Understanding Stress: A Practical Overview
Stress—it's that familiar feeling we all experience. Ever been cut off in traffic, faced a massive work project, or finished an intense workout? Those moments can kick our bodies into overdrive. Interestingly, our body can't distinguish between "good" and "bad" stress—it processes it all the same.
Imagine this: Stress can come in short bursts (like a rush) or linger around long-term, feeling like an unwelcome companion. In short bursts, your body releases adrenaline and cortisol to help you cope. But if stress hangs around, that lingering cortisol can cause significant issues. Don’t get me wrong, we need cortisol for essential processes - it is our get up and go hormone, anti-inflammatory, and more. It actually gets a pretty bad reputation in our society.
Cortisol—often dubbed the stress hormone—is more of a response hormone. It's your body's "fight or flight" responder and very pro-survival—raising blood sugar, boosting energy, suppressing the immune system, and slowing digestion. It's great in short bursts, but too much or too little over time can be tough on your body. We need it at high levels to wake up and slowly decline as we go about our day. Here's an analogy I share with clients:
Think of a house on fire. The only water to control it with is the swimming pool out back. If you don't take breaks to replenish the water, it'll eventually run dry, and the fire will rage with no resources to combat it. In this scenario, the house is your body, and the water is your cortisol hormone. Without breaks from emotional and physical stressors, the fire grows, leaving no time to replenish your water supply—essential for survival, yet it can deplete quickly!
Then there's DHEA, a hormone that helps balance out cortisol. It acts as the body's repair crew, aiding growth and recovery. Supporting this hormone ensures the body doesn't suffer from chronically high cortisol levels.
Maintaining a balance between these hormones is crucial for your body's well-being. Sometimes, merely identifying stress triggers—whether a sudden rush or persistent worry—can assist in handling it better.
Understanding stress has led me to discover effective self-care strategies. Here are some tips:
Start your day with morning sunlight to regulate your circadian pattern — supporting cortisol production in the morning and general regulation.
Swap high-intensity interval training for low-impact weighted workouts, pilates, and yoga — remember your body cannot discern the difference between good stress (HIIT workout) and bad stress (overwhelming job).
Power down blue-light devices an hour before bedtime — the blue light at night can trigger cortisol release which we do not want before going to bed.
Begin your day with morning meditation and journaling for some quiet personal time — having some down time or ‘me’ time can help reduce stress levels and increase resilience throughout the day.
With love and support,
Isabella
