EP 35: Why Stress is Actually Good For You

We’re more stressed than ever before, but stress itself is not the problem. It’s how we relate to stress. The stress response is critical to our survival. 

Too much stress is toxic, but a little can actually make you stronger.

In this episode, I share six healthy short term responses to stress and six long term harmful effects of stress, and what you can do to cope.

Here’s a sneak peek of what’s in this episode:

• [00:43] We don’t have to react to each stimulus.
• [3:25] Nearly half of all Americans are anxious about the possibility of getting sick, with more than 1/3 saying that Coronavirus has a serious impact on their mental health. 
• [04:36] Too much stress is toxic, but a little can actually make you stronger.
• [4:49] Increase in insulin in the short term means that your body won’t store any sugar in your liver and muscle cells. It will result in having more sugar staying in your bloodstream, which means that more will be available for the brain. 
• [5:21] In the short term, your body’s resources are directed at making the stress hormone cortisol to help deal with the immediate threat at the expense of sex hormones.
• [5:59] In the short term, the body’s resources are directed away from digestion because it’s a non-survival function at that moment.
• [6:24 ] In the short term, small amounts of cortisol improve your brain function in a short, stressful situation. 
• [7:18] When we’re in a thrive state, our logical brain is in control, and we can make sensible decisions.
• [7:30] The more frequently you feel stressed, the more powerful your emotional brain will become, making you more anxious. 
• [8:05] When you ruminate on sadness and negativity, it reinforces a sense of sadness and negativity.
• [8:08] If you cultivate compassion, joy, and inner freedom, then you build up resilience and face life with more confidence.
• [9:32] In the long term, inflammation that becomes chronic and unresolved, increases your risk of most chronic diseases. 
• [10:49] The countries with the highest intake of sugar also have the highest rate of depression.
• [11:05] Depression is inflammation in the brain.
• [13:41] The space between the stimulus and the response is like a giant pause button.
• [14:40] Breathe in for a count of four, hold it for a count of four, and then exhale for a count of seven.

 

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