Let's Stress Together: Social Support Protects Against Stress

I was thrilled a few years ago when M, my college roommate, decided to move to Kansas City. I loved the idea of having my oldest and closest friend within walking distance after years of being several states away. Sadly, this weekend is her last in KC. As conflicted as I am about her move (selfishly, I want her to stay. As her friend, I believe this is right for her, and I'm excited for her new adventure), I know she is stressed. Packing and preparing for a move is no small task...even when you think it will be...which is why I volunteered to help.

"You don't have to help me pack and clean," she said. "Uh huh. Where's the tape?" I asked. Packing isn't necessarily fun, but it's a lot like 3D Tetris, which I happen to be surprisingly good at it. As we wrapped up that day, she was thankful and seemed a bit relieved, and it felt good to me to be able to support her and help in a very real way.

Share the load: Social support reduces stress

Did you know that social support is one of the biggest protective factors against stress? Having someone there to lend a listening ear or a helping hand is invaluable during tough times. Not only do we feel cared for and less alone, which reduces stress, but social support also boosts our resilience (our ability to adapt in the face of adversity and bounce back from hardships). What's more, social support also impacts our stress response on a physical level by settling down some of our body's reactions to stress. 

It's not just receiving social support that helps us feel less stressed. Giving support does, too! It's a similar situation, though, in that giving support not only feels good emotionally, but it also seems to have a calming effect on our body's stress response. 

Types of social support

Social support during times of stress can take different forms. Often, we think about emotional support - someone being there for us, listening, sitting in the ick with us, expressing care, and being on our side. It's a powerful thing to feel emotionally supported during times of stress, and that sense of connection buffers us against the multifaceted stress response.

Sometimes, however, what we need to give or get from our support system is instrumental support. We need concrete help alleviating the burden, whether that's helping a friend pack, offering childcare, providing financial support, going to a doctor's appointment, or making a meal. This type of support helps reduce or remove the source of stress. We are inherently social creatures designed to live in a connected community. We are not meant to be fully independent, and it's not a weakness or a fail to need help sometimes. Life is hard. We're human, and we need help.

Isolation and stress

We are literally wired for human connection. Yet, when we are struggling internally, many of us instinctively withdraw. We go further inward, pulling away from others. We don't feel like socializing or being around loved ones.

We may worry about the impact our burdens will have on our loved ones. Concerns about weighing them down, making them worry, or bringing them down by not being fun or happy can all push us toward withdrawal as well. That's unfortunate because doing so prevents us from using one of our best stress management tools and deprives them of that benefit as well. Next time you find yourself in the midst of a hard day or feeling stressed out, lighten the load and let a friend, family or community member, or a co-worker be there. to support you. It's good for you both.

The wrong kind of social support

When it comes to receiving and giving social support in the face of stress, I want to call out two pitfalls to be wary of: venting and invalidation.

Venting isn't always a good thing

It can feel good to vent to someone about the things stressing us out, but it you pay close attention, you'll realize that venting isn't always that helpful. Rumination is a nasty mental habit of looping endlessly on the same, typically negative thoughts, and venting often turns into ruminating out loud. When you rehash the same territory again and again, without a resolution or new insights, you've crossed into unhelpful venting. 

While it may on some level feel nice to share your frustrations with another person, especially if they agree with you, you'll likely notice that your emotional landscape is anger, stress, worry, or sadness. You're unnecessarily feeling the same things all over again, like stoking a fire that needs to die out.

Keep in the mind the difference between processing (making sense out of a situation and your reaction), problem-solving (coming up with a feasible solution to change or address the situation), and venting (rehashing and complaining repeatedly). Spend your time and energy on the first two and skip the latter.

Invalidation

Validation is an important relationship skill that involves recognizing and affirming another's emotional experience. Invalidation, on the other hand, takes the form of denying, dismissing, or rejecting their emotional experience. It is a sneakily damaging thing that negatively impacts our nervous systems and erodes relationships and trust over time.

While some people intentionally use invalidation as a tool to manipulate, most people are well-intentioned and don't even realize that they are being invalidating.

In an effort to help others feel better, we say accidentally invalidating things that actually hurt more than help. These kinds of statements come from a good place, our desire to help them feel better, alleviate some of their burden, or help them navigate a difficult situation. Unfortunately, they tend to feel dismissive, rejecting, or denying. Keep an eye out for comments like these common responses:

• "It could be worse."
• "But at least..." (Finding the bright side can be quite a helpful strategy at times but not others.)
• "You shouldn't feel that way."
• "Don't be sad/anxious/embarrassed."
• "I don't know why that bothers you so much."
• "You shouldn't let that get you down."

Instead, try reflecting back their feelings. Acknowledging another's emotional experience does not mean you agree with it. It just means you see them and you understand them. Try something like "I can see how stressed you are" or "That sounds really tough" or (my personal favorite) "Of course you feel ____! That makes sense." Once you've validated and offered support, you can shift into problem-solving or letting go or whatever the next step needs to be.

Strengthen your important relationships

Strong healthy relationships are important for more reasons that just managing stress, so it's well worth the effort to develop effective relationship skills. In fact, relationships is one of the key elements of psychological strength. The next Peak Mind Quarterly Psych Strength workshop is coming up on Tuesday April 12, and we're focusing on communication styles. This workshop will help you understand your own communication style and characteristic ways of relating to others. It will also help you better understand important people in your life and gain more effective ways of communicating and connecting with them.