Melissa Scollan-Koliopoulos of Sacred Heart University says she sees more people struggling with workplace stress.
Courtesy of Malte Mueller/Getty Images/fStop
There are plenty of ways to reduce stress. The trick is to start.
“We may not be able to relieve ourselves of the stressors that are coming at us from modern society,” said Dr. Robert Roose, of Trinity Health of New England. “Life doesn’t get easier. You need to do harder better.”
Article continues below this ad
About 75% of Americans say they are under stress, the American Institute of Stress reported last year.
This is likely the result of fewer hours of “downtime,” Dr. Kevin Gerard Kett , a cardiologist with Trinity Health of New England, told CT Insider. “We never really start to unwind,” he said. “We don’t disconnect.”
Americans have “normalized chronic stress,” Dr. Keith M. Bellizzi, professor of Gerontology in Human Development and Family Sciences at UConn-Storrs, told CT Insider, treating it as a choice “or even a badge of productivity rather than a serious risk to our well-being.”
Make CT Insider a preferred source on Google to see more of our journalism when you search.
Add Preferred Source
Chronic stress takes a cumulative biological toll, impacting sleep, inflammation, immune response and long-term disease risk, Bellizzi said. Yale Medicine links stress to a panoply of psychological and physical conditions, from heart disease, diabetes and hypertension to depression, addiction and anxiety disorders. Stress also accelerates aging, according to a 2021 study Yale researchers published in the journal Translational Psychiatry.
Article continues below this ad
Medical experts around Connecticut offered tips and tricks to help with stress management.
Structured routines
Dr. Stephanie Wemm, an associate research scientist at the Yale Stress Center, said she believes “structured routines,” whether that is getting up and going to bed at the same time or as exercising consistently, are helpful.
About 75% of Americans say they experience stress in their lives. Brief breaks can help, therapists say.
Courtesy of Maria Korneeva/Getty Images
Mindfulness and visualizations
Like many stress experts, she suggests mindfulness techniques, particularly the centering technique in 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.
Article continues below this ad
Remember what you enjoy
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 actions lower stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline and trigger the release of endorphins, natural brain chemicals that improve mood, according to Harvard Health.
Connecticut therapists say many people who experience workplace stress may find relief in nature.
Courtesy of Thomas Barwick/Getty Images
Movement
As for activity, Roose said, “Physical exercise is probably the most powerful intervention we have that can help people manage stress.”
Article continues below this ad
Before Melissa Scollan-Koliopoulos, a psychiatric mental health nurse at Sacred Heart University recommends any stress-reduction relief, she asks two critical questions: “Where is the stress coming from?” and “Where do you feel it in your body?” she said.
“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 you’re feeling sensory overload, maybe you need to just step outside get a little fresh air for a few minutes.”
Spirituality
Dr. Edna Rodriguez, 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.”
Article continues below this ad
Therapist say taking brief breaks from one’s workstation helps reduce stress.
Courtesy of Oscar Wong/Getty Images
Meditation apps, music
Scollan-Koliopoulos suggests meditation apps like Calm, can help with stress and sleep disturbances, which she said is a common source of stress. “Maybe some people are craving sleep and feel sleep-deprived,” she said. “Even a 10-minute nap can help. Set your alarm, go lay outside in the sun for a few minutes and try to reframe your thoughts.” She also suggests listening to music.
“Mindfulness and meditation can be powerful tools, but they’re not universal solutions. People vary widely in how they regulate stress, and for some, sitting quietly with their thoughts can actually feel frustrating or even counterproductive. From a resilience perspective, what matters most is not the specific technique but whether it creates a sense of regulation and recovery,” Bellizzi said.
Article continues below this ad
Get perspective
Managing stress should begin by embracing perspective, said Dr. Charles R. Herrick, a psychiatrist at Nuvance Health. “What is in your control and what is outside your control,” he said. “If it’s social media, set limits,” he said. “When you’re in a bad job, you tend to blame yourself and you don’t realize how much of it was is the environment of that job or the job itself until you leave it.” Herrick said 90% of stress can be managed with regular exercise, good sleep hygiene and moderate alcohol, caffeine and food intake.
“The important thing is to move,” he said. And to practice these consistently.”
Article continues below this ad
Bellizzi agreed, and said “It’s about finding approaches that align with how your nervous system responds.”