The term “stress,” we know it, originated with an endocrinologist named Hans Selye in 1936. According to Selye, stress is a “the non-specific response of the body to any demand for change.”
The definition of stress, as stated in the Merriam Webster dictionary, is a physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension and may be a factor in disease causation.
However, stress isn’t all bad; in fact, we couldn’t survive without it.
Temporary stress can be a good thing. It helps us adapt to our environment, meet and overcome challenges.
Stress: Fight or flight
When your brain thinks you are in danger, you experience a range of psychological responses which prepare you for fight or flight.
Your heart rate increases, cortisol is released increasing blood pressure, while depressing your immune system.
Your brain gets ready for action.
This perfectly regulated response to stress provided our ancestors with the energy they needed to survive in an uncertain natural environment.
Chronic stress is bad
However, in our modern environment, most of our responses to stress do not result in our fighting or fleeing, which means that all of that adrenaline just stays in our bodies – it is not used up.
Those stress hormones aren’t meant to be circulating in your bloodstream all the time, and when they do, they can cause a wide range of problems, including premature aging and heart disease.
Chronic stress is harmful stress on a consistent basis, that exceeds your capacity to adapt. Typically this decreases performance and can lead to physical, mental and emotional problems.
It may get to the point where you just cannot cope anymore
According to the science, undergoing prolonged stress pumps you up and with a constant fight or flight response. You may experience an overload of adrenaline which can make feel fear even when there is no real threat.
Your stress response can cause you to experience:
- Face blushing
- Brain racing
- Heart racing
- Shortness of breath
- Digestive problems
If you are in constant alarm response, your body is in overdrive… this can get hard-wired into your brain as normal.
Alarm mode is useful if you are running from tigers, but it is not good if you want to function in a work-like environment.
A hyperactive stress response will hinder your ability to make decisions, communicate and think logically.
Coping with stress
Stress coping strategies can work for you or against you, depending on your particular reality.
What may have worked when you were younger, could be compounding the stress.
The good news is that your body is continuously looking for ways to achieve balance.
With proper a stress assessment and coping mechanisms, you can rewire your brain to move away from fight or flight mode, and into a state of harmony.
Understanding what’s been going on in your own life, how stress occurs, how it affects you, and how to manage stress, is very empowering.