Our Stress Response

It’s the perception of threat, real or imagined, that engages our stress response. This cascade of biochemical processes triggered by what's known as the HPA axis: Hypothalamus > Pituitary > Adrenal glands.

Picture them as a team of sprinters passing relay race batons. Only the batons are hormones. So these hormones are entering our bloodstream and they're dialing down our digestive and immune system function, dilating our blood vessels to increase blood flow so the heart can pump more blood to the brain, to the skeletal muscles and to the eyes, and it's priming us for fight or flight. Now all of this is working exactly according to plan and, in fact, without the stress response it's highly unlikely that our species would have survived all this long.

Chronic Stress

Once the threat is resolved our stress response is designed to switch off so we can relax and breathe easy again. Unlike the threats to survival we encountered in our ancestral past, the threats we encounter today are primarily emotional ones which often persist or aren't so cleanly resolved. The result can be chronic stress which not only compromises our immune system function, but can also become the tipping point to chronic illness and disease. 

Now you don't need me to tell you that everybody gets stressed. Research shows that there are three factors that are universally identified as leading to stress: 1) uncertainty 2) lack of information and 3) loss of control. The year 2020 highlights the fact that stress is unavoidable. The key is to recognize that just because stress shows up in your life doesn't mean you have to let it take over your day.

Again, everybody gets stressed. What matters is how we handle it. The best way to avoid becoming chronically stressed is to have a go-to strategy to help you handle the stress in your life so you can make sure that you're lowering risks to your emotional and physical health.

For 3 easy steps to help you feel calmer, more productive and empowered rather than drained and exhausted throughout your day, watch my video How to Manage Stress Without Stressing Out About It. You’ll learn how to Move with it, Breathe through it and LIE with it—3 simple steps that have been very effective to help me reduce the stress in my life and I’m sure they can work for you too.