Stress is an evolutionarily determined response to internal or external factors that require immediate action by the body (Sapolsky, 2004).

The state of stress mobilises a large amount of energy that enhances performance for a short period of time (Selye, 1930). Usually this activation is reduced when the causes are removed and the body can quickly return to a state of normality.

In contemporary societies, however, it is often the case that the demands of the environment persist for a long time. This goes far beyond the body's ability to withstand a stressful situation. For example, economic deprivation, excessively long working hours, work days full of demands, family problems or chronic illness.

In these and many other cases, the stress response is not deactivated leading to resource depletion and side effects called 'metabolic syndrome' (Sapolsky, 2004).

In addition, it has been shown that chronic stress leads to habituation to such an extent that the person begins to get used to and lose awareness of the physical and social symptoms that characterise it.

The most common signs of the stress response are:

Presence of emotions such as anger, irritability, anxiety and depression

Muscle-tensive pains such as migraines, back pain, jaw pain, neck pain.

Digestive problems such as stomach acidity, gastro-oesophageal reflux, diarrhoea, constipation and irritable bowel syndrome.

Increased blood pressure, increased heart rate, sweating, trembling, shortness of breath or tightness in the chest.

Therefore, it is necessary to find useful strategies to reduce physiological activation and combat stress.

Awareness

The first step is to monitor the signals your mind and body show when you are under stress. Each person experiences this state differently and, therefore, it is necessary to ask: 'what do I think? What do I feel and what are the sensations when I am under stress? For example, some people have difficulty concentrating, others feel irritable and angry, while others experience fatigue and poor appetite.

Stress is a non-specific response, triggered by any situation perceived to be beyond one's strength It is therefore important to identify the daily events that lead to activating the stress response. Do they have to do with family? work? Home care?

Defining and taking note of these situations is very useful to combat stress and to prevent and manage its side effects.

Once you are able to recognise the signs of stress and the situations that trigger them, you need to manage the physiological activation inherent in the stress response.

Coping with stress

A second strategy is to take a step back from these situations and give yourself permission to take a break. Doing something to reduce stress will only improve the way you cope with it.

Some of these activities are presented below.

Physical exercise

Many studies have now shown that exercise has a powerful anti-stress effect (Jackson, 2013). When done regularly, exercise produces substances called endorphins. These counteract unpleasant feelings of stress and produce feelings of energy and vitality. The literature shows that even 20 minutes of walking a day can be beneficial for many hours.

Diaphragmatic breathing

The rhythm and type of breathing can have a great impact on the physiological aspects of the state of stress. In general, two types of breathing can be distinguished. High or clavicular, which involves the muscles of the chest, and low or diaphragmatic, which makes greater use of the diaphragm (the dome-shaped muscle used for breathing).

Usually in times of high stress due to muscle tension, people mainly use the first type of breathing. In doing so, however, they fill their lungs less and increase their breathing rate. In contrast, diaphragmatic breathing has a slower and more constant rhythm. The physiological activation of the body can be significantly reduced by this type of breathing.

To learn this type of breathing, it may be useful to lie on a bed and place your hands on your belly; if your belly swells during inhalation, then your breathing is diaphragmatic. If not, try very gently to inflate it with each inhalation. It is useful to emphasise that you do not have to make an effort to 'throw out' your belly. Just relax your abdominal muscles to make room for the contraction of your diaphragm.

Once you have mastered this type of stress-busting breathing, you can do short sessions of ten minutes a day. Breathing in should last for about three seconds and breathing out for five seconds. Lengthening the time for air to escape from the lungs naturally stimulates our relaxation response through the vagus nerve.

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