3, 2, 1…HAPPY NEW YEAR!! 2015 is officially upon us and with it all of the joys and stresses of the holidays are behind us. The in-laws have left town, but so has the free babysitting. All of the holiday cooking went off without a hitch, but now your belt feels a bit too snug. The kids loved all of their new toys, but now you’re working overtime to pay the credit card bills. Stress is a familiar companion to many of us, and at times can greatly affect our daily performance at work, home, and leisure.
How bad is stress on our health? Up until recently it has been thought that stress negatively affects our health and increases our risk for diseases and traumatic events such as heart attacks. In fact, a study published in 2013 found that higher amounts of stress increased your risk of dying by 43%, BUT only if you believed that stress was harmful to your health. For those study participants with equally high amounts of stress that did not believe stress was harmful to their health there was a 0% increase in risk of death. The amounts of stress did not change, but the participants mindset about stress did. This finding suggests that it is not stress that is the enemy of your health rather it is your perspective on stress!
Dr. Mike Evans, a physician and associate professor at the University of Toronto, focuses on a positive mindset as an effective means to prevent stress from harming our health. Dr. Evans describes how oftentimes stress in our lives is thought of as placing a force upon a stick, and eventually that stick is going to break. While this may be true in nature, it is not true in human nature. Our brain via our mindset affects how daily stressors impact our lives. In other words, we need to reframe our negative mindset about stress into a positive one.
A negative mindset includes the black and white model which goes like this, “I missed one day at the gym, so I might as well give up my whole resolution.” Or the fortune telling trap, “I know that I will fail to eat healthier, so I’m not going to even try.” With the new year comes many new uncertainties. Uncertainty in our lives can lead to worrying, which can lead to an increase in stress. A popular quote states, “Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its troubles, but rather today of its strength.” Letting go of our worries is an integral step to beginning our journey to reframe stress. We must learn to identify these mind traps and replace them with healthier mindfulness practices such as increased self-awareness, deep breathing,and letting go of always having to be in control.
With all that said we know that stress is not purely in the brain but throughout the body. Stressful situations lead to an increase in heart rate, release of stress hormones, sweaty palms, and constriction of our blood vessels. These responses can appear threatening however, health psychologist Kelly McGonigal encourages us to view these changes as our body preparing to rise to meet challenges. Stress hormones, for example Oxytocin, have receptors on the heart that increase the heart’s efficiency and output. Studies have shown oxytocin primes us to strengthen close relationships and increase our empathy. By enhancing our social contact and social support we are strengthening our body and creating a resilience plan to stress.
So, as you make your New Year’s resolutions this year consider making one to spend more time with your loved ones and friends. With your new techniques for reframing stress in hand, 2015 is setting up to be your best year yet!
Thank you Matt Lopez, our Physical Therapist Intern, for contributing to this article.