We feel stress when the brain prepares us for something—getting up in the morning, giving a presentation, or commuting to work.
The brain releases a certain amount of energy to increase alertness and ensure an appropriate response to the environment.
Cortisol, often considered a harmful stress hormone, actually quickly provides the body with energy in the form of glucose, which enters the bloodstream.
The lungs and heart start working more intensively to deliver oxygen and sugar to key muscles and the brain. Then, adrenaline and cortisol help the muscles use this energy as efficiently as possible.
Your body works at its peak, preparing you for any challenges. Your senses sharpen, and your brain processes information faster. However, if this mechanism operates continuously without proper recovery, the hormones that initially were supposed to support the body begin to harm it.
In childhood, when the hypothalamic system is still developing, intense stress situations that occur at the age of five or fifteen can leave a deep mark. These traumas act like time bombs that may manifest in adulthood.
One of many similar stories: at twenty, Anastasia was a bright young woman with a promising life ahead. You would never have guessed that she was "shaken, invisibly, deeply at the cellular level," or that by the time she was around forty-five, she would be diagnosed with early heart disease.
Studies have shown that early stress negatively impacts brain development and the immune system. Early stress can alter gene activity through epigenetic modifications, which result from both positive and negative environmental conditions.
These changes often occur through gene methylation, which interferes with the proper expression of genetic information.
Researchers have found that prolonged chronic stress in childhood leads to the constant activation of the stress system, which can cause long-term health problems.
For example, epigenetic changes in the genes responsible for stress regulation can impede the body's recovery after stress. This creates risks for the development of serious diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, autoimmune disorders, and cancer, which may manifest even in adulthood.
Studies have also shown that children who have experienced trauma have significant epigenetic differences in their genome compared to children raised in favorable conditions. This affects how they respond to stressors throughout life, often leading to increased sensitivity to stress and delayed return to a normal state.
Over the years, the difference between long and short "cortisol recovery periods" in different people creates a significant distinction that affects life.
— this difference in the number of hours we spend "marinating" in our own inflammatory stress hormones. And over time, this can greatly distort life.
Research shows that our perception of stress determines how we behave under pressure. If a person stops seeing it as a problem and starts viewing it as a useful resource, they can direct less energy towards suppressing their emotions and focus more on achieving their goals. As a result, they will worry less about stress, become more confident, and be more productive.
This change in thinking creates a subtle difference between "regardless of anxiety, show what you're capable of" and "use stress energy to show what you're capable of." There is even evidence that this approach helps stress be less exhausting.
By focusing all efforts on reducing stress before an important event, we only reinforce the false belief that stress is a problem that needs to be solved at any cost. But when stress makes itself known, it’s worth accepting it and using it as a tool to stay focused, energetic, and productive.
Of course, using a journal also helps better prepare for challenges and improve recovery. We are designed to act under pressure, and it is this pressure that often drives us to better results.
Constantly reminding ourselves of this changes our attitude towards stress, which we previously perceived as a problem. In fact, according to research, even the simple belief that a person works better under stress increases their efficiency by 33 percent.
It's important to note that we unconsciously make many decisions in life based on strong memories of the past. Such events become family stories that influence relationship dynamics and can even lead to family breakdowns due to differing views on the past. Explicit memory stores specific events, while implicit memory stores the emotions we felt during those events. Children who have faced difficulties in childhood often retain these emotional memories without remembering the details. So, if we are constantly drawn to the past and don't take steps towards healing, recovery from childhood trauma can be difficult, if not impossible.
This process of rethinking can also be applied to the past. Although what happened in childhood might have been wrong and unbearable, often this pattern of family dysfunction arose long before you were born. The misfortunes you experienced may have been the result of chronic toxic stress faced by your parents and their ancestors.
Research on perceived stress suggests that it is not the stressful experience itself that harms the body, but rather the reaction to it that is most destructive. When we are able to rethink stress and recognize that anxiety can be a beneficial response, we reduce the negative consequences of stress. Understanding that "the heart pounding in your chest is preparing you for action" and that heavy breathing supplies the brain with oxygen for quick thinking helps realize that the stress response enhances performance and helps deal with the task. This awareness reduces the physiological impact of stress: blood vessels relax, and with them, the whole body, while maintaining sharp focus as a benefit of stress.
Легені та серце починають працювати інтенсивніше, щоб доставити кисень та цукор до ключових м'язів і мозку. Потім адреналін і кортизол допомагають м'язам максимально ефективно використовувати цю енергію.
A positive perception of the stress response also helps us recognize the need to act or seek help. When we seek social support, oxytocin is produced in the body—a hormone of compassion that further protects us from the effects of stress, being a natural anti-inflammatory agent.