Completing the Stress Cycle - Part 1
What’s Stress?
Stress can feel like that unwelcome guest who shows up at the worst possible time, but its job is to keep you alive. It's your body's natural reaction to any demand or challenge. Whether it's facing a deadline, dealing with a difficult situation, or even getting stuck in traffic, stress can pop up unexpectedly and mess with your inner peace.
But, it’s not a switch but a cycle. There are stages to your stress response and when you can move through them effectively, stress becomes a healing/helpful response instead of an exhausting one.
Often, we get stuck in the middle…which drains the body. This masterclass is all about moving from the middle response (fight or flight) to the end (threat is over). This is particularly important when stress is chronic (and, well, that’s life nowadays!)
First, let’s look at the 3 main types of stress: Acute, Chronic, and Eustress
(have you heard of eustress? Researching for this masterclass is the first time this word has come into my life)
Acute Stress
Imagine you're walking in the woods, and suddenly, you encounter a wild animal. Your heart starts pounding, your breath quickens, and you're ready to fight or run like there's no tomorrow. That's a sign that acute stress is in action!
Acute stress is our body's rapid response to a perceived threat or a challenging situation. It's like a built-in alarm system that helps us deal with immediate dangers. Once the threat is gone, our stress response calms down (or it should…), and we return to a more relaxed state.
Actually, acute stress, in small and controlled doses, can actually be beneficial to the body. The "fight or flight" response sharpens your focus, increases alertness, and boosts your energy levels, enabling you to respond quickly and make split-second decisions in potentially dangerous situations.
Also, acute stress can enhance cognitive function and memory temporarily, allowing you to perform better under pressure. Once the stressful event is over, your body returns to its normal state, and the stress hormones dissipate. This process strengthens your stress-response system, making you more resilient and better equipped to handle future stressors. So, while chronic stress can be harmful, acute stress plays a vital role in keeping you safe and adaptive in the face of challenges.
It’s for this reason that completing the stress cycle is so important for our health!
And, while acute stress is a natural part of life, it can still take a toll on us if we experience it frequently or intensely. Too much acute stress can lead to feelings of overwhelm and exhaustion, affecting our ability to cope with everyday challenges.
Chronic Stress:
You're juggling a demanding job, family responsibilities, financial worries, and constant pressure to meet expectations. Sound familiar? Welcome to the world of chronic stress!
Unlike acute stress, chronic stress sticks around for the long haul. It's like a persistent background noise that refuses to fade away. Chronic stress often results from ongoing issues like work-related stress, family conflicts, or health problems.
Since our stress response remains activated over extended periods, chronic stress can be seriously harmful. It messes with our hormones, weakens our immune system, and increases the risk of developing chronic health conditions. Not to mention, it can also take a toll on our mental well-being, leading to anxiety, depression, or burnout.
Eustress:
Now, let's lighten the mood a bit! Not all stress is bad!
There's a type of stress that can actually be beneficial, and it's called eustress (pronounced "you-stress").
Eustress is the positive kind of stress that arises from exciting challenges, like starting a new job, planning a big event, or even going on an adventurous trip. It pushes us out of our comfort zones and motivates us to achieve our goals. The key difference here is that eustress is usually short-lived and doesn't overwhelm us like chronic stress does.
So, the takeaway here is that while we should strive to manage and reduce chronic stress, a little bit of eustress can add spice to life and help us grow.
Stress is a natural part of being human. It's how we respond to and manage stress that makes all the difference. In the rest of this masterclass, we’ll be looking at effective techniques to complete the stress cycle and find your way back to a state of balance and relaxation.
More on Chronic Stress
Chronic stress is what we’re here in this masterclass for. I think it’s important to differentiate between the 3 different types of stress because two can be helpful! But, it’s the chronic stress of stress that’s the biggest problem in our lives.
So, in case you needed to know more about chronic stress, here ya go. We’re going to look at how chronic stress affects different body systems.
(And feel free to skip this section if you don’t need to know more about chronic stress ‘cause you’re livin’ it already)
Chronic stress is a prolonged state of stress that persists over an extended period without relief or resolution. Unlike acute stress, which is short-lived and can even be beneficial in some situations, chronic stress is persistent and can have serious implications for your health.
One of the major issues with chronic stress is its impact on your cardiovascular system.
When you're under stress, your body releases stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. In small doses, these hormones can be helpful for short-term survival responses. However, when they're constantly elevated due to chronic stress, they can wreak havoc on your heart and blood vessels. Chronic stress is associated with an increased risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke.
Furthermore, chronic stress can disrupt your immune system, making you more susceptible to infections and illnesses. The continuous release of stress hormones can weaken your immune response, leaving you less equipped to fight off pathogens. As a result, you may find yourself falling sick more often and taking longer to recover from illnesses.
Mental health is also significantly affected by chronic stress. Prolonged exposure to stress can lead to anxiety and depression, as well as exacerbate existing mental health conditions. You may experience difficulty concentrating, memory problems, and a general feeling of being overwhelmed and emotionally drained.
Not surprisingly, chronic stress can negatively impact your digestive system. It can lead to issues such as indigestion, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and even contribute to the development of ulcers. The gut-brain axis, the connection between your gut and brain, plays a crucial role in stress management, and chronic stress can disrupt this delicate balance.
Sleep problems are another common issue with chronic stress. Stress can interfere with your sleep patterns, making it difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep (middle of the night brain spinnies anyone?). This, in turn, can create a vicious cycle, as lack of quality sleep further exacerbates stress and reduces your ability to cope effectively. Uggggggg.
Chronic stress can also affect your reproductive health, leading to hormonal imbalances and menstrual irregularities in women. In men, chronic stress can impact testosterone levels, affecting fertility and sexual function.
So, ya, chronic stress is not just an unpleasant feeling; it can have severe implications for your physical and mental health. That's why completing the stress cycle and effectively managing stress is crucial.
Got any questions or comments? Comment below, jump to our private Facebook Group, or the Ask Lisa page :).