Just as we take our car to a mechanic when we don't have the skills to repair it, if we have trouble managing our stress, it can be helpful to see a professional such as a psychologist to learn strategies to help manage and expose ourselves to stress.

This is especially true if the stress is triggered by insignificant events, which is more indicative of anxiety. A good indicator of anxiety is feeling stressed or worried more often than we feel relaxed, with difficulty managing worry. If this is accompanied by difficulty concentrating, recurring fatigue, a feeling of being constantly caught in a vice, irritability, feelings of tension, and/or sleep disturbances, it may even be generalized anxiety.

Whether it's stress or anxiety, one way to manage it is not to focus on what's causing the problems, but rather to look for solutions to achieve a healthier lifestyle: exercise, eat a healthy diet, get enough sleep, make time for activities that are important to you, etc.

Getting your behavior in order

There are many different ways to manage stress. Psychologists have proposed organizing these into a pyramid, the 4Ds pyramid (1): Distract, Dilute, Develop, Discover. The goal is to regain control over the activities that are important to you.

In some cases, behaviors will serve as a distraction, such as going for a walk in nature, listening to music, or engaging in physical activity. Others will serve to reduce stress, such as relaxation, self-hypnosis, and mindfulness meditation.However, the interventions that are likely to have the most long-term effects are those aimed at developing strategies to avoid completely escaping stress (remember that stress is positive) but rather allowing it to occur in acceptable amounts. This could be done, for example, by setting up a schedule that includes time specifically dedicated to worrying. Finally, behaviors that help discover and maintain an understanding of the problem can complement all of this. These can include talking to professionals, writing in a journal, or even talking to oneself to sort out one's thoughts.

Physical activity as a valuable ally

According to the model seen above, physical activity provides distraction and therefore helps regain control in the short term. Some authors even refer to it as an alternative to psychotherapy for managing anxiety (2).

A home exercise program can have several effects on chemical biomarkers and completely change our mood, even in the long term.

What kind of exercise? Well, a little bit of everything, whether it's cardio or low- or high-impact weight training, depending on what you like. Here too, it's possible to get help in choosing and creating a realistic program that you'll want to stick with over time.

And remember, physical activity is a form of stress! Perfectly controlled stress is a potentially useful tool for regulating hormones that malfunction due to prolonged, uncontrolled stress (3).

Sources : 

1. Mansell W, Urmson R, Mansell L. The 4Ds of Dealing With Distress – Distract, Dilute, Develop, and Discover: An Ultra-Brief Intervention for Occupational and Academic Stress. Front Psychol. 2020;11:3439.

2. Luan X, Tian X, Zhang H, Huang R, Li N, Chen P, et al. Exercise as a prescription for patients with various diseases. Journal of Sport and Health Science. 1 sept 2019;8(5):422‑41.

3. Eller-Smith OC, Nicol AL, Christianson JA. Potential Mechanisms Underlying Centralized Pain and Emerging Therapeutic Interventions. Front Cell Neurosci. 13 févr 2018;12:35.