Stress hormones exist to help you fight or evade danger. In some cases, your body’s stress response can misfire and create danger signals about things that aren’t necessarily a threat.

An example of a typical stress process pattern might include:

• A life situation: being late for an appointment
• Perception of stress: feeling incompetent
• Emotional arousal: growing irritated or annoyed
• Psychological arousal: starting to sweat or breathe quickly
• Consequences: inability to relax

Stress is a normal aspect of life, but experiencing frequent or prolonged states of stress can negatively affect your entire body, especially your brain.

Some of the most common signs of stress include:

• Frequent mood swings
• Feeling overwhelmed
• Difficulty concentrating
• Trouble sleeping

Exposure to stress can also cause physical symptoms, like headaches, jaw pain, and changes in appetite.

Having long-term stress can also make symptoms of certain mental health conditions worse.

Stress management is a collection of tools designed to recognize and assess stress while helping your body interpret it more positively. These methods typically look at the stress process and work to change your response to them so you can reduce the negative effects of stress on your life.

Dr. Good offers management techniques to help reduce your response to stress. These often include mindfulness approaches that teach you to be more present. 

Stress management might consist of:

• Visualizations and guided imagery
• Progressive relaxation
• Controlled breathing
• Learning time management techniques
• Exercising daily, especially through yoga
• Following a healthy diet
• Getting enough sleep
• Avoiding drugs and alcohol

Practicing stress management offers a wide variety of benefits, such as increasing your ability to concentrate, reducing your anxiety, and alleviating pain.

Stress management also provides a medication-free treatment opportunity to help give you a sense of control in your life. This typically leads to improved self-esteem, fewer bouts of depression, and enhanced quality of life.

Dr. Good brings her personal experience with mindfulness to her mind-body wellness workshops. She herself practices focused attention, mindfulness, and transcendental meditation.

Dr. Good's programs help you better understand the role mindfulness can play in stress reduction and improving your overall mental health.