If there's one thing that brings everyone together these days, it's stress. It doesn't matter who you are, where you live, or how you vote, the modern world is an equal opportunity stressor. Who among us hasn't spent the night doom scrolling through the latest news on social media or obsessing over problems in our own life? Fortunately, as Dr. Venus Nicolino points out, you have the means at your fingertips to reduce stress and boost your mental health.
The doctor of clinical psychology and bestselling author, often referred to by her nickname 'Dr. V," points out that there are plenty of ways to build your mental health. You just have to learn them and commit to putting them into practice.
Known for her no-nonsense and irreverent approach, Dr. Venus Nicolino brings the same authenticity to building mental well-being and reducing stress as she did to self-help advice in her bestseller, Bad Advice: How to Survive and Thrive in an Age of Bulls--t. Her approach is to give people the tools to help themselves, not tell them what to do.
While you can't escape stress, Nicolino said people can learn how to better manage it, whether it involves a bad boss, relationship woes, or your bank account balance. Those tools include committing to routine exercise, eating healthy foods, surrounding yourself with good friends, and engaging in activities that stimulate the brain.
She said it's important for people to find healthy channels to manage and release internalized stress or pain. "Take it out, but not on others and not on yourself," she said on her popular TikTok channel. "Stress, pain, and old traumas can cause us to take out our internal issues on others. Or, just as bad, on ourselves ... but there are positive ways to take it out."
Dr. Venus Nicolino Offers Tips for Boosting Mental Health
Nicolino recently spoke about ways to boost mental health and build cognitive strength, methods that can also help people better manage stress.
As always, her advice combines expertise gained through her years of experience and academic achievement (she has a master's degree in counseling psychology and a master's and Ph.D. in clinical psychology) as well as the practicality learned growing up in a tough neighborhood in West Philadelphia. She also frequently brings humor to a field where humor is sometimes lacking.
She offers her unique approach through various social media, including her TikTok and Instagram accounts. She also hosts a podcast, "The Tea With Dr. V," where she chats with celebrities and doles out bold advice on a wide variety of issues. Additionally, Venus Nicolino is the chairwoman and owner of the SoundMind app that uses music to heal trauma and improve mental health.
She said people can better manage stress by learning stress management techniques such as deep breathing exercises, meditation, mindfulness, and even participating in enjoyable activities that promote relaxation and emotional well-being.
"It's normal to feel brief anxiety now and again," Nicolino said. "Anxiety and its physical symptoms alert your body to threats and possible danger. Short stress responses are vital to our survival. But kept in this gear for too long, it's a crash-and-burn situation."
Having good friends also reduces stress. Nicolino endorses staying connected with family, friends, and the community, even joining clubs or groups that align with your personal interests.
Many of the activities that boost brain health and cognition also can help people better manage stress. For example, Dr. Venus Nicolino said one of the most important steps people can take is to simply get off the couch. Routine exercise is a game changer for both physical and mental health. Aerobic activities such as walking, hiking, jogging, and biking improve overall body health. Thinking and learning skills have also been known to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Dr. V said exercise promotes the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain, supporting the growth of new neurons and enhancing cognitive abilities. She said combining routine exercise with a healthy diet provides a powerful way to boost brain health and reduce stress. She recommends foods rich in antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats (such as those found in fish, nuts, and olive oil).
At the same time, she stated that people have to stay aware of how "stress eating" can make you "gobble up one too many chocolate chip cookies." She advises people to combine healthy eating and exercise.
"Keep a food journal; it'll keep you honest and aware," she said. "Exhaust your stress; it has way too much energy, so work it out physically. Lastly, do a fun taste test of superfoods. Find the ones you love. So, even if stress makes you eat those, it's not going to be that big of a deal."
Besides physical approaches, people can reduce stress and improve cognition through the mental stimulation that comes from reading, doing puzzles, playing board games, learning new skills, taking up new hobbies, and engaging in intellectually stimulating conversations. All these are readily available for most people.
Nicolino noted that this is one instance where when you snooze, you don't lose, because one of the best things people can do to manage stress and boost mental health is get more sleep. It's another area where commitment and routine are big helps.
She believes sufficient and restorative sleep is absolutely essential for cognitive health. She advises setting a regular sleep schedule in a sleep-friendly environment that promotes uninterrupted and quality sleep. As Nicolino points out, sleep supports overall brain function.
Why Is Everyone So Stressed?
Stress is the body's natural response to pressure. Everyone reacts differently to pressure and feels stressed in different situations. What stresses out one person may not stress out another.
Unfortunately, there are enough stressors out there to make almost everyone feel stressed at one point or another. For example, media stories on natural disasters, war, poverty, violence, and never-ending divisive political issues offer a ready-made stress soufflé people can consume 24/7.
Technology, family and relationship dynamics, and economic issues offer plenty of other stressors for people. It's not just the younger generation, either. Those between the ages of 45 and 65 now report experiencing more stress than people their age did in the 1990s, according to research published by the American Psychology Association.
Many people experience stress when facing uncertainty or situations where they have little control. Social pressure and a poor work-life balance also can lead to great levels of stress.
And stress can manifest in different ways. People should keep aware of the signs of stress: feeling anxious, afraid, angry, sad, and frustrated, for example, or experiencing physical symptoms such as headaches, nausea, indigestion, and even heart palpitations. People feeling stressed may also withdraw from others or become indecisive, inflexible, or tearful.
Whatever the situation, Dr. Venus Nicolino said that people should not feel as if they have to go it alone. She said people should remember the importance of working with clinical experts who can provide guidance.
As always, Nicolino emphasizes the importance of consulting with health care professionals who can assist with cognitive health strategies.
She also stated that people should not let the challenges of life, including stressful days or events, get them down permanently. She added, "No matter how good or bad a single day is, you will outlast it."
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