Stress profoundly impacts our physical, emotional, and mental well-being. While short-term stress can sometimes be beneficial, chronic stress poses significant health risks, affecting everything from cardiovascular health to mental stability. Understanding the complex relationship between stress and health is crucial for developing effective coping strategies to mitigate its negative effects.
The Stress Response and Its Impacts
Stress has a significant impact on various aspects of human physiology, emotions, mental health, and physical health. While the acute stress response can sometimes be helpful to help us manage our circumstances, chronic stress can be harmful. Research indicates that chronic stress can contribute to a range of health problems, including cardiovascular disease, anxiety, and depression. When we encounter a stressor, the endocrine system responds by releasing cortisol. If cortisol levels remain high over time, they can disrupt the body’s natural balance, contributing to the development of various diseases. The relationship between stress and health is complex, influenced by factors such as genetics, coping mechanisms, and available psychosocial resources. As a result, stress responses can vary widely between individuals, even when they face similar stressors.
Emotionally, stress often manifests as increased anxiety, irritability, and mood disturbances. Chronic stress can alter brain function, particularly in regions involved in emotion regulation, such as the prefrontal cortex and amygdala. Research has shown that prolonged exposure to stress can lead to structural changes in the brain, potentially worsening mental health disorders. Moreover, the experience of stress is highly subjective, varying significantly from one person to another. This variability is influenced by personal experience, positive coping strategies, and social support systems.
Chronic stress is a major risk factor for developing psychological disorders, including major depressive disorder and generalised anxiety disorder. The relationship between stress and mental health is intricate; stress can trigger the onset of mental health issues, while existing mental health conditions can exacerbate stress responses. Evidence suggests that individuals with strong coping strategies and robust social support networks are better equipped to manage stress and are less likely to develop stress-related mental health problems. Conversely, those lacking these resources may find themselves in a downward spiral, where stress worsens mental health decline, which in turn increases stress levels.
The long-term impacts of chronic stress extend beyond immediate mental and emotional health concerns, influencing physical health and increasing the risk of disease. Chronic stress is associated with systemic inflammation, which plays a crucial role in the development of various diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, and autoimmune disorders. Additionally, chronic stress can weaken the immune system, making individuals more susceptible to infections and prolonging recovery times from illnesses.
Stress and Health
The experience of stress and the body's response to it can have significant long-term health implications. The Holmes and Rahe Stress Inventory Scale (SRRS) may be used by clinicians and individuals to assess current stress levels and predict the likelihood of developing stress-related health conditions in the future, to then identify plans to mitigate these impacts.
The Science of When Stressors Are Stressful
and When They Are Not
Several factors determine whether we experience a stress response to a potential stressor. One of the most fundamental approaches to reducing stress is developing your social support network. According to Robert Sapolsky, an expert in stress physiology, having social support reduces the risk of a cardiovascular stress response. Additionally, those with stronger social support tend to have lower resting cortisol levels.
Sapolsky also explains that having an outlet for stress can mitigate its impact. The choice of outlet varies for each person, whether it's punching a wall, engaging in a hobby, or going for a run. However, there are two essential components of a positive outlet: it must sufficiently distract you from the stressor, and it should remind you that despite feeling stressed in the moment, there is more to life than the current source of stress.
Another factor that influences the impact of a stressor is our sense of control. Stress levels rise when we feel we have little or no control over a situation. Interestingly, research suggests that it is not the actual level of control that matters, but rather our belief in our level of control. By focusing on what we can control, we can significantly reduce our stress response.
Our perception of whether a situation is worsening can also have a significant impact. Sapolsky points out that it is not just the external reality that affects us, but the meaning we attach to it. Studies have shown that we experience an increased physiological stress response when we perceive our situation as getting worse.
These factors highlight that we are not merely at the mercy of our circumstances, the people who negatively influence our stress, or even our automatic responses to stressors. We have the power to influence our responses and develop mindsets that counteract the physiological impacts of the stressors we encounter.
Stress and Mindset
The Perceived Stress Scale is a tool used to assess how individuals perceive the stressfulness of their life events. This allows clinicians and individuals to understand how unique events impact each person differently, moving away from a one-size-fits-all approach to managing stress.
Tips to Reduce the Health Impacts of Stressors
Based on scientific research, the following strategies can significantly reduce your experience of stress, regardless of the crises, impacts, or significant events you encounter:
1. Prioritise your relationships. Having a strong sense of social support reduces your resting cortisol levels, resulting in a lowering of your cortisol during stressful events.
2. Nurture positive hobbies and experiences that you cherish. Use these as outlets for frustration. Plus, during times of acute stress, incorporate exercise into your routine, particularly before the evening, to help manage cortisol levels.
3. Use reflection tools, such as journaling, therapy, group or individual coaching, or regular heart-to-heart conversations with a partner, close friend, or family member. Focus on gaining perspective on what you can control, what is positive in your life, and how things are not necessarily getting worse, just different—and how they might soon get better.
The long-term consequences of chronic stress highlight the importance of proactive stress management. By prioritising social support, engaging in positive activities, and adopting a mindset focused on control and perspective, we can reduce the harmful impacts of stress on our health and well-being.
How To Start Making a Change
Visit The Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale to identify the stressors in your life and if they may impact your health. Use the tips above to make changes that work for you.
How Coaching Could Support You
Wellness coaching gives you the time and space to evaluate your coping strategies and consider alternative mindsets and practical action planning to support you in moving toward your desired goals, to help reduce the impact of stress. Together, we will explore the right changes for you to become happier and healthier.
Find out more about coaching with me here.
Comments