Too Much Stress? Try Pleasure.

When people are feeling stressed out they usually turn to things that give them pleasure. Sometimes these pleasurable things or activities can be considered as an unhealthy coping mechanism because whatever it may be is not solving the problem; it is only putting it off for the moment. 

 

Common pleasurable “escapes” are food and sex. Recent studies at the University of Cincinnati have showed that pleasurable activities like food and sex actually does reduce stress levels through brain pathways by inhibiting anxiety responses in the person’s brain. Even small amounts of food can reduce a person’s stress levels for a week—this is due to the taste of the food not the quantity. It doesn’t matter whether its sweets, spicy food, or any other kind of food, all that matters is that it is appealing to the person. 

Research has shown that people crave food or just want to engage in certain activities even if it is out of their norm during times of stress because it is their body’s way of trying to relieve itself of the stress. Stress leads people to overeat and even act-out sexually which in turn can lead to obesity and sexual addiction. These findings prove that these pleasurable activities reduce stress so therefore other pleasurable activities can serve as an alternative in reducing stress. 

 

Past research has shown that there are many different activities out there that the body finds pleasurable and effective in reducing stress even if the person themselves does not think of it as enjoyable. There are many different activities out there, it is up to the individual to find which one is pleasurable to them.

Q: What kinds of activites are pleasurable to you during periods of stress?