What Rehab Professionals Should Know About the Stress Epidemic

April marks Stress Awareness Month! 

Which makes it the perfect time to evaluate how the stress epidemic impacts your daily practice.

As a rehabilitation professional, you guide clients through physical healing and help navigate their emotional and psychological burdens, all while juggling your own career and home life. That’s an impressive balancing act, even when everything is going well. 

But how do you manage when stressors start piling up? Recognizing the symptoms of stress in yourself and your clients not only empowers you to deliver quality care, but it also helps you protect your own well-being and career longevity. 

Unpacking the stress epidemic 

The World Health Organization calls stress the health epidemic of the 21st century. An overwhelming 90% of the public believes there is currently a mental health crisis in the United States, with concerns ranging from the opioid epidemic to current events, loneliness, and widespread isolation. 

Every day factors play a massive role in this crisis. The American Psychological Association (APA) found that money was the highest-ranking stressor among American adults in 2023. The rapid increase in the cost of living since 2020 causes massive financial strain. Increased productivity expectations and longer workdays make finding a healthy work-life balance incredibly difficult. 

This sustained pressure has serious consequences on our collective health. Noncommunicable diseases like ischemic heart disease and stroke accounted for 74% of deaths worldwide in 2019. In the United States, heart disease and cancer ranked as the leading causes of death in 2020. 

How stress impacts the body and mind 

To safeguard yourself and your clients against the effects of stress, it's vital to understand how stress physically and mentally alters the human body. 

Physiological effects of stress 

When the nervous system senses danger, the hypothalamus triggers the release of cortisol and adrenaline. This stimulates the classic fight-flight-freeze response. Adrenaline elevates the heart rate, while cortisol releases stored glucose into the bloodstream to provide a quick boost of energy. 

While this neurochemical cocktail might be lifesaving in an emergency, the human body simply can't function in a constant state of alert. Chronic stress causes pain, inflammation, and long-term disease. Over time, individuals might experience insomnia, hypersomnia, migraines, chronic muscle tension, hypertension, and compromised immune health. 

Psychological effects of stress 

Therapeutic massage actively engages the parasympathetic nervous system, triggering a deep relaxation response. Consistent massage increases levels of oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin. These chemicals positively affect mood and anxiety levels. Manual therapy also loosens tight muscles and relieves nerve compression.  

Related CE course for therapy professionals: Therapeutic Massage and the Stress Epidemic 

Mindfulness and breathing exercises 

Mindfulness is an intentional, nonjudgmental focus on the present moment. Regular mindfulness practice reduces stress and enhances resilience. 

Shallow breathing triggers the sympathetic fight-flight-freeze response. You can teach your clients full abdominal breathing to help them calm down. This involves a full inhalation to the count of four, allowing the diaphragm to drop, followed by a slow exhalation to the count of eight. This simple action triggers the parasympathetic nervous system and the rest-and-digest response. 

Empower your career through continued growth 

Navigating the stress epidemic requires a willingness to grow and change. Setting boundaries with clients, managing your own expectations, and practicing physical self-care will help you build a sustainable, rewarding career. Take time to build ongoing therapeutic relationships with your clients, assess their stress levels before each session, and create a safe space for them to heal.