Is Stress Good Or Bad For Your Health and Performance?
It’s Mental Health Awareness Month, so it’s a great opportunity to talk about stress, and its impact on mental and physical health.
So, is stress good or bad for your health and performance?
Well, it’s both.
Let’s review the differences between good and bad stress, look at some examples of each type, and break-down 5 lifestyle habits that can help you manage your stress while improving your health, fitness, and overall wellbeing.
Good Stress vs. Bad Stress
Stress either builds you up or breaks you down.
Eustress, or good stress, gives you energy to overcome short-term adversity.
Whether it’s a growing your muscles or going after one of your goals, eustress helps you focus your energy so that you can achieve your goals.
It’s similar to the feeling you get before giving a big speech, nerves before a competition, or going on a first date with someone you’re excited about meeting.
Your heart rate accelerates and even though the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline flood the body, the effects aren’t long-lasting, which means that they don’t have a negative impact on your health.
A Few Good Stress Examples Include:
An intense workout
Starting a new job or project
Going on a date
Anticipating an upcoming test or exam
Preparing for an important speech or deadline
Distress, on the other hand, is considered long-term and can impact your quality of life, and your ability to achieve your goals.
You don’t get the opportunity to recover from the fight-or-flight effects your body is experiencing. When distress goes unaddressed, it can cause your physical and mental health to suffer.
For example, while focusing on a deadline can cause good stress that enhances performance in the short-term, constantly feeling under stress about never-ending deadlines can lead to decreased performance.
If gone unaddressed, distress can leave you feeling exhausted to the point where you feel like giving up.
A Few Examples of Distress Include:
Grief and loss
Toxic work environment
Illness or hospitalization
Relationship strain
Regularly working out intensely without enough recovery
The chronic stress you undergo changes your entire way of physical, psychological, and physiological functioning. When you’re in a constant state of fight-or-flight, your digestive, immune, circulatory, endocrine, and reproductive systems do not operate optimally.
Over time, the follow mental and physical health issues might occur:
Trouble focusing
Anxiety
Burnout
Depression
Sleep Issues
High blood pressure
Chronic pain
Injuries
Decreased fitness
Decreased ability to build muscle
6 Tips For Addressing Distress:
Start by practicing these 6 habits that will make a tremendous impact on your ability to regulate your stress levels, and reap the benefits of eustress.
1. Focus On What You Can Control
While there’s so much you can’t control, focusing on things that you can control can help you feel calmer and more capable of taking your next action step.
You have total control over your actions, your mindset, and your effort.
You have some control over your home and work environment, your schedule, and who is on your support team.
Make a list of the things that are within your control right now. Commit to focusing on and acting on those things, rather than the ones beyond your total control, like the thoughts and actions of others.
2. Find a Balance of High-Intensity and Low-Intensity Movement
Exercise and other physical activity produce endorphins-chemicals in the brain that act as natural painkillers-and also improve the ability to sleep, which in turn reduces stress.
As little as 10 to 15 minutes of movement at a time can help you release anxious thoughts and boost your mood.
For the best results, balance your intense lifting and cardio days with lower intensity movement like walking, play, and mobility outside the gym.
3. Nourish Your Body
Try incorporating some of these foods into your meals to reduce stress and anxiety:
Fatty fish, such as salmon, trout, sardines, and tuna
Leafy green vegetables
Oatmeal
Berries
Fermented foods like sauerkraut and kimchi
Lean meats
Spices like ginger and turmeric
Dark chocolate
Hydration plays an important role in performance, injury prevention, and recovery. Water makes up nearly 75 percent of every cell in your body, making its replacement during and after exercise essential to everyday health.
Aim for a minimum of half your bodyweight in ounces, and include additional water when training intensely and in hot weather conditions. Electrolytes will support healthy hydration levels as well. Magnesium, potassium, and sodium help direct the flow of water in and out of cells, helping to support rehydration and muscle repair.
4. Mindfulness Your Way
Meditation can help you stay centered in the present moment and reduce feelings of fear and anxiety. However, if traditional meditation isn’t your thing, find a way to make it work for you.
Consider going for a walk or seeking out time in nature without technology. If you need to bring your phone, silence your notifications and put on instrumental music or a walking meditation using your favorite app.
Also, pay attention to how you’re breathing.
When you’re stressed, you tend to breathe fast, shallow, and into the chest. Shift your focus from chest to controlled, nasal breathing. Nasal breathing will slow down your heart rate and center your thoughts. Try 8-10 focused breaths after your next workout, when you need a break in your day, or before bed.
4. Set Unapologetic Boundaries
Setting boundaries around what and who you allow in your life is an important part of stress management. Sticking to those boundaries can be challenging but rewarding. Prioritize managing your time more effectively and staying centered on your goals.
5. Get Involved In Your Community & Ask For Help
Social support is crucial for mental and physical health; however, it’s especially important during times of distress.
According to Susan Albers, a psychologist for Cleveland Clinic, “Studies have indicated that volunteering is great for your mental health. It has been shown to decrease stress levels, depression, anxiety, and boost your overall health and satisfaction with life.”
Find an organization that aligns with your values and talents, and offer your time. If time is not something you have, but financial resources are, consider donating to a local cause.
In addition to community engagement, seek out trusted friends, family, and community to talk to about what’s going on.
If you find it challenging to open up to people in your circle, seek the objective help of a mental health professional. You’ll be able to freely express your feelings in an unbiased environment. You can also use therapy as a preventive tool before you feel like you need it.
If you want support around the nutrition, lifestyle, and exercise pieces, reach out to a qualified nutritionist, dietician, or coach to support your efforts.
You don’t need to do this alone.
Conclusion:
By now you know that eustress is a key piece of growth inside and outside your workouts, while distress can lead to poor health and fitness outcomes.
As humans, both good and bad stress is inevitable; however, the way you take care of yourself will make all the difference to your health and performance.
Like physical health, much of mental and emotional health comes from what we practice daily.
Small actions practiced consistently over time add up.
No matter how small the effort, start today.
Julie Shiller is the owner of The Other 23 Hours Coaching, a personal training and lifestyle coaching business serving Palm Springs, CA and the world.
Julie started her career in the social work field before transitioning to the health and fitness space.
She brings a holistic mental and physical health perspective to her decade + of experience working with training clients from all walks of life
She specializes in working with athletes 35+ who want to feel their best inside and outside the gym.
Shiller holds high-level certifications as a Pain-Free Performance Kettlebell and Performance Specialist, Precision Nutrition Coach, and Sleep, Stress Management and Recovery Coach.
Before becoming a coach full-time, Julie earned her BA in Sociology from the University of Hartford and her MSW from the University of Denver.
The Other 23 Hours strength and conditioning program is Julie’s signature coaching membership that emphasizes the importance of rest and recovery first in order to optimize sleep, fitness, and health outside the gym.
She is also the co-host of The Other 23 Hours Podcast with her wife, licensed clinical social worker, Kelsey Hopson-Shiller. They recently relocated to sunny Palm Springs, California with their black lab, Millie and tuxedo cat, Mustache.
When she’s not working, you can find Julie on the hiking trails or exploring a coffee shop in her new desert home. She believes that the key to living your fullest, boldest life is all about balancing our challenging efforts with intentional rest and recovery.
