I recently re watched one of my favorite “TED Talks” about stress. For those of you who do not know, TED is an organization that shares all kinds of ideas through various specialists on the internet. I love them because they have many a few exceptional “TED talks” on psychology, mental health, and relationships.

This particular TED video is called: How Stress Affects Your Brain

The video outlines some of the responses our brain has to stress and how important it is to manage stress on a daily basis. Many of us live with chronic stress resulting in changes to our brain size and functioning.

The main message is that to manage stress, look to the big research proven solutions.

1. Exercise  –  We all know we should do it and that it would help. In my experience, as soon as we need it the most, we cut out exercise.

2. Mindfulness  –  The same could be said for mindfulness. As soon as I need that mental break the most, I wont allow the spare time to relax. I have seen a drastic difference in my life since beginning mindfulness exercises several years ago. There are several other TED talked on research regarding mindfulness. 

3. Relationships – The video also mentions a study where the relationship with pups and mother rats significantly impacts cortisol levels (cortisol = stress chemical in brain). Gottman Institute has done similar studies to show the importance of connecting in increasing resiliency to stress. In the case of their study, couples pain levels were scored while recieving and electric shock. Some shocks were while holding the hand of their partner, others were not. The results were that when holding hands, people rated their scores lower. It was like their partner acted as a buffer of sorts.

For tips on how to manage relationship stress and be able to access a safer partnership, view this previous article. Consider learning more about how to cope with your stress in counseling.