Day-to-day stress is unavoidable, but it does not have to turn into chronic
stress that negatively impacts your health. There are many ways to manage
stress – from daily activities like deep breathing to longer-term strategies like
counselling.
Finding a variety of techniques that work for you will help you build resilience and support your overall wellbeing for years to come.
Here are some more ideas to help you manage stress:
• Take deep breaths as outlined in IFM’s Breathing Techniques to Soothe the Soul
• Get at least 7 to 9 hours of quality sleep each night
• Exercise, but not too much
• Talk to a counselor or ask your functional medicine practitioner for a referral
• Start a gratitude journal
• Meditate
• Optimize your nutrition to support a healthy stress response (healthy protein and fats; a variety of colorful vegetables and fruits)
• Socialize with supportive friends or family
• Take a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course
• Create and reassess your “to-do” list; handoff things that others can help with
• Spend time in nature
• Do a digital detox (e.g., no electronic devices for 24 hours or a weekend)
• Reframe your self-talk (e.g., instead of, “They rejected my job application,” think,
“I wasn’t rejected. I’m being redirected toward something better.”)
REFERENCES
1. Yaribeygi H, Panahi
Y, Sahraei H, Johnston TP, Sahebkar A. The impact of stress on body function: a
review. EXCLI J.
2017;16:1057-1072.
doi:10.17179/excli2017-480.
2. U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services. Stress and your health. https://www.womenshealth.gov/mental-health/good-
mental-health/stress-and-your-health.
Updated March 2019. Accessed April 2021.
3. American Psychological
Association. Stress effects on the body. http://www.apa.org/topics/stress/body.
Published November
1, 2018. Accessed April
2021.
4. Vyas S, Rodrigues AJ,
Silva JM, et al. Chronic stress and glucocorticoids: from neuronal plasticity
to neurodegeneration. Neural
Plast.
2016;2016:6391686. doi:10.1155/2016/6391686.
5. Mravec B, Horvathova
L, Padova A. Brain under stress and Alzheimer’s disease. Cell Mol Neurobiol.
2018;38(1):73-84.
doi:10.1007/s10571-017-0521-1.
6. Wirtz PH, von Känel
R. Psychological stress, inflammation, and coronary heart disease. Curr Cardiol
Rep. 2017;19(11):111.
doi:10.1007/s11886-017-0919-x.
7. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. Tips for coping with stress. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/about/
copingwith-stresstips.html.
Updated November 2020. Accessed April 2021.