The effects of stress...
Do you feel overwhelmed by stress?
Stress is an unavoidable part of modern life and it isn't always harmful. In fact some stress is healthy and can make us stronger physically and mentally.
Learning how to manage stress is the key.
Chronic stress was the major factor in becoming unwell and living with autoimmune disease. With each flare and episode of burnout, more damage was being done to my body.
I lived in chronic stress and tended to enjoy a high level too. I loved being busy and active. It all made sense to my body and nervous system.
My acute flares often began with cold sores, a lost voice, coughs, colds and viruses that stopped me moving. Then the feeling of pushing a large rock uphill in stilettos everyday.
Chronic stress causes all kinds of issues:
Weight gain
Poor sleep
Ageing
Poor mental health
Heart disease
Digestive issues
Inflammation
Inflammation is difficult to notice until it manifests in full blown disease. Things like skin irritation, a bloated stomach and brain fog were my signs.
Chronic stress happens if we aren't perceiving things as stressful events because we are so used to it.. When we suffer from stress, it means our adaptation to the source of stress has failed and the consequences can be detrimental to our wellbeing and health.
Hans Selye, the "Father of stress" defined it as "the body's non-specific response to any demand made of it." It's an undefined term. We all respond differently to stress depending on our experiences, knowledge and understanding of life.
What are your stress levels like?
Are you addicted to busy-ness?
Are you coping with unhealthy habits?
Stress isn't a modern problem, it’s an evolutionary mechanism that has helped us survive for millennia. When we encounter a threat, our body triggers the autonomic nervous system, engaging the sympathetic nervous system (commonly known as the “fight-or-flight” response). This response prepares us to act quickly in the face of danger. Once the threat is gone, the parasympathetic nervous system steps in, helping the body relax and recover.
The problem with chronic stress is that we are constantly triggering our sympathetic nervous system without allowing time for recovery. Chronic stress is at the root of many health issues, including burnout.
Stress comes in two forms. The "good" stress, known as eustress, is short-term stress and helps build resilience. It could be an arse kicking work out or a tight deadline. Distress is the chronic stress that lingers. It slowly depletes you and causes cycles of burnout and chronic illness, like mine.
If you are anything like I was, you may not even recognise how stressed you are. If we don't recognise how our past experiences may be keeping us in this sympathetic state we may be addicted to cycles and patterns of chaos that simply feel normal to us.
We are also constantly exposed to it from a wide range of sources. We inhabit a world that bombards us with stressors that are physical, emotional, mental, social, and even environmental.
Physical: Overtraining or a sedentary lifestyle
Mental: Multitasking and social media challenging a brain not built for the demands
Emotional: Inner conflict and/or difficult communication and relationships can keep our system in a hyper state.
Environmental: Artificial environments, bright lights, WiFi and endocrine disrupting cleaning, beauty and health products.
Sensory: Overexposure to digital screens and constant messages and notifications keep us overstimulated.
Social: Disconnection from community and friends due to life demands can impact our mental health.
Spiritual: No sense of purpose or life fulfilment can create feelings of emptiness.
When these forms of stress accumulate, we can feel overwhelmed, it can overload our nervous system and prevent the body finding the parasympathetic state (rest and digest) and this is necessary for deep rest, restoration and healing.
A study for The Mental Health Foundation found
74% of UK adults have felt so stressed at some point over the last year they felt overwhelmed or unable to cope
32% of adults said they had experienced suicidal feelings as a result of stress
16% of adults said they had self-harmed as a result of stress.
Understanding your triggers, cycles and patterns is key
How does stress affect me day to day?
Does it make me angry, sad or powerless?
Are you using substances to numb the stress?
Do you struggle to put your phone away for a couple of hours?
Are your past negative experiences still affecting your reactions and responses?
Finding balance is possible and I have some tools and techniques that can support you to change and become more connected, happy and resilient.