Beyond Cognition: Novel Stress Management Techniques

Stress is nearly impossible to avoid in society as it stands today, but managing the stress can have a substantial effect on your health. Cognitive based strategies such as mindfulness, meditation and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) are being extensively used for managing stress, but non-cognitive approaches also seem promising in treating it. These include approaches, which work more directly with the physical and sensory experience than exclusively through mental processes. Here we are going to discuss a few non-cognitive strategies that could be helpful in managing stress.

1. Physical Exercise

Physical exercise is one of the most powerful non-cognitive stress management techniques. Regular exercise decreases the stress hormones like cortisol and stimulates Endorphins which are naturally occurring mood regulators. It is a mechanical movement that moves you physically to let loose your body and de-stress. Any form of exercise that is effective for you such as walking, running, swimming, weight training etc. helps to reduce stress levels

For more tips on integrating exercise into your daily routine, visit our Fitness and Exercise page.

2. Massage Therapy

Those are also non-cognitive techniques to manage stress, massage therapy for the physical touch. Here are the essentials on massage and its benefits: Swedish, Deep Tissue… or Just Go For The Neck So you want to get a little rubdown but don’t know whether it’s worth paying extra for deep tissue? The physical sensations associated with the relaxation effect of massage therapy promote a decrease in stress without even hacking into new neural pathways.

To read more about the importance of physical touch and relaxation see our page on Mental Health and Well-being.

3. Aromatherapy

Essential oils from plants to help unwind, yep Aromatherapy. Lavender, chamomile and eucalyptus are just a few examples of scents that can help with relaxation as well. You can use Aromatherapy by way of diffusers, scented candles or directly applying oils It actually uses sensory mechanism and directly affects the mood or stress level i.e. without cognitive processes involved.

More informationFor additional information on holistic wellness approaches, visit our Healthy Eating section.

4. Engaging in Hobbies

Engaging in hobbies and recreational activities is another non-cognitive strategy that can greatly reduce stress. Painting a garden; playing music or even picking up an instrument to play gives us a break from the stress of our everyday lives that makes you feel happy and proud. This also diverts attention from stress and makes them feel delighted as these are the activities in which they find inner peace.

5. Relaxation Techniques

Relaxation—Techniques designed to reduce stress through physical and sensory experiences, such as deep breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation (PMR), guided imagery. Guided breathing exercises: Slowing down your breath to calm the nervous system. Progressive Muscle Relaxation is a technique in which people are trained on how to deliberately tense and then relax different muscle groups with the ultimate goal of releasing physical tension. Mental visualization, but directed at incorporating more sensory modalities than cognitive restructuring.

6. Social Interaction

It is one of many non-cognitive stress management strategies to develop and maintain strong social ties. You may want have people whom you trust and who can understand better stay with or communicate such that they could help in caring for your emotional needs, share a laugh, participate in an activity etc. Social interactions and connecting with others promotes stress reduction by not only bringing feelings of comfort but also a sense that you can relate to someone.

Explore the impact of social connections in our Women’s Health and Men’s Health sections.

7. Creative Expression

Outlet: Creative expression is said to be a non-cognitive skill, so engaging in activities like art, music and dance can really help you reduce stress. Through this activities people able to owning there emotion and reduce the stress by release it in productive activity. The very nature of a creative activity involves use of physical senses — which by definition do not engage cognitive processing to be performed, therefore it could also serve as an alternative voir dire route for neurodiversity on the spectrum.

Check out our Yoga and Fitness & Exercise pages for more ideas on how you can incorporate creative activities into your routine.

Conclusion

Mindfulness and CBT fall under cognitive strategies for dealing with stress, but there are a whole lot other non-cognitive techniques too that prove to be best in mitigating the effect of major life stresses. Taking more of a physical approach through exercise and massage, or focusing in on our sensory experience as we do with hobbies and by being creative are ways to address stress from these different vantage points. These non-cognitive methods, when applied together with your cognitive mental techniques for handling stress should keep you in a state of well-being and be more balanced and relaxed.