6 Ways to Reduce Stress

Stress is a significant public health challenge. The Ipsos Global Advisor survey for World Mental Health Day 2022 found that most Americans feel the United States health care system places less importance on mental health than physical health, and the majority of adults reported experiencing high levels of stress over the last two years. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says mental health problems may occur as more adults deal with stress. In August 2022, more than 32 percent of adults in the U.S. reported having symptoms of anxiety or depression in the last two weeks.

The stress response gets a person through tough times, as the body rallies to evade a threat. Typically, when the danger subsides, the body can go back to business as usual. However, when stress is ongoing, it can cause harm like chronic inflammation. In addition, the constant activation of the immune system raises the risk for many adverse health effects, including heart disease and stroke.

Men and women experience stress differently. Debra Bangasser, Ph.D., and her colleagues at Temple University found that, in response to significant life stress, men are more likely than women to experience effects on the cognitive processes like memory. High job insecurity is a notable stress trigger for men.

It’s key to keep stress at a minimum for personal well-being.

These strategies can help:

Get active

Exercise will not make stress disappear, but it can relieve some of the emotional responses and clear thoughts to let you deal with problems more readily.

Use laughter

Harvard Health says laughter reduces stress hormones and is a way to experience joy, optimism and hope.

Reduce loud noises

Sometimes loud noises can trigger a stress response . It can make it hard to think and take you away from being mindful. Avoiding loud scenarios or wearing earplugs or noise-canceling headphones can help.

Avoid unhealthy habits

Some people turn to alcohol or smoking to deal with stress. Overall, these habits can exacerbate stress and lead to additional health problems.

Meditate

The Mayo Clinic says attention is focused to help calm the thoughts in the mind and give a sense of peace and calm. Meditation can include guided imagery, mindfulness and visualization exercises.

Connect with others

Meaningful relationships can create feelings of belonging. Feeling cared for and supported can help people cope with stress and be more resilient. Building connections involves reaching out to community, family or friends. Sometimes just talking things out with others as a sounding board can alleviate stress, especially when others share that they have experienced similar situations.

Stress can be detrimental to men’s overall health. Taking steps to reduce stress can improve quality of life.