Stress Archive

Mental stress ischemia occurs when emotional stress causes a decline in blood flow to the heart. The condition, which affects about one in six people with heart disease, may more than double a person’s risk of heart attack. Mental stress ischemia appears to be caused in part by changes in the wall and inner lining of the heart’s smallest blood vessels. Known as microvascular disease, this problem tends to be more prevalent in women. In contrast, a more common cause of chest pain is narrowing of the large arteries of the heart.

Chronic stress is bad for health. It can trigger physical problems, including chronic inflammation—the persistent activation of the immune system, which sharply raises the risks for many diseases such as dementia, heart disease, or stroke. Ways to reduce stress include living a healthy lifestyle, doing relaxation exercises, stretching, being mindful, taking a brisk walk, reducing loud noise, using laughter, playing soothing music, countering negative thoughts, reaching out for help from a loved one, and using positive self-talk.

The past two years have been hard and children and teens have had to deal with particularly challenging circumstances. Resilience—the ability to overcome hardship and stress—is one of the most important skills parents can teach their children.

Due to the lengthy wait for an appointment with a therapist, many people have turned to the numerous mental health apps available on smartphones. Research did not find convincing evidence that use of any such app resulted in significant improvement in symptoms, but some may be useful as a complement to therapy.

The first three years of life are crucial for brain development. Interactions between babies and their caregivers build neural connections in the brain and lacking sufficient interactions may affect brain development. A study found that babies born during the pandemic scored lower in several areas of development than babies born before it started.

Sometimes we find ourselves in a situation where we question our own abilities, minimize our successes, and overemphasize what we perceive to be our failures. When this happens, it's helpful to try to view the situation more clearly and from a more balanced point of view. This takes practice, but the process starts with awareness.

Many common medication treatments for migraine can cause side effects, underlining the need for more tolerable treatments. Mindfulness practice has been associated with improvement in people with chronic pain, including migraine. A study investigated whether mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques provided benefit for people experiencing migraine.