At some point in time, we may have heard that stress is bad for our bodies, but how does it actually affect us? Research shows that persistent stress can cause our immune system to decrease, our Cortisol levels to increase, our muscle mass to decline and even alter our brain chemistry. When our brain is flooded with Cortisol day-after-day, week-after-week, it begins to adapt to these new, higher levels. Once a brain has adapted to the high levels of this stress hormone, it forgets how to function without it. This creates an imbalance, and often an overreaction in hormone production when confronted with stress in the future.
But how can we learn to deal with the daily stressors in our lives? Coping skills such as meditation and mindfulness may help reduce the production and reliance on Cortisol. Some professionals, like Dr. Kelly McGonigal, believe that the best way to deal with stress is to face it head on, and embrace it. Dr. McGonigal goes on to say “when you change your mind about stress, you can change your body’s response to stress”. This means that instead of looking at increased heart rate, heavier breathing, and increased sweating as negative physiological responses, we should look at them as our body preparing us for a challenge. Stress responses are often broken down into four major categories: Fight or Flight Response, Challenge Response, Bigger-Than-Self Response, and the Resilience Response. The Fight or Flight response is the most commonly known response to stress, and occurs when the body prepares you for a perceived threat to your life. The Challenge response occurs when you view stressful experiences as opportunities for growth and learning. The Bigger-Than-Self response is when you come across a stressor that is too much for you to face on your own, your brain surges with a stress hormone named Oxytocin, which encourages you to reach out to someone who can help. Lastly, the Resilience response occurs when instead of viewing negative experiences with stress as failure, you can view them as learning experiences and opportunities for growth.
If you are looking for other ways to cope with your stress, feel free to read our blog post specifically on Coping Skills. If you like statistics, take a look at the American Psychological Association’s 2019 Stress in America. If you can’t figure it out on your own, there are professionals (like us) to help guide you. You are still strong and valuable if you ask for help.
References:
American Psychological Association (2019). Stress in America: Stress and Current Events. Stress in America™ Survey. Retrieved from
https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2019/stress-america-2019.pdf
Crum, A. J., Akinola, M., Martin, A., & Fath, S. (2017). The role of stress mindset in shaping cognitive, emotional, and physiological responses to
challenging and threatening stress. Anxiety, Stress, & Coping, 30(4), 379–395. doi: 10.1080/10615806.2016.1275585
Herman, James P. (2013). Neural control of chronic stress adaptation. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience. August 8.
Doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2013.00061
Klemm, W. R. (2018, August 30). How Stress Changes Your Brain. Retrieved from
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/memory-medic/201808/how-stress-changes-your-brain
McQuaid, M. (2019, September 6). 3 Ways to Make the Most of Stress. Retrieved from
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/functioning-flourishing/201909/3-ways-make-the-most-stress
Vogelzangs, N. et al. (2009). Late-life depression, cortisol, and the metabolic syndrome. Am. J. Geriatr. Psychiatry.17(8): 716-21.
doi: 10.1097/JGP.0b013e3181aad5d7.