Can You Prevent Stress?

Stress affects all of us from time to time, whether it’s related to work, family, or the state of the world. While it can be difficult to experience, eliminating stress from your life entirely is typically not realistic—and may not even be ideal. Read on to understand what the research says about stress and its role in our lives, from the possibility of prevention to strategies for coping.

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What is stress? 

The World Health Association (WHO) defines stress as “a state of worry or mental tension caused by a difficult situation.” It usually means our fight-or-flight response has been activated, which is a series of automatic, immediate physical and mental changes that are intended to help us address a direct threat. It used to help our ancestors survive encounters with predators or other types of immediate danger. Today, however, the stress response is more often activated as a result of non-threatening but challenging situations like a tight work deadline, health concerns, or news about global events.

Is stress always a bad thing?

Stress is often thought of and talked about as a negative thing, likely because feeling stressed is generally not an enjoyable feeling. However, it’s not necessarily accurate to view stress in an entirely negative manner. For example, lots of life changes that cause stress can be positive, including:

• Graduating from school
• Starting a new romantic relationship
• Moving to a new place
• Undertaking a major artistic project
• Having a baby

Of course, the stress caused by situations like these can still be harmful when it’s extreme and/or not properly managed. Apart from such instances, however, researchers have identified a different type of stress that may actually be helpful. Eustress, which the American Psychological Association defines as “the positive stress response, involving optimal levels of stimulation: a type of stress that results from challenging but attainable and enjoyable or worthwhile tasks” can be positive. Eustress may:

• Help people reach their goals
• Increase energy and motivation
• Boost focus
• Enhance resilience
• Support skill development, like planning ahead and problem-solving
• Improve cognitive functioning, enabling people to manage a larger mental load
• Strengthen relationships
• Promote self-improvement and personal growth

That said, these positive potential impacts of stress are typically limited to short-term stress, also known as acute stress, as opposed to long-term or chronic stress. 

Acute stress vs. chronic stress

Acute stress can be caused by both negative and positive situations. An example of an acutely stressful negative situation is needing to suddenly slam on the brakes because a car has cut in front of you on the road. An example of an acutely stressful positive situation is feeling your heart rate increase and your muscles tense up right before you’re about to go on stage to give a speech or presentation.

Both of these situations are likely to trigger the fight-or-flight response for a moment or two so you can have the mental and physical resources you need to attend to the challenge at hand. This is an example of short-term activation of the fight-or-flight response, which can be considered healthy because it doesn’t put too much sustained demand on the body. After all, fight-or-flight is intended for short bursts. It’s when this system is activated chronically over the longer term that you may begin to increase your risk of developing health problems as a result.

Chronic stress refers to ongoing situations where the body’s stress response is continually activated and often does not receive enough time to deactivate and reset to baseline before the next stressful situation occurs. Chronic stress can be associated with things like poverty, unhealthy or abusive relationships, demanding jobs, or ongoing health concerns. It has been linked to a number of damaging health effects, including:

• Higher blood pressure
• Obesity
• Depression
• Premature aging
• Cardiovascular disease
• Anxiety
• Immune system dysfunction
• Substance use disorders
• Some forms of cancer
• Worsening of pre-existing health conditions

Can you prevent stress?

Since chronic stress can have so many negative potential impacts, a person might wonder if they can prevent stress altogether. In many cases, as most people have personally experienced, they would have already eliminated major stressors if it were possible. Many are not within a person’s control, which means stress generally can’t be totally avoided.

Leaving situations that are causing you chronic stress is often recommended if possible, of course. However, when this is not possible, focusing on cultivating healthy ways to manage stress can be more realistic and helpful. 

Reflective lifestyle practices like meditation, journaling, and talk therapy may help a person notice patterns and changes in their emotional state over time. This heightened sense of self-awareness could potentially help them prevent certain life situations from escalating into chronic stressors. Surrounding yourself with supportive loved ones could also be helpful, since they may be able to help you recognize when your stress levels are rising so you can take action when possible. Finally, learning techniques to manage life’s unavoidable stressors may help improve long-term health outcomes and overall quality of life.

Ways to manage stress

There are many different techniques that may help a person better equip themselves to face life’s many potential stressors. Some of the following may be helpful to explore.

Reduce stress when possible

Again, it’s not always possible to avoid or reduce stressful situations, but taking even small steps towards these goals whenever you’re able to could make a difference. Some examples of ways to do this at work or at home could include:

• Prioritizing tasks according to importance and capacity
• Reaching out for help as needed
• Delegating when possible
• Taking frequent breaks
• Setting boundaries 
• Setting reasonable standards for yourself and avoiding perfectionism
• Practicing self-compassion when you fall short or make mistakes

Cultivate strong social connections

Social connectedness is linked to better mental and physical health overall as well as increased stress resilience. Friends, family members, and neighbors can offer emotional and practical support as you face life’s difficulties. They can also help you feel connected and increase your sense of belonging, and you can engage in enjoyable activities with them that may reduce stress levels and increase mental well-being, too.

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Try breathing exercises

When you’re feeling stressed in the moment, adjusting your breathing tempo can be one way to manually transition yourself out of a stress response. Belly breathing, in which you place one hand on your belly and try to slowly breathe into and out of your stomach, is one popular strategy. Another is the “4-4-4 method,” in which you inhale for a count of four, hold your breath for a count of four, exhale for a count of four, and repeat two to three times. Research suggests that breathing techniques may correlate with “increased comfort, relaxation, pleasantness, vigor and alertness, and reduced symptoms of arousal, anxiety, depression, anger, and confusion.”

Make self-care a part of your regular routine

Looking after your mental and physical well-being can help increase your resilience to stress and may also decrease your risk of developing stress-related illnesses. Regular self-care can include habits like eating nutrient-dense foods as often as possible, getting enough sleep, exercising regularly, and engaging in hobbies you enjoy. It can also include practices like setting boundaries, taking enough alone time, and reaching out for help when needed.

Speak to a therapist

Mental health professionals can be a key source of support in managing stress. That said, if your life is already stressful, adding in an additional in-person obligation like regular therapy appointments may not be ideal. In these situations, online therapy could be a beneficial alternative. With a platform like BetterHelp, you can get matched with a licensed therapist and attend virtual sessions from anywhere you have an internet connection.

A growing body of research on the topic suggests that online therapy may produce comparable outcomes to traditional in-person therapy, including when used to help manage stress. For example, results from one recent study indicate that a group of people who completed a course of online cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) reported significantly reduced symptoms of stress. The findings also reflect that their symptom reduction lasted for at least six months after their online therapy program ended.