When we react negatively to an event we experience stress. Our heart rate increases, we may feel flushed, our palms may become clammy, and we may feel nauseous or need to go to the bathroom. This is evidence that the body's stress response—the sympathetic nervous system—is working: a threat has been identified, the alarm has sounded, and the body's defences move into battle stations.
That's good news! If the body's internal alarm wasn't working properly, we would be at risk from potential stressors.
POSITIVE STRESS: Stress can be positive. Positive Stress (eustress) motivates us; it focuses our energy and feels exciting. The body rises to a challenge and our performance improves. Positive stress is usually fleeting, and while it causes us to experience the same physical sensations as those generated by negative stress (distress), they are less damaging.
Feeling stressed from time to time is nothing bad, therefore, and it can be a sign that our body is helping us to perform at our best. It is only when we feel stressed constantly—negative stress—that problems may arise.
NEGATIVE STRESS: This feels unpleasant and is perceived as taking us beyond our coping skills. It inhibits our performance, as we are operating from a position of anxiety and fear. The stress reaction releases stress hormones, such as cortisol that inhibit the neural branching of neurons in the brain and cause atrophy in the area of the brain responsible for developing new brain cells; effectively, our brain is not developing or functioning at its best Cortisol also activates the amygdala, the brain's "alarm" button. All this combines to keep us stuck in fearful thinking. Negative stress can lead to mental and physical problems and can be short- or long-term (the latter is known as chronic stress).
THE STRESS REACTION: When the body identifies a potential threat, the amygdala (the most primitive part of the brain) sounds the alarm and the body releases stress hormones to aid in fight or flight, diverting all resources to this end. Long-term bodily functions such as digestion and reproduction are shut down, and energy is diverted from the higher centres of the brain (the "executive" functions), which require a lot of resources, to the most primitive areas, which focus purely on survival. Therefore, all decision-making now occurs from a place of fear and threat, and is devoid of higher "executive" function.
At the same time, the body continues to gather information from the higher reaches of the brain—accessing memory and stored information—as well as farther input from the senses to determine the level of threat. This is the crucial choice point, as our thoughts can either end or maintain the alert. If we are caught in a cycle of negative thinking, the threat level will be maintained and possibly even escalated. However, if we can change our perception (our thoughts), we have the ability to stand down the body's defence mechanism and activate the calming response, the body's built-in mechanism for returning to homoeostasis (balance).
The more often the stress reaction is activated, the more sensitive the body becomes to triggers. We become hyper-vigilant for any possible threats. It takes the body about 90 minutes to recover from the effects of the stress reaction, so if it is constantly being activated, there is no time to recover, and the stress hormones cause continuous havoc in the body, disrupting all the usual functions.
Stressors may be external (people, situations, chemicals—such as drink or drugs—and viruses) or they may be internal, such as rumination (getting stuck in unhelpful thinking), fear and anxiety, unrealistic expectations, or perfectionism.
Whether we categorise something as good or bad stress will vary for each of us, since it is not the stressor itself that causes the problem but rather our perception of it. If we regard something as taxing our resources and beyond our ability to cope, we will perceive it as negative stress. This, in turn, will activate and maintain the body's threat level and cause the stress reaction to continue.
THE CALMING RESPONSE When the calming response (the parasympathetic nervous system) is activated, the heartbeat and breathing slow, muscles relax, and the digestive juices begin flowing again. The calming response is designed to promote growth, energy, and all the other processes that are needed for our long-term survival and well-being, It is the opposite of the stress reaction.
We can learn ways of activating the calming response deliberately the instant we feel stressed, or even to nip stress in the bud if we are aware enough to pick up the early signs by tuning into our physical sensations. This could be by focusing on the breath, for example (see page 27) or breathing through the feet on the floor (see page 30).
We can also learn ways to live more calmly day to day, changing our perception of our experience and thereby inhibiting stress from arising in the first place.
When we are stressed, physical exercise will dispel the stress hormones released as part of the sympathetic nervous system's "fight or flight" reaction, as will crying.
Week 22 Activity
IDENTIFYING YOUR STRESS TRIGGERS
Whether we perceive something as exceeding or taxing our
resources
determines whether it is a stressor. Stressors will
be different for each one of us, and may even vary for us
day by day. By identifying our common triggers, and how
we behave and what we feel when we are stressed, we can
develop our own early-warning system. This will help
us to pick up early signs that we are running on empty,
and take wise action.
What do I feel physically when I’m stressed? (Ask yourself where you are feeling it, what kind of sensation it is, and how you would describe it. Be specific.) ...................................
How do I behave when I'm Stressed? (Notice whether particular emotions, such as anger or irritation, increase. Some of us sleep or eat more—or perhaps less—when we are stressed. We may drink to excess or take drugs (prescription or otherwise). We may curtail or stop hobbies and activities like sport or meeting friends. What do you notice about any changes in your behaviour? Be specific.) ..................................
What positive things could you do when you are stressed? (These could be small things, such taking a long, hot bath, going for a walk, or calling a friend. Think about what nourishes you when you are feeling stressed. Be specific.) ..............................
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