We’re all being bombarded with messages of fear and danger 24/7 these days. The news, social media, even some people we’re close with – it can sometimes feel like everything is a threat. While a certain level of vigilance is prudent, constantly living in a state of high alert takes a major toll on our mental and physical wellbeing.
The reason why chronic stress is so damaging boils down to our built-in “fight or flight” response controlled by the sympathetic nervous system. When this system is activated by perceived threats, it sets off a cascade of biological changes priming our bodies to either confront or flee the danger.
This made a lot of sense for our ancestors who had to worry about being eaten by predators. But in our modern world where the threats are mostly psychological and societal, staying in prolonged fight-or-flight mode creates more problems than it solves. Here are just some of the negative impacts:
- Immune Suppression
When the body is flooded with stress hormones like cortisol, it actually suppresses the immune system’s ability to fight off infections and diseases. T-cells that normally protect against viruses and cancer go dormant, leaving you more vulnerable. No wonder people tend to get sick more often when under a lot of stress.
- Disrupted Digestion
The gut is extremely sensitive to stress. Chronic stress reduces nutrient absorption by inhibiting enzymes that break down food and production of stomach acid that kills pathogens. It also damages the protective mucous lining and alters the gut microbiome in ways that promote inflammation.
- Impaired Detoxification
The liver’s ability to filter out toxins and convert them into water-soluble forms that can be eliminated is diminished by high stress levels. This allows more environmental pollutants and toxic byproducts to accumulate.
- Fertility Problems
Chronically high cortisol negatively impacts reproductive health by reducing sperm count, inhibiting egg implantation, causing amenorrhea (lack of menstruation), and killing libido. Not a good situation for anyone wanting to conceive.
- Cholesterol Chaos
Stress drastically dysregulates cholesterol and lipid metabolism. It raises triglycerides, lowers protective HDL, increases potentially harmful LDL particles, and promotes insulin resistance. This is a perfect storm for cardiovascular disease, fatty liver and metabolic disorders.
- Impaired Brain Function
The cognitive impacts of chronic stress are quite profound. It can physically shrink the hippocampus which is critical for memory formation and learning. At the same time, the amygdala which controls fear and anxiety becomes overactivated leading to impulsiveness and lack of emotional regulation. Forget about creative problem-solving when you’re stuck in reactive survival mode.
- Accelerated Aging at the Genetic Level
At a deeper level, stress promotes expression of pro-inflammatory genes associated with cancer, neurodegeneration, and other diseases while suppressing genes involved in cellular repair and longevity pathways. This genetic dysregulation represents a form of premature aging.
So how do we break free from this vicious cycle? The first key is shifting our perspective and worldview. While genuine threats exist, most of us are not in any immediate danger in our day-to-day lives despite what the media fear-mongers want us to believe.
Taking time in nature, limiting negative influences, and surrounding ourselves with positive people can create a sense of peace and recalibrate our baseline stress levels. Equally important is finding an outlet like exercise to physically expend excess energy from the fight-or-flight response and clear out pent-up stress hormones.
Relaxation practices, creative pursuits, spending quality time with loved ones – all of these allow the counterbalancing parasympathetic nervous system (responsible for “rest and digest” functions) to become more active. This enables the body to restore metabolic balance, conserve energy for more vital tasks, and upregulate repair/regenerative processes.
At the end of the day, a certain amount of stress is unavoidable. But when we become enslaved by a constant undercurrent of fear and anxiety, we do more harm than good to our health and wellbeing. Taking back control of our inner state empowers us to live with more vitality and make the most of our precious lives.
The path out of the chronic stress trap is simply a commitment to intentionally seeking joy, beauty, and purposefulness each day despite the complexities of the world around us. Our bodies and minds will be grateful.