Stress is your body’s reaction to help you deal with pressure or threats. Your stress hormone levels usually return to normal once the pressure or threat has passed.
A small amount of stress can be useful. It can motivate you to take action and get tasks completed. It can also make you feel alive and excited. But too much stress can cause negative effects such as a change in your mood, your body and relationship issues.
In our modern world – stress is the feeling of being under too much mental or emotional pressure. When you are stressed, your body releases stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol.
Stress can be acute (short term) and is designed to protect us from the immediate threat of the sabre-toothed tiger round the corner!! This reaction to stress is also known as the “fight-or-flight” response because it evolved as a survival mechanism, enabling people and other mammals to react quickly to life-threatening situations. The carefully orchestrated yet near-instantaneous sequence of hormonal changes and physiological responses helps someone to fight the threat off or flee to safety.
Unfortunately, the body can also overreact to stressors that are not life-threatening, such as traffic jams, work pressure, and family difficulties and stress can become chronic (long term) and this is the lifestyle stress that we talk about in our modern lives.
Stress can come from work, finances, relationships, and a variety of other places, but stress can also come from inside the body, from illnesses or inflammation.
Don’t think that stress is always caused by bad things – getting married has been shown to be as stressful as getting divorced!
Stress is managed by the brain and the autonomic nervous system, which has two components, the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system functions like a gas pedal in a car. It triggers the fight-or-flight response, providing the body with a burst of energy so that it can respond to perceived dangers. The parasympathetic nervous system acts like a brake. It promotes the “rest and digest” response that calms the body down after the danger has passed.
When we get stressed, we may at first feel energised. That’s because cortisol is produced giving us the energy we need to escape predators or fight disease and inflammation. As the stress builds and persists, we can start to feel wired. Then after more time, we start to feel exhausted. That’s because we were designed to get bursts of energy to chase after our next meal or run away from the sabre-toothed tiger. Stress was designed to be a short lived response but now in our modern world, we have this kind of ongoing chronic stress that wears us down over time. This can be devastating for our mental and physical health.
Many people are unable to find a way to put the brakes on stress. Chronic low-level stress keeps the sympathetic nervous system active, much like a motor that is idling too high for too long. After a while, this has an effect on the body that contributes to the health problems associated with chronic stress.
Other chemicals surge and can damage blood vessels and arteries, increasing blood pressure and raising risk of heart attacks or strokes. Elevated cortisol levels create physiological changes that help to replenish the body’s energy stores that are depleted during the stress response but they inadvertently contribute to the buildup of fat tissue and to weight gain. For example, cortisol increases appetite, so that people will want to eat more to obtain extra energy. It also increases storage of unused nutrients as fat.
How to counter stress
Fortunately, people can counter the stress response in a variety of ways.
- Relaxation techniques including: deep abdominal breathing, focus on a soothing word (such as peace or calm), visualisation of tranquil scenes, repetitive prayer, yoga, and tai chi.
- Physical activity. People can use exercise to stifle the buildup of stress in several ways. Exercise, such as taking a brisk walk shortly after feeling stressed, not only deepens breathing but also helps relieve muscle tension. Movement therapies such as yoga, tai chi, and qi gong combine fluid movements with deep breathing and mental focus, all of which can induce calm.
- Social support. Confidants, friends, acquaintances, co-workers, relatives, spouses, and companions all provide a life-enhancing social net — and may increase longevity. It’s not clear why, but the buffering theory holds that people who enjoy close relationships with family and friends receive emotional support that indirectly helps to sustain them at times of chronic stress and crisis.
At Walnut Grove we see many patients who present with physical symptoms that are caused or exacerbated by long term stress. If you think you need help or advice please ring and speak to a practitioner. We may be able to help you or we may refer you to someone we know – please reach out if you need help.
