Written by Darcel Osei
Stress is a normal part of our human existence. Our ancestors dealt with stresses like encountering a predator and running for their lives. Their bodies reacted appropriately, flooding them with stress hormones to engage the ‘fight-or-flight’ response to enable them to kick into high gear and escape. Then once they were safe, the stress response receded and their bodies resumed a harmonious balance.
This stress response serves to protect us. Hormones like adrenaline and cortisol are released to enable us to escape pending danger. Once the danger has been mitigated, we resume balance. At least, this is how our stress response should function. The trouble is that humans today have far more stressors than lions, tigers and bears- financial stress, career stress, wars, climate change and the list goes on. The result of this is that far too many of us are living in a constant state of stress. The problem with this is that our bodies are now constantly flooded with stress hormones.
The stress hormones themselves are not the problem. Take cortisol, for example. Its levels rise in the morning to kick us into gear to start our day. It also promotes normal cell metabolism, helps control blood sugar levels, and has an anti-inflammatory effect. In response to stress, cortisol curbs the unnecessary bodily functions (digestive, immune and reproductive systems) to enable fight or flight. Then there’s adrenaline. Adrenaline elevates your heart rate and blood pressure and increases energy supplies- think Mom lifting a car off of her child.
All great, right? These stress hormones only become problematic when we are in a state of chronic stress, which unfortunately is the case for far too many of us. It leaves our blood sugar levels, heart rate and blood pressure chronically elevated. Our digestive, immune, and reproductive systems go into dysfunction. Our metabolism down regulates, and the list goes on. In short, chronic stress, if left unchecked, can have some pretty detrimental effects on our overall health- physically, mentally and spiritually.
Physically, chronic stress and all that comes with it, predisposes us to a host of chronic illnesses- cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, for example. Mentally, chronic stress can lead to anxiety and depression. And finally, spiritually, chronic stress often prevents us from being truly present, which then disallows connection with self and others.
But all is not lost. Finding a small amount of time in your day to engage in a stress management technique that resonates with you can do wonders for your overall health. And there are many to choose from. The idea being to calm the sympathetic nervous system- your ‘fight-or-flight’ response and activate your parasympathetic nervous system- your ‘rest-and-digest’ response.
A 15 minute meditation, a walk in nature, 20 mins of yoga or tai chi are great options. Some others are getting a massage, practicing deep abdominal breathing and mindfulness. With so many options and so many apps, go ahead, do something great for yourself every day. Carve out even 15 minutes a day for yourself, put it in your schedule. Make it as non-negotiable as that board meeting and set strict boundaries around it. Move or breathe your way out of stress and towards a happier, healthier you. It could really be one of the most important things you do.
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