Everyone is stressed. You expect stress in the office. The interconnectedness of today’s society leads to additional stress.

But, did you know social stress can shrink part of the brain?

Studies have shown that removing stress leads to brain recovery. Your brain is typically goal-directed, focusing on completing activities for best survival. When you are hit with an acute stress, it becomes stimulus-driven and urges you to overcome an issue in this instant. If your brain is stimulus-driven too frequently or too intensely, it changes its configuration to operate in an environment that is stressful. The brain can recover with a change of environment.

Our individual sources of stress are different. No two people are affected by stress the same way. Find the technique to battle stress that works best for you.

Tips for Addressing Stress

Give your emotional circuits a break when you’re stressed. Don’t prolong your stress response by flopping down in a chair and stewing over it. Engage in an activity that takes your attention so you achieve self-control. Revisit the cause of stress when you’ve recovered, if it is useful to you.

If you are in a stressed state, you don’t have as much control over your cortisol levels. Your emotional circuits take the wheel. You only pick up the social cues that are negative. Recognize what is happening and try to spot positive social cues as well.

A brisk walk can help decrease your cortisol. You don’t have to engage in an intense workout immediately following a stressful event. This may help calm you down. Save the heavy workouts for other days to keep your body from being overstressed.

Listen as Dr. Mithu Storoni joins Dr. Holly Lucille to discuss how to address stress.