You have probably experienced the known symptoms of stress – sweaty palms, racing heart, shallow breathing – and are familiar with the feeling of being overwhelmed it can bring. Stress is part of the “fight or flight” mechanism that has helped us thrive thousands of years. However, the hectic modern lifestyle makes this adaptive response a bit problematic for our long-term well-being. It can induce a myriad of physical and mental issues that can truly decrease ones quality of living.
Luckily in today’s blog we will go over the secrets behind stress, its impact on various body systems, and useful strategies for navigating it. Simply continue reading, and learn everything you need to know about stress!
The Biology of Stress
We can describe stress as a state of disruption or imbalance in a normal body functioning, known as homeostasis. In even simpler terms, our goal is to maintain a stable environment, but stressful events can disrupt this balance and affect our body’s system. Our reaction to stress is controlled by the sympathetic nervous system, and when confronted with immediate danger it initiates a series of physical and hormonal changes to prepare for action.
These changes include:
- Increased blood pressure and heart rate
- Release of stress hormones like epinephrine, norepinephrine, and cortisol
- Elevated muscle tension
- Suppressed immunity, digestion, and reproductive functions
Be that as it may, these physiological responses are super important when confronting danger, since they play a crucial role in survival. Once activated, the stress response utilizes available resources to meet the demands of a dangerous situation. Any bodily functions and processes are almost immediately downregulated, including growth, digestion, and recovery.
Unfortunately, when we face all sorts of challenging situations in our daily life, these responses can impact our overall well-being.
Stress and Weight Gain
Long-term stress can be linked to weight management problems and even weight gain for some people. Here is the reason, when we’re stressed, our body releases hormones like cortisol. While some of these hormones can make us less hungry, others actually amp up our appetite. Cortisol levels tend to sky rocket as stress peaks and stay high as we recover. This hormone makes you crave food to replace lost energy from dealing with stress.
Stress also messes with our brain’s reward system, making us crave comfort foods such as sugary snacks and fatty treats, leading to emotional eating. On top of that, cortisol encourages our body to store fat, especially around the stomach area. So, stress can mess with our weight in more ways than one.
Stress and Digestion
Being stressed out can bring a serious hit on our digestion. During stressful periods, the body shifts resources away from digestion. Blood flow diverts elsewhere, enzymes that break down food decrease, and the gut muscles slow down. This makes sense only when we’re in a survival situation, as digestion isn’t the top priority when facing danger. However, in day to day events this doesn’t make any sense, and if prolonged it may even mess with our digestion rhythm. Chronic stress can even ramp up inflammation in the gut, leading to issues like IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), ulcers, Chron’s disease, and colitis.
Stress and Mental Health
Stress can also negatively impact mood, in fact high levels of stress are related to depression and anxiety. It doesn’t come as a surprise that high levels of cortisol are often seen in people with major depression, individuals that lack sleep, appetite, and libido.
Additionally, individuals exposed to early-life stress are more likely to experience significant mental health issues in adulthood.
Stress and Disease
Inflammation is a part of our immune system that responds to illnesses or injuries, where white blood cells, antibodies and cytokines defend compromised cells. Just like stress, this is beneficial in the short term. Now, chronic inflammation on the other hand promotes the development of most known diseases. Unchecked stress can indicate prolonged inflammation, and research reveals that stress is a common risk factor in 75% of modern diseases, including cardiovascular disease, liver disease, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and even cancer.
How to Combat Stress so It Doesn’t Affect Us
While it may seem that it’s almost impossible to cope with stress, it is actually proven that it can be done. It is much easier than you think.
Here is the secret, the way we perceive a stressor has a significant impact on how it affects us. Simply viewing a stressor as a “challenge” rather than a “threat” yields better physical and physiological results. Stress mindsets (our attitude and belief about the effects of stress) change our behavioral and mental responses to threats, and thus our long-term outcomes.
One study even examined how individuals perceived stress and their correlation to depression. The results found out that the individuals with higher levels of stress perception were more likely to experience depression (1).
So, having a rather positive and forward going mindset and approach towards potentially challenging situations is the key to overcoming chronic stress in the long-run.
Conclusion
Stress is a apart of modern living that can have significant effects on our physical and mental well-being if not managed. The body’s natural response to stress can have an adverse impact on our health, however if we perceive and respond to stress with a positive mindset, we can shift the perspective and turn stress into a catalyst for growth and motivation. By viewing stress as an opportunity to learn and adapt, rather than something utterly bad, we can develop greater resilience to cope with future stressors.
In essence, while stress is unavoidable, how we perceive and respond to it can shape its impact on our life. By adopting a positive approach, self-care, and seeking support from others when needed, we can beat stress once and for all!
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