The M&F Guide To Crushing Stress

You can’t be healthy and fit—inside or out—if you’re constantly feeling the weight of the world. Here’s how to show anxiety who’s boss.

- Shawn Donnelly

BLAME IT ON THE SMARTPHONES THAT ARE constantly pinging us with texts, tweets, and emails. Blame it on the overcrowded trains, freeways, and big-box stores. Blame it on the Great Recession, global warming, Netflix, or that $6 latte in your hand.

Whatever you want to pin it on, there’s a troubling fact about us modern humans: We’re superfrazzled. According to a 2017 evaluation of federal health data, more Americans than ever before are stressed, depressed, and anxiety-ridden, and many are unable to get the help they need.

This, of course, leads to lots of bad stuff. Common effects of stress include headaches, muscle tension, lowered sex drive, insomnia, irritability, sadness, lack of motivation, social withdrawal, overeating, and drug and alcohol abuse. As if that’s not terrible enough, chronic stress also increases your chances of having a heart attack or stroke, and many researchers believe it makes the brain more susceptible to health problems like dementia and Alzheimer’s. Other studies show that it flat-out ages you faster and kills you sooner.

The bottom line: If you’re constantly freaking out about things, you’re not going to look or feel very good. But don’t stress. We’re here to help, and we’ve called in reinforcements in the form of physicians, psychologists, and therapists. Taken together, this guide should equip you with the tools to stay calm under pressure—so you can get back to crushing life.

WHAT IS STRESS?