Here’s What No One Tells You About Stress

I was in the supermarket the other day and observed a woman cursing at the jammed trolley as she tried to extract it with a toddler on her hip and a bag on her shoulder. She pushed and pulled, wiggled it every which way, and finally in frustration, gave one last pull with all her strength and managed to release the trolley, almost knocking herself over in the process.

This poor woman could have been me, or you, or any one of us. She looked totally overwhelmed… and the whole scenario got me to thinking about stress and how it affects us in both body and mind.

I think we are all familiar with what stress feels like, but what’s actually happening in your body when you’re stressed? Why is it so bad for us?

What do cavemen and sabre-tooth tigers have to do with stress?

Back in the caveman (and woman) days, being presented with a sabre tooth tiger was a distinct threat. Either you became lunch, or you didn’t. The defining factor was how fast you could run or how well you could fight. This is what’s known as the ‘fight or flight’ response, and this is what happens in your body when you are faced with stress. Your body is prepared to either fight, or run away.

This is a normal stress response – your body adapts to the threat at hand, then after the threat has subsided and you’re safely hidden away in a cave, the stress effects on your body subside.

Now, we don’t have sabre tooth tigers in today’s world, but we do have a variety of things that cause stress, including financial pressures, relationship issues, working stress, illness, and poor diets. Even just simply feeling rushed in this fast paced society we live in is a significant cause of stress. These things aren’t life threatening like we’ve faced in the past, yet they trigger the same reaction in the body.

Another problem we face with stress today is that these issues don’t come and go as fast as a sabre tooth tiger. They are persistent… and resistant to resolving. This means we have stress hormones rushing around our bodies almost constantly.

What? Not those hormones again?

Yes, there are hormones involved in stress. Whenever you experience stress, cortisol, the main stress hormone, is released from your adrenal glands which sit atop your kidneys. We need cortisol for many functions within the body, however when you are chronically stressed, the effect of cortisol becomes a negative one. I bet you’ll be surprised at how far reaching the effect of cortisol is on your body.  

Stress gives you a ‘foggy head’.

Do you know what brain fog feels like? You can’t think clearly. Your memory is like a sieve and even the simplest things float in and right back out again. You’re forgetful, confused, and unfocused. You’re so forgetful you even forgot what it feels like to have mental clarity!

Stress worsens your memory formation and retrieval. Not only can you not remember things in the first place, but if you are lucky enough to file it away inside your mental filing cabinet, your brain forgets where it is. The more stressed you get, the worse this becomes.

Finding activities that help relax your mind can ease this stress effect in your brain.

Stress can cause weight gain, or resistance to weight loss.

Have you been stressed out lately and did you notice that you gained some weight? Well, it’s because of stress. At first, stress can make you lose your appetite, but in the long run “chronic” stress increases your hunger. When you’re stressed out, cortisol rises in the body, affecting your blood sugar regulation, which makes you crave fatty and sugary foods.

This can result in an emotional eating pattern, because these types of foods give you a quick energy boost and makes you feel better, which gets you through the next part of the day.

This type of stress related weight gain often results in weight carried around your middle, that so-called ‘spare tyre’ look. Weight loss is slow… or non-existent, no matter how hard you try.

Why does stress do this to you? When you are stressed, levels of your ‘hunger hormone’ ghrelin rise, resulting in an increased appetite which can lead to weight gain.

Stress weakens your immune system.

If you have niggling health concerns that don’t seem to get any better, or you always seem to be suffering from colds, flu or other infections, it might be because of your stress levels.

The body’s immune system is linked to the levels of stress. Stress hormones affect the immune system by causing inflammation, reducing the number of white blood cells (your infection fighters), and creating a higher risk of infection. It’s that pesky fight or flight response again that causes the effect on the immune system. Chronic stress also leaves you more prone to headaches, colds, flu, heart disease, asthma, diabetes and gastric ulcers.

Research is indicating a strong connection between inflammation and many of today’s chronic diseases.

Stress can be the trigger for chronic inflammation, and inflammation is likely the pervading factor in many of the chronic illnesses that people face today.

The body has messengers that usually keep inflammation in check but with long term stress these become impaired due to the incessant release of cortisol – a bit like ‘crying wolf’ – they stop listening!  This allows inflammation to get out of control and create more pain and dysfunction in the body, which can cause general aches and pains, and drives conditions such as arthritis and autoimmune disease.

How do we solve 21st century stress?

Given the effects of stress, it’s important that we know how to lessen or manage stress. Here are some helpful ways to achieve some calm within.

Infuse your home with calm

Your home’s physical surroundings can help bring a sense of calm to you. Painting your walls using cool and calming colours such as soft blues and light greens, and using lamps with dimmer switches are highly recommended. Dimmed lighting allows you to relax and produce your sleep hormone melatonin which prepares you for sleep.

Integrating natural elements in your home such as wood, stone and plants can also infuse your house with calm. Our human need to get away from stressors often leads us to nature and the outdoors, so bringing these elements into your home help you to feel calmer. It’s a reconnection to nature.

Stress might be challenging to remove easily in any environment, but doing these can surely lessen your stress.

Create a list of stress-reducing activities

Stress reducing activities such as meditating, yoga, gardening, and listening to music can help you relax and can lower your stress. Simply going for a walk in nature is ideal to take some time out from the rush of life, and even a 10 minute walk in your lunch break can bring you back to peace and calm.

Don’t forget the simplest stress reduction technique of all…. take a few deep breaths. In particular, if you breathe out very slowly, it helps to reduce the levels of stress chemicals in your system. This seems so simple but is so very powerful.

Make a list of stress reducing activities that you can include in your daily routine and try your best to choose at least one of these daily. Making the list is one thing, but actually following through and doing one of those things is what will actually help you reduce your stress levels. Action achieves results.

Getting Professional Help for Stress

Today’s society is much more open with mental health challenges, and yet there is still some remaining stigma around seeking professional help. We feel like we should be able to deal with stress without having to ask for someone else’s help. The clients who I’ve spoken with have felt a strong sense of relief after reaching out for assistance. At last they feel like they don’t have to figure it all out for themselves.

Talking to a professional Life Coach can help you figure out the source of your stress, and will help you learn the practices and solutions that can help reduce stress in your life. Often the answers are held within yourself, but it’s hard to get out of your own way to see them. A coach can help shine the light and allow you to find the answers.

Natural medicine can be an effective way to help your body and mind deal with the challenges of stress. The stress response is a fairly predictable process in the body, and herbs and other nutrients are proven effective to interrupt the chronic stress response, help you remain calm throughout stressful situations, and give you a sense of gaining back control over anxiety.

Seeking help from a professional when it comes to dealing with stress will positively impact your overall health. I love to combine both life coaching and natural medicine when I help people overcome stress, as this creates a lasting effect that is often life changing.

Stress may be difficult to avoid, but always remember that chronic stress can and does negatively impact your overall health. Good news is, stress is manageable and it’s never too late to take control. Following these tips can improve your health, your mindset, and your life. Contact me or comment below if you have any questions about managing stress or anxiety.