In our lifetime, we have all experienced it and some more than others. Enduring chronic stress is a suffocating physical and mental state to go through, yet responsibilities and pressures of modern fast-paced life exposes us to stress in amounts which evolution has not intended us to cope with. The scientific community, time and time again, has warned against its dreaded effects on a person’s health and wellbeing and it has been found to have a strong correlation and casual relationship with life-threatening illnesses, substance abuse, anti-social behaviour and, more importantly, ageing.

Indeed, a look at American presidents before they came to office and after they left strongly suggests that they aged far beyond normal levels during the period. This is primarily because of the stress which comes with the job of leading the country, and there is evidence all around us that people with stressful jobs, including investment bankers and lawyers tend to age much faster than people who are not as exposed to demanding jobs. Yet, work-related stress is just one form; others can arise from relationships, family, financial issues, etc. They all contribute to perpetual degradation of one’s biological age in relation to their chronological age.

Recently, a direct causal effect has been detected between chronic stress and ageing, as it can affect telomeres, which are found at nucleotide sequences at the end of a chromosome. Exposure to stress tends to damage telomeres, whose primary purpose is to protect human genes from deterioration, and hence, the genes quickly begin to damage. As a result, our ageing process begins to rapidly accelerate.

Other indirect effects arise from physiological and psychological symptoms of stress, and their prolonged exposure robs a person of health and youth. It causes a number of physiological symptoms, including elevated heartbeat, stomach, head and muscle ache, digestive problems, nausea and loss of libido, to name a few. Our internal organs — due to excessive exposure to abnormal demand and function — tend to age faster, and soon other organs are affected, too.

Stress also has psychological effects, and these can manifest in the form of emotional and behavioural symptoms. These include depression, loneliness, inability to relax and mood swings which tend to cause general disruption in the functioning of a healthy body and these emotional states have been found to be an important cause of ageing.

Subjectivity of stress is indeed an important factor in the ageing process, but more importantly, other behavioural patterns also aggravate the ageing process. Chronic stress is usually accompanied with lack of rapid eye movement, sleep, alcoholism, smoking, drug intake and other deviant behaviours which tend to decrease mortality rate and a healthy life.

While stress is an inevitable part of being a human in today’s world, and it can’t be completely avoided, but measures can be taken to reduce it or cope with it, thereby effectively limiting its effect on the human body. Stress can be relieved by many different techniques, all of which require mindset and lifestyle changes.

An effective way to reduce stress arising from emotional or other conflicts is identifying the problem, and then taking measures to reduce it.

It can also be reduced by watching what a person eats, drinks and breathes. Typically, natural foods tend to have a less detrimental effect on stress levels, while more synthetic fast foods, alcohol and tobacco tends to aggravate it. Indulgence in greener and healthier foods tend to release essential nutrients and chemicals in our body, which aid in reducing stress.

Meditation is perhaps one of the best ways to reduce stress, as our mind comes to a standstill during meditation, which serves in increasing spirituality in our lives, as well as keeping stress at an arm’s distance. It not only reduces stress, but also maintains a good mood and a chemical balance in our brain and the ability to be calm and concentrate on something is far better in a person who meditates.

Another means to reduce stress, equal in importance to meditation, is exercise. It can be a fun activity, and there are many different types of cardiovascular and weight workouts which one can indulge in or one can combine with meditation in yoga exercises.

Playing sports serves a similar purpose, and it also has a variety to choose from to accommodate personal interest. Socialising and maintaining healthy relationship, and just having a laugh with others can be useful in relieving and coping with stress. Naïve optimism and a positive attitude can go a long way in wellbeing of a person.

By adopting a new lifestyle and a new attitude towards life, anyone can reduce stress, and achieve not only good health, but also the gift of a long healthy life. Ageing is an irreversible process and health once gone, rarely returns which is why your prudent decisions today will bring you a better tomorrow.  —Sachal Abbassi