“A state of emotional or physical strain, or tension resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances”.
Stress is a reactive state and it’s important to understand it because ultimately it’s the physiological changes in our body which cause us harm. Our body cannot differentiate between types of stress, physical, emotional or even perceived; it will do the same thing it’s done for a millennium.
When we are put under strain physically or mentally, our body reacts.
Initially the body produces catecholamines, adrenaline and noradrenaline. This contributes to eustress or “good” stress, the type that allows us to function at our best. It’s our instinctive and natural way of coping and is not something we can control.
Continued stress produces cortisol which is the stress hormone. Blood sugar levels are now increased for your muscles and brain to respond to the perceived danger. At this time, other body tissues, such as the digestive system, reduce the amount of energy they use to help out. If we don’t use the excess that’s been pumped around to help us respond, it can deposit in our vessels and cause heart disease.
The stress or “alarm” response stimulates what’s called the sympathetic nervous system; part of the autonomic nervous system. Its primary process is to stimulate the body’s fight or flight response and is constantly active at a basic level.
Resistance comes form the parasympathetic nervous system. The adaptive defences of the parasympathetic system tries to create balance, to counteract the alarm response by initiating what’s called the “rest & digest, feed & breed” response.
So, you have the sympathetic nervous system trying to fight or flight and the parasympathetic nervous system trying to get you back to basics. While it might feel better initially, the body’s immunity is being compromised by this process.
At the point the counteraction fails, the body has lost its battle to restore balance because of the persistence of the stress, then comes exhaustion. This is the signal that you are suffering chronic stress. When the body has tried to combat stress for an extended period, your physical state is undermined and there is a significant risk of it turning into a more serious physical and/or mental illness. There is no fixed time period but experts suggest this is likely to be persistent stress over a period of more than 6 months.
