Stress, Stress Go Away, Come Again Some Other Day
By: Jessica Yu
It’s always there, lurking in the back of our minds, we close our eyes and will it away. “Will I be able to pay this month’s bill?”, “Will I be able to meet my work deadlines?”, “Will I be able to pass all my courses?”, “Will I land this job?”, “Am I good enough?”. Turbulent questions spin in our heads, spiraling us down a rabbit hole until we are numb or break. This is stress and it affects us all in a multitude of ways. I can still clearly remember a recent stressful time in my life. I was trying to balance completing my Master’s thesis, submitting an article for publication, working a part-time job and trying to find a full-time position at the same time. And at one point, I stopped taking breaks unless absolutely necessary, stopped checking in my mental health, and stopped doing things I enjoyed because I felt like I had no time. This led me to an eventual crash and burn and it took days to get back to my usual self, mentally and physically. Unfortunately, this is not uncommon and many of us lead hectic lifestyles where it feels like there is not enough time in a day to complete everything we need to do, exacerbating existing stressors, which in turn, can have negative consequences on our mental health.
The definition of stress
So what is stress exactly? From the APA Dictionary of Psychology, stress is “the physiological or psychological response to internal or external stressors… involves changes affecting nearly every system of the body, influencing how people feel and behave…By causing these mind–body changes, stress contributes directly to psychological and physiological disorder and disease and affects mental and physical health, reducing quality of life.” (1). Stress induces a cascade of chain reactions which can often lead to many unwanted effects involving many systems of the body (2). These unwanted effects or symptoms of stress can affect us cognitively (difficulties concentrating, constant worrying), emotionally (feeling unhappy, agitated, hopeless), physically (headaches, muscle tension, high blood pressure) and/or behaviourally (changes in sleeping patterns, decline in productivity) (3). Additionally, long-term stress is linked with increased risk of mental health problems such as anxiety and depression (3). Not all stress is inherently “bad” and certain types of stress responses can be beneficial. Particularly, short-term stress can be a healthy response, such as stress from an upcoming deadline can motivate us to work harder to get things done or even protect us from harm in dangerous situations by triggering the “fight-or-flight” response (3).
Although many people may share similar stressors, everyone’s threshold and tolerance for stress is different. The uniqueness between individuals for what counts as “stressful” can make it almost impossible to find a one-size fits all solution to de-stress. In our everyday lives, we are constantly bombarded with stressors and as one resolves, another comes up leaving us with no time to recover and it is this prolonged stress that becomes detrimental to our physical and mental health. That’s why it’s important to reflect introspectively on what makes you stressed, which stressors are the most harmful to you and determine ways to manage it.
Stress and mental health
The pandemic has brought on a new slew of stressors as the world tried to navigate a new “normal”. Reflecting back on the past 3 years, I can definitely say that I felt the mentally draining effects of uncertainty and stress due to the pandemic. I finished the final year of my undergraduate degree in the early stages of pandemic and hoping this was only going to last a few months, I dived right into graduate school. And how I was so wrong. I ended up completing my whole program remotely online, in the height of the pandemic. Not only was I stressed about all the usual worries that came with being a graduate student, there was new layer of stress brought on by the pandemic: “Will the pandemic ever end?”, “How can I keep my loved ones safe and healthy?”, “Will I ever get to experience taking graduate classes in-person?”, “What about all the experiences I’m missing out on while I’m learning online?”, “Will we ever go back to ‘normal’?”. While I am proud of what I’ve accomplished in these extraordinary times, I also couldn’t help but feel very burnt out.
And I wasn’t the only one feeling an unprecedented amount of stress due to the pandemic. According to LifeWorks’ April 2022 report, 46% of Canadians reported feeling more sensitive to stress compared to before the pandemic (4). More recently, Lifework’s February 2023 report found that 35% of working Canadians are at high mental health risk, this is more than double the 14% of working Canadians at high mental health risk in 2017-2019 pre-pandemic (5). Additionally, of the 35% at high mental health risk, 30% of this population reported a diagnosis of anxiety or depression (5). The impact of the pandemic on mental well-being is not only confined to working Canadians, Statistics Canada reported that as the pandemic progressed, there was a decrease in Canadians reporting very good or excellent mental health in all age groups (6).
The pandemic has also brought on a surge in remote care that has been acting like a double-edged sword when it comes to stress about our health. The availability of remote and digital care has continued a push towards “empowering” people to take care of their own health. It is important to recognize how this language of health empowerment is a product of living in a neoliberal society where health is positioned as an individual choice rather than something that is influenced by one’s social conditions(7). As a result, the shift to remote care has further disenfranchised those who have previously been left out of the healthcare system, such as the elderly; black, indigenous, and people of colour; and the homeless. These gaps in the system make it difficult or impossible for those who are marginalized to manage or avoid stressful situations. We need to continue to improve the accessibility of seeking mental health help, in ways that center the experiences of those who have historically been mistreated by the healthcare system.
