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Melissa Scollan-Koliopoulos of Sacred Heart University says she sees more people struggling with workplace stress.<\/p>\n
Courtesy of Malte Mueller\/Getty Images\/fStop<\/p>\n
There are plenty of ways to reduce stress. The trick is to start.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe may not be able to relieve ourselves of the\u00a0stressors that are coming at us from modern society,\u201d said Dr. Robert Roose<\/a>, of Trinity Health of New England. “Life doesn\u2019t get easier. You need to do harder better.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n About 75% of Americans say they are\u00a0under stress<\/a>,\u00a0the American Institute of Stress<\/a> reported last year.<\/p>\n This is likely the result of fewer hours of “downtime,” Dr. Kevin Gerard Kett ,<\/a> a cardiologist with Trinity Health of New England, told CT Insider.<\/a> “We never really start to unwind,” he said. “We don’t disconnect.”<\/p>\n Americans have “normalized chronic stress,”\u00a0Dr. Keith M. Bellizzi,<\/a> professor of Gerontology in Human Development and Family Sciences at UConn-Storrs, told CT Insider,<\/a> treating it as a choice “or even a badge of productivity rather than a serious risk to our well-being.”\u00a0<\/p>\n Make CT Insider a preferred source on Google to see more of our journalism when you search.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Chronic stress takes a cumulative biological toll, impacting sleep, inflammation, immune response and long-term disease risk, Bellizzi said. Yale Medicine<\/a> links\u00a0stress to a panoply of psychological and physical conditions, from\u00a0heart disease, diabetes and hypertension to depression, addiction and anxiety disorders. Stress also\u00a0accelerates aging, according to a 2021 study Yale researchers published in the journal Translational Psychiatry.<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Medical experts around Connecticut offered tips and tricks to help with stress management.\u00a0<\/p>\n Structured routines\u00a0<\/p>\n Dr. Stephanie Wemm<\/a>, an associate research scientist at the Yale Stress Center<\/a>, said she believes “structured routines,” whether that is getting up and going to bed at the same time or as exercising consistently, are helpful.<\/p>\n About 75% of Americans say they\u00a0experience stress in their lives. Brief breaks can help, therapists say.<\/p>\n Courtesy of Maria Korneeva\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Mindfulness and visualizations\u00a0<\/p>\n Like many stress experts, she suggests mindfulness <\/a>techniques, particularly the centering technique <\/a>\u00a0in which one focuses connecting to one’s senses by noting five things you see, four things you feel, three things you hear, two things you smell and one thing you taste. This technique is “great for high stress moments,” she said. Visual imagery or imagining a “safe place” is also helpful.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Remember what you enjoy<\/p>\n Wemm also suggests those dealing with stress make a list of the activities they enjoy, whether it’s gardening, walking or just spending time outside. “Taking the time to re-engage with these activities can go a long way to making you feel better,” she said. That’s because such\u00a0actions lower stress hormones like cortisol <\/a>and adrenaline and trigger the release of endorphins, natural brain chemicals that improve mood, according to Harvard Health.<\/a><\/p>\n Connecticut therapists say many people who experience workplace stress may find relief in nature.<\/p>\n Courtesy of Thomas Barwick\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Movement\u00a0<\/p>\n As for activity, Roose said, “Physical exercise<\/a> is probably the most powerful intervention we have that can help people manage stress.”\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Before\u00a0Melissa Scollan-Koliopoulos<\/a>, a psychiatric mental health nurse at Sacred Heart University recommends any stress-reduction\u00a0relief, she asks two critical questions: “Where is the stress coming from?” and “Where do you feel it in your body?” she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n “I’m just trying to find out is this stress cognitive, like a worry, where you’re worrying and perseverating, or are you feeling the physical stress, trapped in your body.” she said. She asks whether the stress is financial, social or stems from relationships. Determining the source of the stress helps Scollan-Koliopoulos develop targeted techniques for the individual, she said. For instance, she said many adults who feel workplace stress fell it in their bodies as muscle tension. “I’m going to work with them on listening to their body and really feeling mindfully present,” she said. “Try to take just some brief breaks because if\u00a0 you’re feeling sensory overload, maybe you need to just step outside get a little fresh air for a few minutes.”<\/p>\n Spirituality<\/p>\n Dr. Edna Rodriguez<\/a>, director of behavioral health at Trinity Health of New England advises connecting to something “greater than yourself.” She favors using cognitive therapy along with breathing techniques, but emphasizes, “we cannot do health without doing spirituality,” she said. “People are spiritual beings.”\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Therapist say taking brief breaks\u00a0from one’s workstation\u00a0helps reduce stress.<\/p>\n Courtesy of Oscar Wong\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Meditation apps, music\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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