Stress is Helpful

Are you irritable or moody?

Or are you feeling overwhelmed or having sleepless nights?

You are probably stressed out and everybody goes through this

This article is an attempt to convey that stress can be helpful. You can listen to the audio version of this article on The Relearning Podcast episode: Stress is Helpful

I want you to take a moment and take a deep breath.

Recall, when last your heart pounded, was it during a time when you spoke to a person you love or was it when you couldn’t meet a deadline and your manager called for an early response from you??

All these are stressful situations, right?

There's something in our brain called the hypothalamus and pituitary gland, which keeps a check on the cortisol level in your blood. Cortisol is our body’s main stress hormone; it is a natural in-built alarm system created by the kidneys. If the level of cortisol is low in our blood, our brain adjusts the amount of hormones it makes and kidneys get a signal to release cortisol.

This transaction between brain & kidney and release of cortisol is basically your body’s response to stress and stressful situations like losing someone or losing a job, separating from loved ones, first day at a new job, moving to a new city and so on.

In most scenarios, as time passes, the stress from these situations reduces, and your heart and blood pressure will get back to normal, but if you are constantly under stress, the alarm button stays on. High amounts of cortisol can cause your brain to shrink in size and affect the brain’s functionality.?

The problem begins when stress is continuous, and I believe most of us face it day in and day out. Chronic stress might make it harder for you to learn and remember things and also set the stage for more serious mental problems, like depression and Alzheimer's.

Bottomline - Stress is bad for you. Isn’t it?

Well, the belief that stress is bad for you is incorrect. Stress isn't always a bad thing. Stress can be very useful in courageous acts like saving a life, stepping up for your rights, and public speaking. That extra boost of energy and focus can be very helpful in sports.

Changing your mind and beliefs about stress can change your body’s response to stress.

In a study at Harvard University, a group of students were taught that their stress response is helpful. The pounding heart is preparing you for action, if you are breathing faster, it is not a problem; it only means your brain is getting more oxygen the result was participants were less stressed out, less anxious, and more confident and their performance was better than the other group who were not taught that stress is helpful.

When you hug someone, your brain releases oxytocin, famously known as the hug hormone. More importantly, you should know that it’s a stress hormone. Our brain, basically the pituitary gland, releases oxytocin in stressful situations, which means it is an outcome of a stress response, which means when in stress, your brain is telling you to reach out to another human being for support.

It is fascinating that our brain and body have an in-built system for stress resilience, and this is simply possible through a human connection.

Hopefully, next time when your heart is pounding from stress, you will recall this article and think for yourself that your body is helping you rise to the challenge, and if you keep at it the stress response will become healthier.