Stress often arises when demands exceed our resources, leading to impulsive reactions instead of thoughtful responses. For example, snapping at a friend’s careless remark that triggers feelings of rejection can damage the relationship, whereas taking a moment to let your emotions settle before responding can strengthen that bond.
Is stress bad? Not necessarily. It can enhance performance in optimistic, healthy individuals. However, for those struggling with addiction, stress can trigger relapse. Stress activates neurotransmitters in the amygdala, the brain’s emotion-processing center, initiating the fight-or-flight response. This reaction can increase anxiety, diminish feelings of reward, and drive drug-seeking behavior, leading to compulsive use.
When stress becomes chronic, it can evolve into distress. Environmental factors and individual vulnerabilities can trigger mental disorders such as anxiety, depression, psychosis, and eating disorders. Learning stress reduction strategies is crucial for minimizing mental health risks.
Stress is an inherent part of the human experience that we cannot eliminate completely. Instead, it’s about learning to navigate and manage it, as trying to remove stress entirely is both impossible and unrealistic.
To help you cope better with stress, below we’ll explore reacting vs. responding to stress.
What Is the Difference Between Reacting and Responding to Stress?
Response and reaction—two common terms we hear when talking about dealing with stress, but many of us don’t fully understand the difference between the two.
Reacting is an automatic, impulsive response driven by stress, anger, or hurt. In a fight-or-flight state, with adrenaline pumping, we instinctively focus on surviving perceived threats, which often results in emotional overreactions and defensive behaviors.
As our heart rate and blood pressure rise, we feel on edge, prompting us to lash out instead of listen. This loss of control can skew our perception and cloud our judgment, preventing thoughtful responses and resulting in misunderstandings and strained relationships.
Responding is a deliberate, mindful approach that involves being aware of your feelings and choosing to communicate in a calm, level-headed way. Responding offers you the opportunity to pause and gain clarity on the situation.
When you respond, you’re clear and straight to the point. You shift from being a victim of circumstances to becoming the creator of your reality, realizing that if you can’t control yourself, you can’t control your surroundings.
Reacting can escalate stress, while responding promotes calm and clarity.
Tips for Learning to Respond Instead of React
During addiction recovery, feelings of anxiety and irritability can lead to a strong urge to use substances for relief. To maintain your hard-won sobriety, focus on healthier stress management strategies. Here are some ideas:
1: Pause Before Acting
Reflect on moments in your life when quick reactions led to regret. Pause and take a deep breath—managing your breath helps you gain control over your mind and, in turn, your reality.
After a stressful event, your body begins to heal by reducing cortisol and normalizing heart rate and blood pressure. Embracing the practice of waiting allows for deeper insights, helping you reconsider the situation and respond more effectively.
2: Practice Mindfulness
Grounding exercises and deep breathing can help calm the mind, reduce cravings, enhance awareness, and alleviate anxiety. They help you focus on the present and clarify what you can control.
The 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique is especially beneficial during stressful times, easing feelings of anger, panic, flashbacks, and dissociation common in addiction recovery. To practice this technique, focus on the present by identifying 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste.
3: Deep Balloon Breathing
This exercise helps shift your body and mind from a tense fight-or-flight state to a calmer one. It’s easy to learn and you can do it anytime, anywhere.
Inhale slowly, raising your arms above your head as if inflating a balloon. When your lungs are full, your arms should look like a round balloon. Exhale slowly while lowering your hands toward your head.
4: Reframe Negative Thoughts
Negative self-talk often arises from past trauma, low self-worth, and negative perceptions. When you identify a negative thought, challenge it by asking, “Is this thought helpful? Is there evidence to support it?”
Narrative therapy is a versatile approach effective for substance abuse and mental health disorders. It focuses on the stories people tell about their lives, empowering them to reframe their experiences and create more positive narratives.
5: Develop Emotional Awareness
Emotional triggers can cloud your thinking and affect how you perceive and respond to problems. It’s essential to know how to act when emotions take over. To regain control, identify what you feel and why, considering how past experiences may shape your reactions. Remember, feelings are fleeting and will pass.
Viktor Frankl wrote in his book, Man’s Search for Meaning, “Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
6: Use Relaxation Techniques
Incorporating relaxation techniques into your daily routine during recovery can reduce stress, enhance emotional well-being, and lower the risk of relapse.
Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) is a technique where you tense and then relax each muscle group to help release physical tension and reduce stress.
Visualization and guided imagery allow you to picture a peaceful environment, helping you shift focus away from stressors and immerse yourself in calming imagery.
Learning to relax is vital for maintaining mental health and alleviating physical and emotional symptoms during recovery.
The Role of Therapy in Responding to Stress
Therapy can play a vital role in managing stress during recovery, offering tools and techniques to help you respond to challenges in healthier, more constructive ways. Common types of therapy utilized for treating co-occurring disorders like stress and addiction include:
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) examines the connection between thoughts and actions, helping you identify stressors and learn healthier responses, reducing the impact of triggers.
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) teaches mindfulness, distress tolerance, and emotional regulation, equipping you to handle crises without resorting to harmful stress responses, such as self-destructive behaviors.
Hypnotherapy accesses the subconscious to facilitate change and healing, uncovering underlying factors behind addictive behaviors, such as unresolved trauma and negative beliefs. It instills positive affirmations and coping strategies, combating stress and building resilience during recovery.
Find Your Path to Healing at Lumina Recovery
At Lumina Recovery, we deeply understand the profound impact stress can have on substance use and the challenges of breaking that cycle. Our dual diagnosis program for stress is thoughtfully designed to empower you with the tools and strategies to manage stress without turning to substances. We offer a variety of therapeutic methods tailored to your unique needs, recognizing that every recovery journey is different.
Take the courageous step toward healing—reach out to our compassionate team today. You don’t have to face this alone—we’re here to support you every step of the way.
