Cognitive Reframing For Stress Management

Studies show that psycho-biological symptoms of stress occur when one perceives of a real or imagined threat or danger.  In the absence of this perception, the brain won’t send a signal to the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous that activates the typical symptoms of stress.  Responding in such a way however does serve a purpose, which is to facilitate survival.  Put another way, stress can be an adaptive response that enables one to fight or flee from a dangerous situation.  When stress is chronic however, it means one is perpetually perceiving of a threat or danger, sometimes even in the absence of an actual stressor.  This type of (chronic) stress is what is most harmful to health.  Studies show, for instance, that it can lead to the development of mental and physical illness, disability, even premature mortality if severe.  Consequently, it is vital to find ways to address stress and reduce the risk of serious illness and daily impairment. 

Since symptoms of stress are caused due to a perceived threat/danger then altering how you think about a stressor, or cognitive reframing, may reduce or even stop stress dead in its tracks.  Remember however, that what strategies you apply to address stress and stressors will depend on your individual needs.  For instance, if encountering a highly toxic person then an immediate response may be to remove yourself from that environment, followed by cognitive reframing, if applicable, at a later time.  

Nevertheless, cognitive reframing is a very powerful technique that aims to change the way we see one or more aspects of a negative situation and develop a positive new meaning of the event.  It is an evidence-based technique, and a key component of CBT, which is proven to reduce anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions caused by negative thinking patterns. 

How can you apply cognitive reframing?  

There are numerous ways you can positively reframe a negative situation.  It may be a focus on something positive that emerged as a result of the stressful situation, it may be something new you’ve learned, or it could be thinking of solutions.  Here are some further suggestions on how to facilitate reframing:

1. Acknowledge the problem you’re experiencing.  
2. Address physiological and emotional symptoms of stress with relaxation techniques such as deep breathing.  
3. Challenge your thoughts, examining what you believe to be true, exploring alternative ways of viewing the situation and considering contextual factors that may have contributed to the emergence of the problem.  
4. Apply socratic questioning.  An example is: how might someone I admire or respect respond to this stressor? Can I adopt some of their strategies or behaviour?  
5. Practice gratitude.  When you are stressed you may lose sight of all that is going well in your life, so try and refocus your attention on what’s going well; this will improve your mood too.   
6. Learn to meditate.  This can prevent the onset of distress and help you develop mastery over your mind so you are non-reactive, calm, and solution focused.  

These are just some suggestions for applying cognitive reframing to alter negative patterns. For self-care purposes, the key is to practice restructuring consistently, that way, when faced with a stressor, you will automatically reframe the event instead of only focusing on the negative aspects that cause distress.  

Remember, mental stress can be caused due to experiencing specific traumatic experiences and addressing the effects of this on your own can be very challenging if not impossible.  In such a situation, seek professional mental health care to help you address the problem.  This will also equip you with the tools to apply reframing to tackle future stressors successfully.  

I hope you found this article useful.  Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need any assistance.  

With best wishes,

Sadaf