Helpful Coping Strategies to Manage Stress in Your Midlife

Blogs27 Aug 2024

The midlife is a period of many changes occurring at once. It is a transitory period where most have to juggle between varying demands at work and home, while also navigating how to stay true to their wants and needs. During this period, a lack of a healthy lifestyle and diet may even begin to cause health issues in many. All of this and more cause excess stress during midlife. Add this to our fast-paced, technology-first lifestyles, and you will find that adults may be more stressed now than in the 1990s. Yes, that’s true. Research has found that adults between the ages of 45 and 64 had more daily stress in this current decade than they did in the 1990s!

In this article, we’ll take you through some common causes of stress during this period, what symptoms of stress look like and how to manage stress in the long run through many helpful tips and practises.

What is stress?

While the term ‘stress’ is very commonly used in conversation today, it’s important to know the scientific definition of stress to identify it and manage it better. Stress is a collection of behavioural, physiological, emotional and cognitive reactions that occur in response to environmental demands. As we interact with the world, we are made to constantly go through threats, challenges and more. This can be easy to deal with sometimes, but difficult at other times as well. While attempting to deal with such stressors and cope, one can feel stress.

Common Causes of Stress in Midlife

While every life is unique and many problems you may face can be different from others, here are a few common causes of stress that affect most individuals in their middle age:

• Work-related stress from changing posts, being promoted, demoted or being laid off, life after retirement
• Family responsibilities like caregiving, and dealing with an empty nest once adult children leave homes
• Financial concerns that come up as you near retirement
• Health issues like high cholesterol, diabetes etc.
• Divorce or trouble in relationships
• Loss of a parent or spouse
• Disruptive work-life balance

Symptoms of Stress

Before you learn how to manage stress, it’s important to identify it. Stress manifests itself physically and also affects our mental health and behaviour. Stress can cause the following issues:

• Bring up feelings of anger, frustration, sadness, worry, and more
• Change appetite, energy levels, and interests
• Trouble in making decisions and concentration
• Headaches, body pain, stomach issues, cold, skin rashes and other physical reactions
• Worsening of chronic health conditions and mental health issues

Long-Term Impact of Unmanaged Stress

When stress is left unmanaged, it can hamper our long-term physical and mental health. Science has found that adults who go through chronic midlife stress may face

• More stressful events
• Depressive symptoms and anxiety
• Susceptibility to colds
• Decreased grey matter in the brain
• Increased oxidative stress
• Muscle tension and pain
• Sleep issues
• Weight gain
• Memory issues and difficulty in focusing
• Digestive problems
• Increased risk of heart conditions like high blood pressure

Effective Coping Strategies for Midlife Stress

Sometimes, mild stress can be helpful. For example, if you are a bit worried about tomorrow’s meeting, you can spend time working on your presentation beforehand so that you are better prepared. In this scenario, feeling some amount of stress can be productive and beneficial. However, having excessive stress during such a situation can hamper it. The goal of stress management is not to eliminate all stress but to manage it better and make sure that your life is running smoothly. Here are some of the most helpful strategies to manage stress:

1. Physical activity and exercise

We all know that there are endless benefits of physical exercise. These range from strengthening the immune system, reducing the risk of chronic health issues, boosting mental health, aiding weight management and so on. Research has also found that physical exercise may help reduce the body’s reactivity to other stressors. Several studies have found that those who exercise regularly tend to show lower physiological markers of stress, that is they tend to have a lower heart rate and blood pressure level. More evidence suggests that exercise can be a helpful way of reducing stress and improving mood. So try adding some physical movement to your routine daily to see some positive changes.

2. Healthy Eating

As mentioned above, one of the symptoms of stress is a change in appetite. Oftentimes, stressed individuals increase their intake of caffeine to improve their early morning or late night productivity. However, excessive caffeine may worsen your body’s stress response and keep you alert during times of rest too. You must also note that a high stress level increases cortisol in the body which may lead to an excessive craving of high fat or sugary foods. Sometimes, busy and highly stressed individuals may skip meals altogether. All of this can cause stress levels and your overall health to worsen.

Conversely, eating healthy, balanced and nutritious meals may help you improve your mood and reduce stress. Complex carbohydrates may produce more serotonin and elevate mood and even having more Vitamin C-rich foods can reduce stress hormones and boost immune function. So always ensure that you are eating healthy meals daily to keep your stress levels in check.

3. Sleep

Science has found that there’s a connection between sleep and stress. High levels of stress can negatively impact sleep quality and the lack of sleep can make stress levels worse. That’s why it’s important to prioritise your sleep and make sure that you get an adequate amount of shut-eye to keep your stress levels normal.

4. Mindfulness techniques

One of the most popular tricks to reduce stress tends to be meditation and other mindful practices. Trying to be calm when feeling stressed is extremely difficult, but mastering this through mindfulness techniques can help you manage your stress better. Studies on this topic have found that diaphragmatic breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, guided imagery and meditation exercises could help in relieving stress and keeping your mind calm.

5. Social Connection and Support

An underrated strategy to manage stress has to be investing in your social circle. Our social circle can be the wind beneath our wings and give us the much-needed positivity we need sometimes to get through tough times. When you feel stressed, it can be helpful to avoid self-isolating and instead speak about your issues with a trusted person. Even meeting people can take your mind off your life's worries and open your mind to laughter, joy and other emotions.

Research has found that laughter truly is the best way to manage stress because it can increase oxygen intake, stimulate various muscles in the body, reduce blood pressure and blood sugar levels and boost energy levels. So, stay in touch with your friend groups, and keep laughing to keep the stress away!

6. Cognitive Behavioural Techniques

We stress about things that may not happen and worry about them simply because we attach an emotional response to them. By cognitive restructuring, you can try to dissociate certain events from irrational or maladaptive thoughts, thereby reducing unnecessary stress and other symptoms. Working on this and trying to restructure the way you think may boost mood, reduce stress and decrease negative emotions.

7. Seek Professional Help

If you feel that you are under immense stress and are facing many symptoms of stress, you must visit a healthcare professional to take their advice and begin working on it immediately.

Conclusion

To conclude, stress in midlife is common and can be observed through various symptoms such as headaches, loss of focus, memory issues, muscle pain and so on. Ignoring these signs can make matters worse, especially for your physical and mental health. Some helpful tips to manage stress can be exercising regularly, having a balanced and healthy diet, sleeping well, practising mindfulness techniques like meditation, seeking support from your loved ones and so on. We hope this article helped you understand that managing stress is very doable and that if you are immensely stressed, you should try these management techniques and seek professional help to make a difference.

For more such articles on health, nutrition and ageing, you can explore Right Shift. Our articles are a treasure trove of information which can inform you and motivate you to take your health seriously. If you are embarking on a journey towards healthy ageing, then also check out our free tools- our free meal plan creator and our lifestyle score questionnaire. These tools can help you understand how your current health looks and make active changes in your diet to boost it. Try them out now and make the right shift today!