An Introduction to Stress
STRESS. Chances are, you’ve already heard or said this word at least three times today. Whether it’s the news, your never-ending to-do list, your kids, or your job—stress is everywhere. It’s an unavoidable part of life.
But here’s the paradox: stress is one of the leading causes of disease, yet it also plays a crucial role in helping us survive and even live longer. How can both be true? Let’s dive in.
What is Stress?
Stress is your body’s natural response to any demand, challenge, or perceived threat. It’s how your brain and body react to pressure—whether physical, emotional, or psychological.
Stress has helped our species evolve and survive. Our bodies are gifted with the amazing ability to have a natural “stress response” (also known as fight/flight/freeze/fawn). This has helped us run from predators, navigate obstacles, and think bigger; thus, becoming more resilient.
Nowadays, we all experience stress, and probably too often. Our stressors aren’t occasional, but they are everyday- and long lasting. Whether we notice a huge stress response, or just tension in our body, no one is exempt from stress.
How Stress Affects Your Body
When stress occurs—whether short-term or prolonged—your body begins a cascade of physiological responses to help you cope. It all starts in the brain:
1️⃣ The hypothalamus detects the stressor and signals the pituitary gland.
2️⃣ The pituitary gland then alerts the adrenal glands.
3️⃣ The adrenal glands release cortisol and adrenaline into the bloodstream, giving you the energy and focus needed to respond.
This powerful system explains extraordinary feats of strength, like a parent lifting a car off a child, or how our ancestors outran predators in the hunter-gatherer era. Our bodies are truly remarkable, built for survival.
Cortisol, in particular, plays a vital role—it boosts energy, reduces inflammation, and temporarily raises blood sugar to fuel the body. Once the stressor passes, cortisol levels should naturally decline, allowing the body to recover and restore balance.
Why Recovery Is So Important With Stress
As you can see, the stress response is incredibly beneficial—it helps us survive and adapt. However, there’s one critical factor: we need to return to baseline after the stressor passes.
When stress becomes chronic, and cortisol and adrenaline are constantly being released, the body enters a catabolic state—a state of continuous breakdown. When our body is in a state of breakdown, it does not build, and it is not strengthened. This prolonged stress response leads to:
🛑 Digestive Disruptions – Stress slows digestion, leading to bloating, indigestion, or IBS-like symptoms.
🛑 Weakened Immune System – Higher susceptibility to illness and slower healing.
🛑 Chronic Inflammation – A root cause of many modern diseases.
🛑 High Blood Pressure – Increased strain on the cardiovascular system.
🛑 Hormonal Imbalance – Disruptions in thyroid, reproductive, and adrenal hormones.
🛑 Blood Sugar Dysregulation – Increased risk of insulin resistance and energy crashes.
The Toll on Your Adrenal Glands
Your adrenal glands weren’t designed to pump out stress hormones 24/7—they were meant for short-term, emergency situations. When they’re overworked, the body struggles to keep up, leading to HPA axis dysregulation (often referred to as “adrenal fatigue”).
This can result in:
🔻 Constant Fatigue – Feeling drained no matter how much you sleep.
🔻 Cravings for Sugar & Salt – A sign of imbalanced cortisol and electrolyte loss.
🔻 Brain Fog & Difficulty Focusing – Struggling with memory and concentration.
🔻 Forgetfulness – Feeling mentally scattered or absentminded.
🔻 Sleep Disruptions – Trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up exhausted.
Breaking the Cycle of Chronic Stress
To avoid the damaging effects of prolonged stress, we need to be proactive about reducing chronic stress and prioritizing recovery. Whether it’s good stress (exercise, promotion at work, moving) or bad stress: Stress is stress is stress. If we don’t allow the body to reset, we remain in a state of breakdown, wreaking havoc on our hormones, energy, and blood sugar regulation.
The good news? There are science-backed strategies to help your body recover, restore, and build resilience against stress.
🧘🏽 Breath Work- including simple breathing exercises (like this one I recently posted on IG), adopting a yoga practice, or implementing a 5 minute daily meditation has profound effects in balancing our stress response. The key here is consistency! It doesn’t take a lot of time or energy, but it does need to be consistent!
😴Prioritizing Sleep- in the midst of a heavy cycle of stress, this can be difficult. Here are some helpful tips:
Keep your room cold
Use blackout curtains or make sure your room is as dark as can be
Reduce screen time before bed, increase reading, connecting with your partner, or journaling
No caffeine past 12pm
🥙Balanced Meals- prioritizing good, quality protein, veggies, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates can help balance out the blood sugar spike that comes with excessive cortisol output. Electrolytes can also be helpful.
🍄🟫Adaptogens & Mushrooms- Adaptogens such as ashwagandha, rhodiola, holy basil, or ginseng help our body create a balanced stress response. Further, emerging research has shown very promising effects of medicinal mushrooms such as Lion’s Mane, Chaga, Reishi, and Cordyceps in boosting our immune system, promoting sleep, and increasing natural energy levels to combat chronic stress.
Get Honest With Yourself
The best stress-management strategies can only do so much if you’re constantly immersed in a stressful situation. Take a moment to reflect:
Is there a relationship, job, secret, or habit that’s keeping you stuck in a cycle of chronic stress?
As Einstein famously said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
If you’re feeling burnt out, anxious, or overwhelmed, it may be time to make a real change. Are you ready to prioritize your well-being, set boundaries, and create a life that supports your health instead of draining it?
Only you can make that decision—but you don’t have to do it alone. Please reach out if you are interested in individual or group therapy!
A Note For Perfectionists & Over-thinkers
Trying to implement every habit perfectly or obsessing over every stressful event can actually create more stress. The pressure of overthinking and perfectionism can become its own source of chronic stress.
I know because I’ve been there. There was a time when I tried to do everything right—every habit, every rule—but instead of feeling better, I ended up feeling even worse. That’s when I realized something important: fear was driving my choices.
Ask yourself: If I miss a meditation, what do I think will happen? If the answer is fear-based, it’s time to step back. Fear does not serve us.
Yes, the research on stress is clear, but we can’t let it control us. Give yourself credit for what you are doing. Pick one thing to practice at a time, and let go of the rest.
Sometimes, the healthiest thing you can do is throw the rules out the window and watch your favorite show at 10 p.m. without guilt. 😉
Stress For Longevity: An Intro To Hormesis
So now you know how stress can harm us but remember when I said that stress can help us live longer? There is a new concept floating around the longevity space called hormesis. Hormesis involves putting our body under a low dose of a harmful stressor to activate survival mechanisms. Sounds wild, right?
Think about it, when we exercise, our muscles grow. When we undergo heat therapy, we improve cardiovascular health. None of these practices are necessarily fun, but they make us stronger. It’s how we survive. Here’s another quote for you: “Whatever doesn’t kill me, only makes me stronger”. As long as you have recovery!!
Putting our bodies under certain stressors creates resilience. Our body has no other choice than to adapt and get stronger under difficult conditions.
Key Takeaways
The important things to remember about stress are:
1️⃣ No matter what- good stress or bad stress- we MUST recover.
2️⃣ What major stressors do you have in your life that are ongoing? Take a look and see if any of them are able to shift
3️⃣ Focus on the stressors that make you more resilient such as, but not limited to:
Exercise
Hot/Cold Therapy
Problem solving at work
Taking on a doable challenge
As always, please reach out if you feel you need support to navigate and reduce harmful stress! 💖