This Is Your Body On Stress!
This is YOUR Body on STRESS…
Let’s talk about something we are all experiencing right now…STRESS! We’re heading into a busy time of year with new schedules, etc. and I know a lot of us are feeling some pressure …
… and I also know a lot of us think we should just toughen up and “push through it”.
Spoiler alert: You can’t do it!!! That’s because stress isn’t all “in your mind.” It’s also in your body.
Your stress response system is a primal reaction... it’s hardwired into your system to keep you safe and alive.
I am going to outline some important things you need to know about stress and how it affects you – info that will help you:
Use stress to your best advantage and
Learn how to manage it so it doesn’t run (and ruin) your life.
Believe it or not, stress can actually be a GOOD thing.
When your ancestors were under threat – whether it was fighting off a predator or dealing with everyday problems like feeding a growing family – their bodies responded with energy to keep them out of harm’s way.
Our culture has changed a lot since then, but our body’s wiring hasn’t. We react to stress the same way, except our stressors don’t require us to outrun a bear or worry about where our next meal is coming from.
And that can have a major impact on your health!
I want to walk you through what happens to your body during a typical stressful situation. I know this is a little long but please hang in there with me, because it’s pretty eye-opening.
Let’s pretend you have an interview for a potentially life-changing job at 8 a.m. next Tuesday.
You really want this job, so you spend a lot of time researching and preparing.
But then on Tuesday morning you wake up and look at your clock, and your eyes see that it’s 7:15 a.m!!! Your alarm didn’t go off!
Here’s a quick outline of what happens in your body.
1. Your eyes send that information to your brain’s amygdala, which helps you interpret what you see and hear.
2. Your amygdala basically says, “What the #@*&!!!!?”
3. It sends a distress call to your brain’s command center, your hypothalamus, which talks to the rest of your body through your autonomic nervous system.
Important background info: This system handles all of your involuntary functions, like the beating of your heart, your breathing, and your blood pressure. It works in two parts – the “sympathetic,” which is like a gas pedal, flooding your body with fuel to outpace danger, and “parasympathetic,” which is like a brake, calming things down after danger passes.
4. As soon as your hypothalamus hears the distress call, it flips on the sympathetic nervous system, telling your adrenal glands to release epinephrine (aka adrenaline) into your bloodstream.
This is basically your body’s “GO!” juice.
5. Your heart beats faster, sending blood to your muscles and other organs. Your airways open wide as your breathing speeds up, allowing more oxygen into your system. Some of that extra oxygen goes to your brain, sharpening your senses and making you more alert.
6. To power all that action, the epinephrine also prompts your body to release fuel, in the form of extra blood sugar and stored fat.
7. All of that happens lightning-fast, before you even have a chance to fully register that your alarm didn’t go off! Your body does this to either give you the fuel you need to run away fast … or go to battle.
8. Which is exactly what you do, by jumping out of bed and springing into action. You have a LOT to do in a short period of time, and so much is riding on this interview!
9. Your body kicks on its second stress-response layer, your HPA axis, which consists of your hypothalamus, your pituitary gland, and your adrenal glands.
10. Your adrenal glands dump cortisol (and more fuel) into your system, to keep your accelerator on until the stress passes.
11. When you finally hop into your car, you relax a little, triggering your parasympathetic system, which puts the brakes on your stress response so you can start to relax.
12. But at the interview (which somehow, miraculously, you arrive on-time!), your sympathetic response kicks back on, keeping you sharp so you can nail the interview.
13. On the drive back home, your cortisol levels dip back down, once again triggering your parasympathetic “recovery” system.
14. As your blood sugar levels dip because your body releases insulin to gobble it up from your system, you feel yourself becoming hungry and tired, or maybe even “hangry” until you can get something to eat.
15. If this is an isolated issue, you’ll go on your way, having a normal day.
16. But if this is just the latest thing to happen in a series of stressful events – or if you never learned stress-management techniques – your body might not know how to put on your anti-stress brake.
Over time, this constant revving of your sympathetic nervous system can lead to health problems that can damage your blood vessels, cause high blood pressure and increase your risk of stroke or heart attack!
As you can see, learning how to trigger your body’s parasympathetic (aka “rest & digest”) system is an important part of learning how to de-stress.
This is such a MASSIVE and chronic problem in our culture today, so I wanted to make sure I provide you with real world tips that will help you in your life!
In fact, I have a brand new eBook called “Unplug” that outlines 22 tips and techniques – including powerful breathing exercises – to help your body learn how to shed stress and find calm.
You can get it by Clicking this link and downloading it!!! >>>>
One of the most important things you can do to help destress is to take short “breathing breaks” during the course of the day where you sit quietly and focus on your breathing. Calming your breathing calms your body!
Here are some other quick and easy practical tips: go outside for a short walk, listen to calming music, take a half-hour technology break, or read (from a real book!). You’ll find yourself relaxing almost immediately.
Taking a few stress breaks during the course of the day isn’t “weak.” It’s actually STRONG, because it helps you take back control.
Moving mindfully and eating right also helps your body recover from stress. But a lot of times, these aren't enough and we need more personal guidance to help us learn how to relax, de-stress and allow joy back into our life. This is where my coaching program can be so helpful. Schedule a call with me to see if, working together might be a good fit for you.
Take a nice deep breath! Relax! And find the joy in your day!