Un-Stress Yourself (Draft)

Reading time: about 5 minutes

Hey Brothers,

I’m Len. Welcome back to the LenDentonThrive Letter. 

Wow! The world sure seems like a stressful place these days! 

Current global events, combative politics, inflation, a tense job market, negative news and social media. It seems that stress is the background music of our modern life.

And, it’s getting worse!

A recent study done by the American Psychiatry Association showed that 43% of American adults feel increasingly anxious in 2024, as compared to 37% in 2023. For men, the main stress-causing factors include:

• Economic pressures - financial worries, the high cost of living, and debt

• Work and career stress - workplace stress, job insecurity, and work-life boundaries

• Societal and political climate - political polization, doom-and-gloom news cycles, social unrest

• Health and family concerns - chronic illness, marriage problems, elder care   

There is a lot going on! And, these factors can all add up over time. And, for most men, the strategy is to simply tough your way through it! But, that might not be the best thing for us to do!

Why Stress Matters

Chronic stress is more than an annoyance that we just have to live with. It’s corrosive, and unhealthy! And, over time, it takes a toll on your overall health and well-being. 

Chronic stress is associated with increased risks of the following health conditions:

• Cardiovascular Disease - with increased blood pressure and cholesterol, along with increased risk of heart attack or stroke.

• Diabetes and obesity - persistent stress leads to higher levels of cortisol, a hormone associated with fat retention and weight gain, and ultimately, diabetes.

• Sexual dysfunction - stress can lower testosterone, cause erectile dysfunction, and also decrease fertility

• Digestive problems - stress can cause heartburn, acid reflux, and ulcers 

• Mental health disorders - excessive stress can trigger depression, anxiety and even suicidal thoughts (especially in men prone to withdrawal)

• Premature aging - persistent stress is linked to faster aging, including impacts on cognitive decline.

In summary, unmanaged, long-term stress can lead to a host of life-altering ailments. The overall cost of stress in the United States is enormous, estimated at over $300 billion annually for businesses and $280 billion for the national economy due to factors like mental and physical health costs, lost productivity, and absenteeism.

So next, let’s look at some steps we can all take to reduce the stress we face in our daily lives.

10 Ways to De-stress Your Life

While it’s not practical to completely remove all stress from our lives, it’s possible to reduce the amount of stress we must deal with every day. Here are 10 ideas that men can apply in their own lives to reduce the amount of stress they are faced with on a regular basis.

1. Focus on things you can control - to change the world, start with youself! We can’t control what happens in Washington, DC. But, we can change our own environments to minimize or eliminate stressors. Focus on the things you have control over. 

2. Limit access to news and social media - Media (like network news and social media platforms) are designed to engage you and hold your attention. They do this with emotional lead-ins and hooks. To avoid the rage sessions the news organizations have planned for you, reduce your access to news and social media. Stop the endless doomscrolling. Instead, to stay informed, scan the headlines and move on. Then, spend 30 minutes a week deep-diving into the stories that actually matter to you. 

3. Sanitize your circle - we all have friends, relatives or colleagues that are constant sources of stress in your life. To reduce the stress created by these relationships, reduce the amount of time and energy you invest in them. Instead, focus your time and energy on relationships that create energy in your life rather than those that consume it.

4. Reduce stress-inducing activities and work - whenever possible, reduce work activities that are naturally stressful, while seeking out high-value, low-stress activities.

5. Take more walks - whenever you are feeling stressed, take a walk. And, taking a walk in nature earns bonus points. Learn more about the power of walking here.

6. Pray/Meditate - spending time in prayer and meditation is a way to relax your mind and focus on deeper meaning. When you are in prayer or meditation, you aren’t focusing on the stressors.

7. Practice Gratitude - gratitude reduces stress by activating brain chemicals like serotonin and dopamine that improve mood, lowering the stress hormone cortisol, and calming the nervous system to promote rest and digestion. By shifting focus to positive aspects of life and strengthening social connections, gratitude enhances emotional well-being and resilience against stress. 

8. Get more exercise - exercise and physical activity stimulates the production of endorphins, natural pain relievers and mood boosters. These chemicals create a sense of euphoria and well-being. Exercise also reduces the levels of stress hormones, such as cortisol and adrenaline. This helps to calm the body and reduce anxiety. Learn more about a gym-optiopnal approach to exercise here.

9. Eat better - Eating better reduces stress by providing the brain with essential nutrients, improving gut health, and lowering inflammation and stress hormones. Nutritious foods can boost "feel-good" neurotransmitters like serotonin, while a poor diet can lead to blood sugar spikes and inflammation that exacerbate stress. Learn more about eating better here.

10. Get better sleep - Better sleep reduces stress by regulating stress hormones like cortisol, allowing the body to recover, and improving the ability to manage emotions and make sound decisions. When you get enough sleep, your body functions more efficiently, your brain becomes less reactive to negative stimuli, and your overall ability to cope with daily stressors improves. Learn more about better sleep here.

With proper planning and some discipline, you can reduce the amount of stress you have to deal with every day. The key is to identify the stressors that you can control, then build a plan to deal with them. While this will take time and effort, the long-term pay-back to these actions will be improved health and quality of life.  

It’s Your Turn

Today's post is a draft edition of the topic of living a less stressful lifestyle. I hope you've found it useful. My reason to post a draft version is to give you and other readers a chance to join in on the conversation. So, if you have any comments, suggestions or contributions you'd like to make, please share your thoughts in the comments or send me an email at [email protected]. Then, I'll post a final version of this edition in a few weeks.

Your input matters.

Thanks for reading. And remember... God loves you. He wants you to thrive. Let's go! 

Len