Three ways to manage stress for cognitive fitness

It's clear that stress is detrimental to both body and mind. Yet you can't simply wipe away a difficult job, a trying relationship, or financial troubles.

The key is learning how to manage stress more effectively so that it exerts less of a damaging influence. In the process, you can help build your resilience—the ability to bounce back from difficult or stressful experiences. Here are a few tested methods that can help.

Exercise 

Even as it tones your muscles, burns fat, and enhances brain activity, exercise also improves your mood and relieves stress. When you jog, swim, dance, or play tennis, your brain releases natural painkilling chemicals called endorphins, which give you the immediate good feeling sometimes termed a "runner's high." At the same time, working out focuses your mind on your actions, which steers your thoughts away from the day's stressors. Regular exercise also helps you sleep better, which itself can combat stress. 

Practice deep breathing 

Has anyone ever told you to take a deep breath when you were upset? That advice is firmly rooted in science. Whenever you breathe deeply, the incoming rush of oxygen signals your brain to reduce its production of stress hormones. Your heart rate steadies, and your blood pressure slows. As a result of these physiological effects, you feel calmer and more focused. 

Deep breathing, particularly at a moment of stress, can be challenging, but with practice you will be able to master it.

• Stop what you're doing and focus on deep breathing for a few seconds.
• Inhale deeply through your nose, letting your abdomen slowly expand.
• Hold the breath for a few seconds, and then exhale through your nose.

You don't need to devote much time to deep breathing. Just a few minutes a day is enough.

Meditate or pray 

Meditation takes deep breathing one step further. Although its foundation is simple—breath coupled with mental focus—its application can take several forms.

• In mindfulness meditation, you shift your attention to the inward and outward flow of breath. When negative thoughts or concerns enter your mind, you simply let them pass, without judgment.
• During mantra meditation, you repeat a word or sound, like "om," to keep your mind anchored in the moment.
• Yoga and tai chi combine poses and gentle movements, respectively, with deep breathing and inward-focused thoughts. 

For more on staying sharp as you age, read A Guide to Cognitive Fitness, a Special Health Report from Harvard Medical School.

Image: © Justin Paget | GettyImages