This is the Your Body on Stress and What Happens from The Effects of Stress on the Body

We’re in a busy time of year with new schedules, etc…  Therefore, I know a lot of you are feeling some pressure. Stress starts to build in your body and can affect the delicate balance of your body-systems.

This pressure you’re feeling often leads to feeling stressed out overwhelmed.

You think you should just toughen up and “push through it”.

Spoiler alert: You can’t do it for very long.

That’s because stress isn’t all in your mind. It’s also in your body.

Your stress response system is a primal reaction, in other words it’s hardwired into your system to keep you safe and alive.

In this post I’m going to outline some important things you need to know about stress and the effects of stress on the body.

1. Use stress to your best advantage.

2. Learn how to conquer it so it doesn’t run (and ruin) your life.

 Stress can actually be a good thing. 

When your ancestors were under a threat, whether it was fighting off a predator or dealing with everyday problems like feeding a growing family, their bodies responded with “a secret energy” to keep them out of harm’s way.

Our culture has changed a lot since then, but our body’s wiring hasn’t. In other words, we react to stress the same way, except our daily stressors don’t require us to outrun a bear or having catch our next meal.

Constant response to stress can have a major impact on your health.

Let’s walk through what happens to your body during a typical stressful situation.

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 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.

• Your eyes send that information to your brain’s amygdala, which helps you interpret what you see and hear and then…
• Your amygdala basically says, “What’s happening!!!!?”
• 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.

Behind the scenes:

This system handles all your involuntary functions, like the beating of your heart, you’re breathing and your blood pressure.

It works in two parts…

1. …the “sympathetic”, which is like a gas pedal, flooding your body with fuel to outpace danger.

2. …the “parasympathetic”, which is like a brake, calming things down after danger passes.

As soon as your hypothalamus hears the distress call, it flips on the sympathetic nervous system. This in-turn then tells your adrenal glands to release epinephrine (aka adrenaline) into your bloodstream.

This is basically your body’s “Go” juice.

• 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, which will sharpen your senses and makes you more alert.

• To power all that action, the epinephrine also prompts your body to release fuel, in the form of extra blood-sugar and stored-fat.

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.

• Which is exactly what you do, by jumping out of bed and springing to action.

• In essence, you have a LOT to do in a short period of time, and so much is riding on this interview!

• Your body kicks on its second stress-response layer. This is your HPA axis, which consists of your hypothalamus, your pituitary gland, and your adrenal glands.

• Your adrenal glands dump Cortisol (and more fuel) into your system, to keep your accelerator on until the stress passes.

• When you finally hop into your car, you relax a little, which triggers your parasympathetic system.

This puts the brakes on your stress response so you can start to relax.

Are you relaxed?

• At the interview (which somehow, miraculously, you arrive at on-time!), your sympathetic response kicks back on. This will keep you sharp so you can nail the interview.

• On the drive back home, your Cortisol levels dip back down, once again triggering your parasympathetic “recovery” system.

Have you ever been Hangry?

• After all of that, your blood-sugar levels will start to dip, because your body releases insulin to gobble it up from your system,
• You feel yourself becoming hungry and tired.
• You might even become “hangry until you can get something to eat.

• If this is an isolated issue, you’ll go on your way, having a normal day.

• 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.

Long-term, the effects of stress on the body can lead to lasting health issues. 

Over time this constant revving of your sympathetic nervous system can lead to health problems that can cause damage.

• Such as damage to your blood vessels, which in turn can cause high-blood pressure and increase your risk of stroke or heart attack! 

You can learn how to trigger your body’s parasympathetic (aka “rest & digest) system. It  is important part of learning how to de-stress.

I know change isn’t easy… I total get it!

Stress is a normal part of every-one’s day. There really isn’t many ways to avoid it.

Studies have shown that some Stress (known as eustress) can be good for the body. (This is when you “jump out of a perfectly good airplane” type of stress)

The effects of Chronic stress start to build up in the body, leading to damage at the cellular, glandular and tissue levels.

This kind of damage can cause long term health issues, that go unnoticed until the body is in a diseased state.

Finding this hidden damage and addressing it with holistic- lifestyle protocols can be the key to restoration an avoidance of major health issues in your future.

In the meantime, some of the most important things you can do to help de-stress: 

• 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!

• Go outside for a short walk

• Listen to calming music

• Take a half-hour technology break

• Read (from a real book!). You’ll find yourself relaxing almost immediately.

In my guide: Have More E.N.E.R.G.Y  I share some actionable information to help you slow down the stress response and have better control of how stress effects your body.

If you would like to get to know me a little better and find why I want to help you, check out my about page.

When you’re ready to be apart of a community of women taking action and overcoming fatigue and emotional overwhelm, request to join our community.” Exhausted to Exhilarated”

I want you to know that you are not alone. You have choices and options that can help you overcome exhaustion and restore your energy and motivation for the life you were called to live. 

Thoughtfully,

Tess

Have you developed an effective stress relieving habit? Share it in the comments.

Enjoy a Nerdy Science Article:

REFERENCE: www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/understanding-the-stress-response

The information in this article is provided for educational, inspirational and self-empowerment purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or treat any illness and is not intended to be a substitute for medical advice. It is the personal opinion and experience of the writer. Please see your medical professional for specific advice and medical needs.