Good Stress vs Bad Stress: What’s The Difference?
In this week’s episode, we’re beginning our exploration of the emotional aspect of the Triad of Health by taking a look at stress. We’ll increase your understanding of what stress actually is, and the biological impact it has on the body. We’ll also encourage you to embrace ‘good’ stress in your life, as well as break down the difference between short-term versus long-term stress.
STRESS: WHAT IS IT, AND WHY DO WE EXPERIENCE IT?
In today’s society, most people often have a warped perception of stress. It can be viewed as a negative burden that should be controlled, or rewarded as proof of hard work in the hustle culture. Stress is simply a natural process that occurs in the body that we have evolved to use as a guiding mechanism. The level of stress that we experience depends entirely on how the individual perceives a potential threat or challenge. The definition relies heavily on the word ‘perception’: where one person may view a situation as highly dangerous, another may view the same situation with only mild caution. Stress is essential to learn from experiences and use that knowledge in the future, and to be passed down through genetic adaptations. It can be likened to a guidepost, encouraging growth in a positive direction and avoiding harmful scenarios. Motivation is highly linked to stress as well and provides the fuel needed to have a sense of urgency. The cortisol and adrenaline in the body in times of stress form part of our sympathetic nervous system - the ‘fight or flight’ response. This inspires us to mobilise as we have an innate instinct for survival. Our stress levels and emotional health have a clear relationship too, with symptoms often presenting as physical. When we view stress as a negative, our emotional health is drained and suffers too, and we often feel run down. Conversely, when we view stress as a positive tool for growth it encourages our emotional health to work with stress rather than against it, and can be mean we sleep better, are more motivated, and more creative.
HEALTHY STRESS VS UNHEALTHY STRESS
Whilst ‘healthy’ stress is an evolutionary tool for growth and change, the effectiveness is simply intended for that situation. Once out of perceived danger, or the issue is resolved, the stress response should dissipate quickly. Short-term stress, or acute stress, is that same type of stress. It is beneficial in modern ‘scary’ everyday situations such as public speaking, and our fight or flight is activated to give us the motivation to follow through. This is a result of adrenaline being activated, which is one of the main neurotransmitters in the body that create action potentials in our brain, muscles, and other organs such as the heart and lungs. They all begin to work in overdrive to keep up with the stressful situation and prepare us to respond as best and quickly as possible. However, once the public speaking is finished, the jittery nervousness goes away as the situation is resolved. Chronic stress, or long-term stress, is when the body is under sustained heightened stress levels over a long period of time, without the opportunity to relax and switch off. This could be in situations such as an abusive or traumatic relationship, or the demands of being a full-time caretaker for a relative, where there is a constant state of ‘fight or flight’ from the consistent life stressors. This can lead to breakdowns of important systems, and lead to other chronic health issues. When short-term stress diverts blood to the muscles for quick reflexes and reactions, this is at the expense of blood flow to the organs, which then limits the availability of blood for functionality. Without blood, they are not able to regenerate as efficiently as usual, and this lessens the ability to perform normal processes such as digestion, hormone regulation, fertility and reproduction, and even neurotransmitter production (which is needed by the brain to send signals). Whilst it may sound like a catch-22, constantly being under stress also lessens our ability to deal with stress, as our resilience is stretched thin and we become unable to tolerate any further strain. This stress also literally reshapes and rewires our brain and pathways, and therefore it is critical to understand stress in our lives, to then manage it as best as possible.
MORE FROM LUMINOUS BODY
To listen to the entire Luminous Body podcast episode ‘Stress Isn’t Always a Bad Thing: How You Can Get More Good Stress In Your Life!’, you can play on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For more inspiring stories and messages, head to the Luminous Body website or book a consultation with Dr Jaxson or Dr Hilary.