LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KATV) — Stress can show up anywhere — in the middle of a packed workday, in traffic or even in quiet moments, and it can build quickly as deadlines, laundry, difficult conversations and other pressures pile up. During Stress Awareness Month, mental health counselor at CARTI Kristen Krauss shared strategies for slowing stress down before it becomes overwhelming.
Krauss, a mental health counselor with Carle, said she defines stress as “any true or perceived pressure or demand that we feel.” While stress can serve a purpose, she said people are not meant to live in a constant “activated stress response.”
When stress starts to feel like too much, Krauss said it helps to notice how it affects both the mind and the body. “We can’t really think our way out of stress,” she said. “We have to truly engage our nervous system and learn how to act out of it.”
One approach is mindfulness, which Krauss described as “intentional, present moment awareness.” She said stress often pushes people to rush ahead mentally, and mindfulness can help bring attention back to what is happening right now. “By taking things one moment, one breath at a time,” she said, people can learn techniques to slow down and “respond to our stress, rather than just impulsively react to it.”
Krauss said mindfulness does not have to mean setting aside hours. Instead, she encouraged people to use “little micro moments” throughout the day, including transitions such as sitting in traffic. She suggested simple check-ins like asking, “What do I need? Do I need help with this? Should I allow someone to notice? Do I need to drop my shoulders and breathe,” along with paying attention to what the body is signaling.
Ignoring stress does not make it disappear, Krauss said, and shifting perspective can help keep it from taking over. She cautioned that focusing only on one’s own perspective can lead to rumination, and said it can be important to “allow another voice into the picture,” such as a therapist or trusted friend. She also emphasized that feelings change over time and encouraged people to be mindful of what they focus on: “Where our attention goes, our life goes.”
Another tool Krauss discussed is grounding, which she described as “a sensory based coping skill.” Grounding techniques are meant to help bring someone back to the present when the brain is tempted to “go offline” during a fight, flight or freeze response. She said grounding can include focusing on physical sensations like feet against the ground, or noticing “the colors, the smells, the textures around me,” as a way of training the brain to stay present.
Movement can also make a difference, Krauss said, even something as simple as getting up and walking. She said bodies are made to move, and physical activity can help regulate stress by getting blood pumping and “endorphins moving,” which can help people tap into “our rest and digest our parasympathetic response.”
For people looking for more guidance, Krauss said Carle patients and caregivers can “join us at the Bridge for counseling or for yoga or support groups.” She also pointed to other resources, including “mindfulness guided meditations, stress workbooks, podcasts,” adding, “If you seek it, I’m sure you’ll find it.”