Stress Management Part 2: Overcoming Barriers to Regular Practice

The last time we came on this blog to shake up the conversation around stress and stress management, we made a grievous error.

In our rush to share holistic strategies for dealing with the stress of the modern world, we made a blanket statement about March being the most depressing month of the year.

That was before we hit April.

March has its maladies, what with the constant oscillations between spring and winter that make it impossible to dress appropriately, but that’s nothing compared to the stone-cold reality we’re smacked with as the calendar changes. Suddenly, summer is on the horizon, but our perfectly toned beach bods and sanguine states of mind are nowhere in sight.

And the gap between who we are and who we’d like to be is just one aspect of our contemporary human experience that causes stress. Should we even discuss the fact all our flops and flaws are immortalized on the internet for eternity?

We shouldn’t — you’re likely all too aware of this already. Instead, what we should talk about is how to overcome some of the most common barriers to stress management practices.

Because we can share Dr. Neal’s science-backed strategies for managing stress til we’re blue in the face, but it’s not very helpful if the troll in your brain keeps you from actually practicing them.

In This Article:

• Deprogramming over-productivity
• Finding community for stress management
• Self-insulation and why it’s crucial

Overcoming the Barriers to Stress Management Practices

Stress doesn’t get as much buzz as it used to now that things like depression and anxiety are top of mind. (Pun intended)

But the silent killer we call stress is still affecting every one of us — disrupting sleep, impacting nutrient intake, exacerbating inflammation, and generally making our lives worse. We can’t flip the “unprecedented times” switch to off or stop worldwide inequality overnight, so what can we do?

We can work with what is within our control: ourselves!

With the help of Dr. Neal’s clinical psychologist friend, Dr. Lawrence Dresdale, we can start to acknowledge and work with the mental barriers our human brains have erected to protect us from the scariest thing in the world.

Change.

(Psst — prefer to listen? Get the good word on stress management practices straight from Dr. Neal and Dr. Dresdale in this podcast episode.)

1. Finding, Nay, Making the Time

Our world moves fast — really fast.

Things are changing all the time and because change is one of the most difficult things to grapple with as a human, we’ve cultivated a few coping mechanisms to keep up with the pace of our culture. Like over-productivity.

We stay busy, busier than ever actually, and it gives us a sense of control. We’re not being pulled by the tides of constant, stress-inducing efficiency and profitability — we’re steering the ship!

But here’s the hardest pill to swallow when it comes to making time for stress management practices: Whether you’re working 80 hours a week or sleeping 18 hours a day, you’re avoiding the hard work of confronting stress.

Because our culture values work to a detrimental degree, it might be harder to see the toll it takes on your mental well-being. That’s why one of the most common things Dr. Neal hears about wellness practices is, “I don’t have time for that.”

While it might not be manageable for many to reduce their workload — we are living through an economic crisis after all — it is for some. What holds us back from taking more time for stress management practices and self-care, besides material reality, is the preconceived notion that resting is lazy and bad but working is admirable and good.

The first step to creating time for and prioritizing stress management practices like meditation and breath work isn’t telling your boss to go eat rocks, though.

It’s to notice how these patterns show up for you and respond to them with self-compassion.

You’re working against two very persuasive and pervasive things: The brain’s fear of change and our culture’s obsession with work.

It’s hard to go against the grain, but making time for joy and mindfulness is a rebellious act.

Start By:

Noticing, and then taking action. Even something small, like committing to a 15-minute walking meditation a few times a week, can make a big difference.

Learn More: Stress Management Part 1: A Holistic Framework for Living with Stress

2. Finding, Nay, Making Community

Being a mindfulness rebel in a stress-addicted world can be a lonely endeavor. That’s why many people, even those rare birds with loads of free time, quit before they start.

Not only is it difficult to find like-minded folks with regular stress management practices, but you might even get some weird looks if you suggest the importance of self-care at the next office party.

Because, what we lack in community care and external support, we make up for with a false sense of urgency about our endless hours of work. There’s always something more pressing, more vital to do than caring for your mental well-being.

That means making community should be the next step in your stress-reduction journey.

We’re social creatures by default — hence the age-old adage, “Monkey see, monkey do.” Plus, contemporary longitudinal research has shown that our social spheres impact our perception of the world in significant ways.

A scientific review from 2022 examined the clinical findings of recent studies on how social interconnectedness affects mental well-being. The researchers found that feelings of loneliness were related to “adverse outcomes” like higher risks for depression and generalized anxiety disorder as well as lower levels of physical activity.

Start by:

Acknowledging that the act of making community will be unique to you and your circumstances. It could look like getting your spouse on board with you reducing your working hours, or it could be as simple as finding a weekly vinyasa yoga class to take.

The important thing to remember is we’re stronger together than we are alone — metaphorically and literally, as science now agrees.

Learn More: Holistic Mental Health: Wellness Practices for Depression, Anxiety, and More

3. Finding, Nay, Making Time for Solitude

Here’s where it gets even trickier.

We must cultivate a sense of community to combat feelings of loneliness and encourage regular practice of stress management techniques. Yet we can’t run to any of our typical outlets — especially not social media. Because we have to, at the same time, carve out space for reflection and rejuvenation away from the buzz of the physical and digital world.

Why? Well, part of the reason we’re dealing with so much stress is because we are plugged TF in.

Since the advent of the 24-hour news cycle in the 80s, our daily lives have been colored by constant exposure and desensitization to the horrors happening around the globe. Couple that with dopamine-dumping social media and normalized device addiction, and we have a perfect recipe for unceasing stress.

And who benefits from this? Is it the companies that, quite literally, turn a profit off your unwavering dedication to all things screens?

We only know one thing: It surely isn’t you! Research from all across the world has pointed to a concerning correlation between increased social media usage and increased risk for depression and other mental health symptoms.

And it’s not just social media — blue light exposure, the hallmark of online experiences, has been shown to increase stress hormones after just one hour.

So here we have yet another cultural connotation to examine and unweave if we want to experience a tangible reduction in stress.

Start By:

Letting yourself get bored. It’s not a crime! And it’s not a punishment, either. Boredom can actually be conducive in the sense that it may motivate and catalyze a desire for change.

Spend quality time with yourself — away from others and away from screens — to reconnect and remember what it means to be human, regardless of how eye-wateringly boring it may feel at first.

Learn More: Meditation vs Mindfulness — Common Misconceptions

For Fast-Acting Relief, Try Slowing Down

Did we rip that silly stress-related joke title straight from the interweb? Yes, we sure did, but it still stands.

We all need to slow down, take a breath, and prioritize the stress management practices that keep us from losing our minds. But this work, while simple, is anything but easy.

So if you need a partner in your slow-speed chase after a less stressful life, give us a call. You might have 99 problems, but not one of them is having no one to talk to — our holistic health experts and wellness strategists are always available via our always-free Counterside Consults.