely to be avoidant and intolerant of others. One’s life becomes negatively impacted from virtually every angle.
The good news? You can “break the wheel”, as Daenerys Targaryen once said (FYI, reading is great for stress reduction). One of the best and most effective ways is, of course, movement and exercise (perhaps it’s not so bad that our only Starbucks is all the way in Accolade East now is it?). Unfortunately, you may also want to cut the caffeine a bit since it contributes to higher cortisol levels. Also, laughter has been shown to significantly decrease stress – even if you don’t actually find that prof’s chemistry joke that funny (“making bad chemistry jokes because all the good ones Argon!” – you may have heard it a million times but the health benefits of smiling alone are worth it!). Finally, try to find an activity that brings you mindfulness and silences the ongoing mental chatter. It might be meditation, drawing, writing, knitting, running, painting nails, making origami out of your York parking tickets, becoming a part of a book club and more. Importantly, becoming aware of one’s stress is key to managing and reducing it, in turn making your life longer, happier and healthier.
