Finding Calm in Chaos: How to Beat Stress During Challenging Times

Admit it, we tend to loosely use the word “stress” to describe certain inconveniences that come our way. We can’t really be blamed though. Imagine starting the day forgetting your wallet at home, or spilling coffee on your white shirt, or realizing too late that you are a day away from a deadline— “Nakaka-stress!”  (It's so stressful!) As it is taken lightly as a term at the workplace and in our daily lives, “stress” unwittingly loses its real meaning, thus can lead to mismanagement or even neglect. So how do we know if we are already experiencing stress? What do we do about it?

Oxford defines stress as “a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances,” and it is not necessarily negative at all. Stress can be a helpful reminder for our body, a trigger to our biological “fight or flight” response during compromising situations. In small doses, stress can motivate efficiency and performance in a person. But too much of everything can be dangerous. When stress is experienced on a regular basis, it can lead to chronic stress and eventually contribute to psychological effects such as burnout and serious mental health issues.[1]

To help us address this, below is a comprehensive list of different symptoms for stress:

Cognitive symptoms:

Memory problems

Inability to concentrate

Poor judgment

Seeing only the negative

Anxious or racing thoughts

Constant worrying

Emotional symptoms:

Depression or general unhappiness

Anxiety and agitation

Moodiness, irritability, or anger

Feeling overwhelmed

Loneliness and isolation

Other mental or emotional health problems

Physical symptoms:

Aches and pains

Diarrhea or constipation

Nausea, dizziness

Chest pain, rapid heart rate

Loss of sex drive

Frequent colds or flu

Behavioral symptoms:

Eating more or less

Sleeping too much or too little

Withdrawing from others

Procrastinating or neglecting responsibilities

Using alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs to relax

Nervous habits (e.g. nail biting, pacing)

Self-care is more of a lifestyle than a one-time, impulsive ice cream purchase. As stress can manifest in all aspects of our well-being, it is better to develop a healthy lifestyle than opt for a quick fix. Harvard Medical School (of Harvard University) published a list of skills that can help cope with stress:

1. RELAXATION STRATEGIES. Relaxation helps counter the physiological effects of the fight-or-flight response. For example, progressive muscle relaxation helps reduce muscle tension associated with anxiety. To practice this skill, sit comfortably with your eyes closed. Working from your legs upward, systematically tense and relax each major muscle groups. Hold the tension for 10 seconds; release tension for 20 seconds. Each time you release muscle tension, think “relax” to yourself. This skill and many other relaxation strategies can help reduce symptoms of anxiety.

2. PROBLEM-SOLVING. Problem-solving is an active coping strategy that involves teaching people to take specific steps when approaching a roadblock or challenge. These steps include defining the problem, brainstorming potential solutions, ranking the solutions, developing an action plan, and testing the chosen solution.

3. MINDFULNESS. Mindfulness is the ability to pay attention to the present moment with curiosity, openness, and acceptance. Stress can be exacerbated when we spend time ruminating about the past, worrying about the future, or engaging in self-criticism. Mindfulness helps to train the brain to break these harmful habits. You can cultivate mindfulness skills through formal practice (like guided meditation) and informal exercises (like mindful walking), or try mindfulness apps or classes. Mindfulness-based therapies are effective for reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety.

4. REAPPRAISING NEGATIVE THOUGHTS. Chronic stress and worry can lead people to develop a mental filter in which they automatically interpret situations through a negative lens. A person might jump to negative conclusions with little or no evidence (“my boss thinks I’m incompetent”) and doubt their ability to cope with stressors (“I’ll be devastated if I don’t get the promotion”). To reappraise negative thoughts, treat them as hypotheses instead of facts and consider other possibilities. Regularly practicing this skill can help people reduce negative emotions in response to stressors.

[1] LeBlanc, Nicole J, and Luna Marquez. “How to Handle Stress at Work.” Harvard Health Blog, 15 Apr. 2019, www.health.harvard.edu/blog/how-to-handle-stress-at-work-2019041716436.