Stress Awareness

I just found out the other day that April is Stress Awareness Month. 

We use the word stress all the time in our daily life, but do we know really what stress is? For a moment take some time to think…What does stress mean to me? 

For years I viewed stress as the feeling I get when I am overwhelmed — “stressed out”. I viewed it as a purely negative thing that I should minimize or even avoid. Stress can be a physical, mental, or emotional strain or tension. And, sometimes those things are needed for positive change in our bodies. This is certainly vague!!! And probably why our understanding of, and relationship with, stress is so poor. 

So let’s dive in…

“The brain is the organ that determines what is novel and possibly threatening and therefore “stressful” and it orchestrates the behavioral and physiological responses, whether health-promoting or health-damaging.”1.

We can classify STRESS into 3 categories: 

1. Good Stress: The stress of rising to a challenge or expanding out of your comfort zone for growth

2. Tolerable Stress: Stress outside of your control that is challenging but promotes resilience.

3. Toxic Stress: The inability to cope with what is benign, present or asked of you in a situation. This type of stress is likely to have adverse effects on behavior and physiology, and this will result in a higher degree of allostatic overload.

Our immune, hormonal and nervous systems (link to last week) are working together to delicately keep our brain, and body functioning optimally. This process by which the body responds to stressors to regain homeostasis is called Allostasis. 

Maintaining Allostasis can lead to Adaptation and protection of our brain and body. This system to overloaded air can lead to wear-and-tear on the body and brain. This is known as allostatic load (overload). 

Toxic stress as described above pushes our body into a higher degree of allostatic load (overload). Chronic toxic stress can be detrimental. 

• Hair Loss: Chronic toxic stress disrupts hormone production in the body-switching some hair follicles into resting ones

• Headache: Increased muscle tension due to tension headaches

• Heart Disease: The American Heart Association has linked stress to the two main risk factors for heart disease, hypertension (high blood pressure) and high cholesterol

• Weight Gain: Cortisol levels rise under stress causing the body to store excess belly fat

• Poor Gut Health: Chronic toxic stress can lead to Heartburn, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease GERD

• Diabetes: Chronic stress can ride your blood glucose levels — increasing the risk of Type II diabetes

So how can I keep from stressing about my stress?

• Promote a positive mindset and outlook

• Improve social support

• Improve sleep quality and quantity

• Stay hydrated & eat for well being

• Set Boundaries: Emotional boundaries are important to protect your stress arousal response. Notice the people and activities that trend to increase your feelings of stress.

• Rejuvenate with play: Drawing. Gardening. Listening to music. A nap. A relaxing bath.

• Mindfulness and breath work

• Get moving: Exercise helps to complete the stress cycle keeping the tolerable stress or even toxic stress from pushing into an increased allostatic load.

• Unplug: Unplugging from social medical, TV, and technology can decrease your stress triggers.

Brain Changing = Life Changing. Live Beyond! 🧠

References and Resources:

1. McEwen, B.Neurobiological and Systemic Effects of Chronic Stress. Chronic Stress (Thousand Oaks) 2017 Jan-Dec; 1: 2470547017692328. doi: 10.1177/2470547017692328

2. https://www.mibluesperspectives.com/2018/04/24/signs-suffering-physical-symptoms-stress/

3. https://www.cognitivefxusa.com/blog/3-ways-stress-impacts-the-brain

4. https://www.stress.org.uk

5. https://www.brainfacts.org/thinking-sensing-and-behaving/emotions-stress-and-anxiety/2018/the-neuroscience-of-stress-061918

6. https://www.stress.org/april-is-stress-awareness-month