Another prevalent source of stress for many is job stress. Job stress is defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as “the harmful physical and emotional responses that occur when the requirements of the job do not match the capabilities, resources, or needs of the worker. Job stress can lead to poor health and even injury.” (8). As mentioned earlier, short-term stress can be beneficial for productivity, however there is a fine line before it tips into long-term detrimental stress. Recently, more workplaces and employers are taking initiatives to help take care of their employees’ mental health with wellness programs and workplace counselors. Some places have even worked with researchers in piloting a 4-day work week that resulted in positive outcomes for both the business and employees’ well-being (9). Despite some improvement in the working environment, job stress remains prevalent and is a stressor that is often difficult to remove from our lives.
“Balanced as All Things Should Be”
So what helps you de-stress? Everyone one has different methods and hobbies that help them find a happy place during stressful times. It might take some trial and error until you find something that clicks, but this might be the perfect opportunity re-ignite the flames of passion for an old hobby, try out something that you’ve been putting aside, or even dive straight into something brand new. Personally, the best ways for me to de-stress is through hobbies and activities I can do alone while I recharge my social battery that I spent during the day. I enjoy reading, drawing, going for walks and baking. Other activities and hobbies that might help alleviate stress include going out with friends, exercising, knitting, gaming, journaling, and so much more. The important part is that you find something that you enjoy doing, not just doing out of necessity and it is something that will remove you from the stressful situation, even if just temporarily.
But what happens when it comes to burnout due to stress, when you can’t find the motivation to do what you normally enjoy doing? Perhaps try starting out small. We are our own harshest critic and during stressful times this might be amplified. Self-compassion, being mindful of our accomplishments no matter how small and acknowledging our hard work during stressful times can go along way in attaining a bit of inner peace. Conversely, you can try to remove the stressors or remove yourself from stressful situations as best as you can and finding supports such as through family, friends or help lines, if possible. If you find yourself in a situation where you need professional help to manage your stress, I have included a list of resources at the bottom of this blog post.
Like many things in life, moderation is key and that also applies to stress. Some stress is a healthy response, but too much of it will negatively impact our mental and physical well-being. We often don’t make time to check-in with ourselves, so if there’s anything to take away from this post, hopefully it’s to reminds us all to reflect, identify any stress present and proactively take steps to manage it the best we can.
Support Resources
Ottawa Region
Ottawa Distress Centre: (613) 238-3311
Mental Health Crisis Line: (613) 722-6914
Tel-Aide Outaouais: (613) 741-6433 (Ottawa) or (819) 775-3223 (Gatineau)
National
Talk Suicide: 1-866-277-3553 (Quebec), 1-833-456-4566 (All Other Provinces),
45645 (chat)
Kids Help Phone (Youth Under 20): 1-800-668-6868 or text CONNECT to 686868
First Nations and Inuit Hope for Wellness Help Line: 1-855-242-3310 (telephone support) or live chat at https://www.hopeforwellness.ca
Nunavut Kamatsaiqtut Help Line: 1-800-265-3333
Northwest Territories (NWT) Helpline: 1-800-661-0844
References
1. American Psychological Association. (2023). stress. Retrieved from American Psychological Association: https://dictionary.apa.org/stress.
2. O'Connor, D. B., Thayer, J. F., & Vedhara, K. (2021). Stress and Health: A Review of Psychobiological Processes. Annual Review of Psychology, 72, 663-88. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-062520-122331.
3. Stress. (n.d.). Retrieved from CAMH: https://www.camh.ca/en/health-info/mental-illness-and-addiction-index/stress.
4. LifeWorks. (2022). The Mental Health IndexTM report: April 2022. Retrieved from LifeWorks: https://lifeworks.com/en/resource/mental-health-index%E2%84%A2-report-april-2022.
5. LifeWorks. (2023). The Mental Health IndexTM report: February 2023. Retrieved from LifeWorks: https://lifeworks.com/en/resource/mental-health-index%E2%84%A2-report-february-2023.
6. Statistics Canada. (2022). Self-rated mental health decreases after another year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Retrieved from Statistics Canada: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/220607/dq220607e-eng.htm.
7. Ayo, N. (2012). Understanding health promotion in a neoliberal climate and the making of health conscious citizens. Crit. Public Health 22, 99–105. doi: 10.1080/09581596.2010.520692.
8. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. (2014). STRESS... At Work. Retrieved from Centres for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/99-101/default.html.
9. Lewis, K., Stronge, W., Kellam, J., Kikuchi, L., Schor, J., Fan, W., . . . Mullens, F. (2023). The results are in: the UK's four-day week pilot. Retrieved from Autonomy: https://autonomy.work/portfolio/uk4dwpilotresults.