A Sigh of Relief

Stress-related diseases

• heart disease
• stroke
• peptic ulcers
• irritable bowel syndrome
• diabetes
• obesity
• autoimmune diseases

As we bid this stressful year adieu, checking in on your body’s stress burden and learning coping strategies to manage it could be the best thing you do to ensure your well-being in the year to come. Stressing: The point  The stress response improves our mental and physical performance when we’re in danger. When faced with a tiger, for instance, our instincts kick in to either fight the beast or flee. The sympathetic nervous system rapidly releases the neurotransmitters adrenalin and noradrenalin, and the stress hormone cortisol is released upon activation of a neuroendocrine network called the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. This increases blood flow to the muscles, increases heart rate, and dilates the pupils to take in more of the scene (see “Stressing the good stuff”). But in modern-day life, most of our tigers overstay their welcome and come cloaked in the guise of a heavy workload, mortgage payments, and caring for kids and aging parents. While these repeated and chronic stressors don’t necessarily stir up fear for survival, the body responds as if it were in danger. Despite the fight-or-flight response enhancing performance during an acute stressor, we don’t have a physiologic mechanism that’s as effective for dealing with episodic and chronic stressors. In fact, prolonged activity of the HPA axis during ongoing stress has negative impacts on body function and is associated with depression, anxiety, and panic attack.

Stressing the difference 

Acute stress is immediate and quickly resolved, such as getting into a fender bender, giving a work presentation, and sustaining a minor injury.  Episodic stress repeats itself, like having a never-ending to-do list from a demanding boss. This can make you feel tense and like you’re constantly putting out fires. Chronic stress  arises from serious, ongoing problems that might be outside of our control, such as processing childhood trauma, being subjected to racism, and caring for a parent with dementia.