Most of us consider stress to be a part of life—and a rather unpleasant one. Bills pile up, your phone keeps buzzing, the kids are screaming, and suddenly you're mad at your partner because the dishwasher hasn't been emptied. Again. It all seems inevitable.
The problem with daily stress is that it impacts long-term health. People who are more emotionally reactive to daily stressors are at higher risk of dying prematurely.¹
But there is hope—and it's not about bubble baths, resigning, or ignoring stress altogether. It's about changing the way you perceive it. In fact, how you respond to daily stress may be more important than how often it occurs.
1. Why your view of stress matters
What if stress isn't the enemy?
In a 2021 study, researchers at Griffith University tested a powerful idea: Can we change our mindset around stress —how we interpret it—and actually feel better as a result?²
It turns out the answer is yes. In the study, participants completed a 15-minute guided imagery exercise designed to help them see stress as empowering rather than harmful. Two weeks later, these participants reported better emotional regulation, more confidence, and a greater sense of control. And the greatest gains? They came from the people who initially identified themselves as the most stressed.
It's about seeing stress as a challenge to get your body and mind ready to perform.
2. 3 steps to combat stress
Here is a 3-step method used by the researchers in the study to modulate the stress response.
1. Identify your stressors
Write down what's stressing you out right now. Be specific—try to name the stressful situation. Then, try to link that stressor to something you value.
Example: "I'm stressed about this presentation because I want to do well and be seen as competent."
2. Reflect on your accomplishments
Think back to times when stress helped you grow. What did you learn? How did you overcome the challenge?
Examples: "Final exams at university stressed me out - but I used that energy to study hard and graduated with honors."
3. Control your reactions to stress
The next time stress strikes, pause. Take a deep breath. Then change your self-talk. Instead of: "I can't handle this," try: "This stress means I'm worrying about... - and I've handled similar situations before." Reflect on stressful events and how they led to progress. Use visualization: Imagine yourself succeeding because of this stressful situation.
3. Daily habits to reduce stress
Small changes, repeated, can reshape your default response to stress.
- Practice mindfulness : Meditation and mindful breathing can help you respond better to stress.
- Reading a book , especially a novel or immersive story, acts as a form of active meditation. By slowing the heart rate and reducing muscular and mental tension, reading contributes to a state of deep relaxation.
- Exercising has a direct impact on stress by acting on the brain and hormonal system: through the release of endorphins, neurotransmitters that provide a feeling of well-being. Exercise also reduces cortisol levels and increases the production of BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), which promotes resilience to stress and depression.
- Enjoy nature : Exposure to nature promotes physiological relaxation, decreases sympathetic nervous system activity (linked to stress), and restores mental balance.
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Taking care of your intestinal microbiota : A healthy and varied diet rich in probiotics and prebiotics improves the composition of the microbiota, which positively influences the nervous system and reduces the effects of chronic stress.
The microbiota plays a critical role in regulating the gut-brain axis, a bidirectional communication pathway between the digestive system and the central nervous system. By influencing the production of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and GABA, a balanced microbiota can modulate the stress response.
4. Conclusion
Stress is an inevitable part of everyday life. But that's okay, because it's how we perceive it that influences its impact on our health and how we experience it.
Simply becoming aware of and modulating our response to stress can greatly improve our quality of life.
Adopting a balanced diet that promotes a healthy microbiota, combined with simple activities such as reading, exercise and contact with nature, helps to effectively modulate the stress response by reducing cortisol production and stimulating neurobiological mechanisms essential for mental balance.
Ultimately, you don't need to erase stress from your life. You just need to learn to live with it!
