Body’s Response to Stress & The Pros and Cons of Stress Response
Did you know that April is the Stress Awareness Month? Personally, I did not know until I did some research, but this makes it a perfect time to discuss today’s topic: 1) what happens to our body during stress and 2) why your stress response can be good as well as bad.
Before we begin, let’s just clarify this: everyone undergoes stress daily. The degree of hardship you face does not matter; it’s all dependent on the perception of each person. So even if someone has ever denied your experience as being stressful, if you (or your body) perceived it as stressful, then it was stressful!
Now, getting back on track, what really happens when your body is under stress?
Body readies energy quickly (Stored fat is turned into energy)
Increase in heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing
Tensing of the body (like clinching fist, teeth)
Stopping of non-immediate actions (like digestion and sex drive)
Disabling of the immune system
Blunted pain
Improved memory and sensations
Do any of this sound, or feel, familiar? Some of these are easier to sense such as clinching your hands around the steering wheel and breathing rapidly while driving in rush hour traffic. Maybe you are thinking of a few recent experiences of stress and saying to yourself:
“How could there be good things about a stress response?”
The good and the bad of stress response is decided by the duration of it. For example, if you have a scary looking clown chasing you, you are probably not wanting your energy to be spent on digesting a PP&J you ate earlier. Rather, you would want all the energy being spent on getting away from the immediate stressor! Our stress response is most beneficial when dealing with immediate stresses that come and goes.
However, if you are constantly under stress because of an upcoming important work event, worrying about bills, wondering if the person you like likes you back, or other types of prolonged experiences, that’s when it spells trouble. Prolonged stress response could potentially cause things like damage to the cardiovascular system or make you susceptible to falling ill.
The key thing about stress is that our bodies are meant to deal with immediate stressors efficiently, but it actually comes to be problematic when we are constantly under stress because that means we are keeping the stress response on for long periods of time. Practicing mindfulness, meditation, breathing, enjoying things you like could all help you break away from stress. If you are looking for an option where you don’t have to put any effort in, a massage might be a great option for you! I offer treatments at my office by 6th ave and Union, or I also provide mobile massage so that you don’t need to leave your home!
Thanks for reading and see you in the next post!
