April 2025. Stress, Worry, and Why You’re Not Alone (Also: How to Fix It)

Let’s talk about stress and worry — those two sneaky freeloaders living rent-free in your brain. They show up uninvited, eat all your emotional snacks, and leave your mind looking like a teenage boy’s bedroom. Not cute.

You might think “Oh, stress is just part of life!” And sure, a little bit of stress is like spice: it can push you to meet deadlines or remember your mom’s birthday. But too much? It’s like dumping the entire bottle of hot sauce into your life stew — overwhelming, chaotic, and likely to end in tears.

How Stress and Worry Wreck Your Mind and Body

Let’s get science-y for a minute. Studies show that chronic stress messes with your brain's architecture — especially the hippocampus, the part involved in memory and emotion regulation (McEwen, 2007). So if you’re forgetting where you left your phone while you're talking on it, stress could be the culprit.

Physically, stress increases inflammation (Slavich & Irwin, 2014), elevates your risk for chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease, and messes up your gut health (ever had a stress stomachache before a big meeting?). Fun!

And because misery loves company, stress doesn’t just affect you — it leaks into your relationships. You snap at your partner for chewing too loudly, roll your eyes at your coworker's “urgent” message, and ghost your friends because you're "too busy" (aka, lying face down on your bed wondering why life is so hard).

Exercise? Well, stress convinces you that dragging yourself to the gym is way too much. Or worse, it fuels an overtraining mindset that leaves you exhausted, injured, and hating the very thing that’s supposed to make you feel good.

Work? Chronic stress tanks your productivity, creativity, and sense of humor — the holy trinity of a happy professional life.

But Wait: Not All Stress is Bad

Let's be real: you can’t eliminate all stress. Nor should you. Some stress helps you grow. (Hello, job interviews, first dates, and learning how to use ChatGPT.)The trick is spotting unnecessary stress and managing it before it turns into a mental and emotional soap opera.

Signs You’re Stressing Out Over Nothing (Again)

• You rehearse arguments that haven’t even happened yet.

• You catastrophize: "If I'm 5 minutes late to work, I'll get fired and end up living in a van down by the river."

• Your jaw is a rock-hard clench monster by noon.

• You can’t sit still without doom-scrolling.

• You hear yourself say "I'm fine" but your eye is twitching.

Sound familiar? Don’t panic. (Seriously, we’re trying to reduce stress here.)

Simple Ways to Kick Worry to the Curb

• Breathe, Like, Properly: Box breathing (inhale for 4, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4) literally tells your nervous system, "Hey buddy, it’s cool, we’re not being chased by wolves."

• Move Your Body: Movement = medicine. Studies show exercise reduces anxiety and boosts mood (Stanton et al., 2020). Movement tells your body, “Hey, we’re not stuck. We’re capable and alive.”

• Laugh at Yourself: Seriously. Humor instantly diffuses emotional intensity. Plus, laughter releases endorphins. Win-win.

• Prioritize Sleep: Sleep-deprived brains love to catastrophize. Get your 7-9 hours and watch your problems shrink overnight.

• Check Your Stories: Ask: "Is this actually happening, or am I borrowing trouble from the future?"

  
  

And Now, for the Best Stress-Relief Tool You Haven’t Used Enough: Pilates

Pilates isn’t just for ballerinas or your super-toned neighbor who always carries a smoothie. It’s movement medicine — a way to re-center the mind, strengthen the body, and calm the nervous system at the same time.

When you practice Pilates:

• You focus deeply on your breath and movements.

• You reconnect to your body’s strength and capabilities.

• You quiet your racing mind because you literally can’t be spiraling about your emails while you’re mastering teaser on the Reformer.

  
  

Studies back this up: A 2020 systematic review (Campos de Oliveira et al.) found Pilates significantly reduced symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress in adults. Anecdotally, just ask anyone who’s floated out of a Pilates class feeling like they just got a full-body massage and a brain spa day.

You Deserve to Feel Good Again

If you’ve been feeling like a tangled-up ball of nerves, know this: you’re not broken. You’re just overdue for a little movement, a little laughter, and a little perspective.

Why not start with something gentle, joyful, and ridiculously good for you?

Book your next class at Elevate Pilates. Come move, breathe, laugh a little, and leave feeling like you — but lighter, calmer, and about 2 inches taller (real or imagined — we won’t tell).

See you at the studio!