“I’m so stressed.” “I’m under so much stress.” “You stress me out.”
Stress is a part of our daily lives. We have stressors, things that cause a stress reaction, and we have a stress response, a physical, psychological and emotional reaction to the stressor.
Our bodies are created to react to stressors in ways meant to protect us from threats to safety. For example, imagine that you are crossing a road and see a car hurtling towards you. Almost even before you are aware of it, your brain sets into motion a chain of reactions meant to keep you safe: the fight-or-flight response. This system is largely automatic.
When you encounter a threat, your hypothalamus, a tiny region at the base of your brain, sets off an alarm system in your body. Through a combination of nerve and hormonal signals, this system prompts your adrenal glands, located on top of your kidneys, to release a surge of hormones including adrenalin and cortisol.
These hormones are what cause you to feel a stress response in your body. Adrenalin increases your heart rate and elevates your blood pressure; cortisol suppresses functions that are nonessential in a dangerous situation, such as your immune system. Once a perceived threat has passed, hormone levels gradually return to normal, and everything goes back to regular functioning.
However, we run into problems when stressors are always present, even in low-level forms. Most people lead busy lives and face multiple demands each day. As a result, our brains can start to have difficulty telling the difference between major dangers and minor hassles. Eventually, the stress response stays ‘turned on,’ and stress hormones levels stay elevated.
Imagine driving your car with your foot always pressing the accelerator as hard as possible. Most cars will soon develop all sorts of wear and tear before breaking down completely. Our bodies react similarly to constant stress. When stress hormones remain elevated in our blood, our body processes become disrupted, which puts us at risk of numerous health problems.
This is why it’s so important to learn healthy ways to cope with the stressors in your life. While we cannot eliminate all sources of stress, we can become better at managing both the stressors and our response to them.
Minimize stressors. Most people find that they don’t always have new, unexpected stressors from day to day. Often, they have many of the same daily, predictable stressors (e.g. a morning commute). Try to think of a few solutions for this type of stressor, or how you might change the circumstances so that it’s not as stressful. For example, if a long commute is causing a lot of stress, can you work different hours? Can you get your things ready the night before?
Cope with stressors. Even if we get better at decreasing stress, we are still going to face stressful situations. For example, you might leave for work early, but then you get a flat tire. When this happens, it’s still stressful, and you need to cope with the stress. Try to problem-solve in the situation. Can you call someone to let them know you’ll be late? Ask for help? This does not take away the stressor, but it may help you to feel a little more in control.
Relaxation/Rest. Relaxation is the exact opposite of tension. By doing things to encourage your body to return to its natural, non-stressed state, you can lessen the physical impact of stress. Relaxed/deep breathing or imaging a peaceful scene can slow down the stress response. Try to take time to rest, and to get enough sleep. Consider taking a few things off of your schedule and taking a break from electronics, if even just for a few hours.
Healthy forms of distraction can also help. Ideas include listening to music, talking with friends, or doing a favorite hobby. One of the best stress relievers is physical exercise, which helps to decrease the concentration of stress hormones in your body.
Prayer and meditation on God’s word are also an important part of calming the storms of life. Regularly taking our cares and concerns to God, and making time and space in our lives to spend in God’s word can help to shift our focus and to reorient our priorities. It also helps to remind us that we have a Father who both cares for us and holds the entire world in His hands.
Jacoba Leyenhorst, M.A., RCC
Contract Counsellor, CCCA