Stress 101: Why it's Good and When it's Bad
Stress isn’t good or bad on its own. It requires context. It’s essential for growth as well as survival, but if the intensity is too high or the duration too long it becomes destructive. In order to understand stress it’s helpful to break it into categories. The 3 main types of stress we experience are physical, biochemical and mental emotional.
Healthy physical stress can be things like exercise, while unhealthy physical stress can be things like getting hit by a bus (intensity too high) or sitting at a desk for 8 hours a day your whole life (duration too long).
Healthy biochemical stress can be something like digesting a nutritious meal, while unhealthy biochemical stress can be something like slamming rum and cokes all night (high intensity) or smoking a pack a day for decades (long duration).
Healthy mental and emotional stress can come from things like traveling, crossword puzzles, studying for an exam, trying something new and even being in a relationship. Unhealthy mental and emotional stress can come from things like acute trauma (high intensity) or something simple like prolonged unforgiveness and resentment (long duration).
Based on my clinical experience, it is the chronic emotional stress that is the most prevalent and the most dangerous. Unlike physical and biochemical stress, which is inherently present time oriented, emotional stress is largely past oriented, which allows it to stack on itself over time. For example, if you fall off your bike (physical) or get the flu (biochemical) your body engages with the challenge, you heal, recover and then the stress is gone. Emotional stress gets locked into memory such that even though the initial stressor no longer exists, the stress can remain as though it’s still happening. This allows stress to accumulate over time. What makes it even more dangerous is that it’s mostly subconscious, meaning you may have little to no awareness of it, but it’s there in the background hijacking your body’s physiology.
How do I know if emotional stress is my issue?
At its core, stress is essential to our survival. When faced with a perceived threat, we experience a built-in fight or flight response, which primes the body to run or fight for its life. Your entire body flips a switch. Your muscles, heart, lungs, hormones, digestion, immune system and brain all change from prioritizing health to prioritizing survival.
Once an acute threat has passed, the body returns to normal. However, the subconscious, which controls the stress response, doesn’t differentiate between actual threats, the memory of threats or imaginary threats. If you have an emotional reaction to a memory that is similar to the initial experience, your body will functionally act as though it’s happening all over again. This is how a stressful experience can lead to chronic stress, which in turn leads to exhaustion, ultimately arriving at dysfunction and disease.
Symptoms of stress
The following changes may be signs that an individual is overly stressed:
Changes in appetite, acid reflux, indigestion, diarrhea
Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
Loss of interest in activities previously enjoyed
Restlessness
Sadness, guilt, or feelings of irritability
Repetitive negative thoughts
How stress affects the body
Chronically high levels of stress may suppress the body’s ability to self regulate and heal, leaving individuals vulnerable to more serious conditions, some of which are outlined below.
Stress and the immune system
Chronic stress results in immune-suppressing levels of the stress hormones cortisol, epinephrine and norepinephrine. It also depletes nutrients necessary for effective immune function, like B vitamins.
Stress and cardiovascular health
Cortisol can have a negative impact on your cardiovascular system. Studies show that chronically high cortisol levels can increase blood pressure, blood sugar and triglycerides. All of which can increase your risk factor for hypertension, stroke and heart attack.
Stress and the gastrointestinal system
Chronic stress can also negatively affect your gastrointestinal system. Under stress, your body shunts blood away from the gut, the movement of your digestive muscles slows down and gastric secretions can shut off. As a result, stress may lead to heartburn, indigestion, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, or belly pain. Overtime, this can lead to conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome and irritable bowel disease.
Stress and inflammation, allergies and asthma
Those suffering from asthma and allergies may also be more susceptible to attacks following a stressful event. Research in college students found an association between stress and atopic dermatitis (an inflammatory skin condition), nasal congestion, and asthma.
Managing stress
Coping with stress will look different depending on the individual, however, the following strategies may be helpful for reducing stress levels:
Identify what is causing you stress. Be more mindful and self aware.
Consider strategies to reduce unnecessary stressors.
Talk to others about how you’re feeling (e.g., friends, family, coworkers, a therapist.
Consider taking breathing breaks throughout the day where you spend a few minutes taking intentional deep breaths.
Consider participating in physical and mental exercise such as walking, running, or meditation.
Work on improving your nutrition.
Participate in hobbies and activities that you enjoy.
Don’t be too hard on yourself and take things one day at a time. Compassion for self creates a healing environment.
Summary
Stress is a natural and helpful bodily reaction, however, chronic stress may negatively affect health and lead to or exacerbate more serious health conditions related to a suppressed immune system and chronic inflammation. If you’re struggling with this I recommend reaching out to a professional. Your life can turn around very quickly.
If you’re interested in responding to your stress in a more productive and healthy way, consider reaching out to me for a complimentary conversation. I would love to hear from you.