Understanding stress

Stress is something we all experience on a daily basis and while it is impossible to eradicate stress (the stress response is there to protect us), it is 100% possible to reduce and manage the stress response so we can remain calm in those uncomfortable moments.

In essence, when stressed or under pressure, the brain sends out a signal to your adrenal gland to produce adrenalin and cortisol.

Adrenalin is what makes your heart rate increase and lungs to take in more oxygen by making us breathe faster. The heart and lungs work together to push more blood and oxygen to the arms and legs so we can be prepared for the natural “fight or flight” response.

At the same time cortisol is released, this feeds your body with extra energy that’s stored away for these situations. Cortisol regulates the blood sugar levels and acts as the bodies’ natural anti-inflammatory in the event of being hurt.

This is a completely natural process because the brain has a natural instinct to survive and so it will do everything it can to keep you safe. The brain doesn’t know if you are going to be harmed or not, but as we are just animals by nature, the only things to cause us harm when we were living as cave people would be a predator.

Because of all the extra energy the body has created, you may feel like you’re full of energy, shaking of feeling a change of temperature? This is because your body is preparing to run or fight.

What happens to our bodies when we are stressed?

If you are experiencing stress several times a day then you can feel like you’re losing concentration and feeling tired, you may even experience a loss of appetite – the body doesn’t require food during the stress response so digestion is decreased and this is why you may feel sick or want to go to the toilet, sometimes the body will want to evacuate what is in the stomach to make its job of surviving much easier.

Typically, minor stress would lead to weight gain, while weight loss would be the result of chronic stress.

The brain is not required to be intellectual in an uncomfortable situation, so you may feel that you can’t think straight.

What causes stress?

Everyday activities brings stress - targets at work, driving/traffic, your child becoming ill, unexpected bill, exams etc.... your brain and central nervous system doesn’t know the difference between real physical harm or a mental or emotional threat to your self, and it’s how you as an individual cope with that response that is critical to understanding how to make improvements and changes.

You are an individual and so it’s how you interpret that which will tell your body how to respond.

So if we can experience these situations in the mind, then we can change the experience by changing the way you think about things that would cause you stress by using some great techniques like hypnotherapy.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author. All articles published on Hypnotherapy Directory are reviewed by our editorial team.

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