How to Manage Stress Better: Understanding the Stress Response Cycle
Stress is inevitable. It just is. But we can learn better ways to manage it so that it doesn’t have such a significant impact on our lives.
One part of stress management is understanding that the way we perceive a stressor (a stressful situation or other trigger for stress) can determine how it effects us.
Our perception can lead to a healthy response that resolves fairly quickly once the stressor has passed.
OR
Our perception can lead to us not being able to complete the stress response cycle, which results in feelings of depression, anxiety, burnout, and more.
Another part of stress management is understanding the stress response cycle and how to complete it to become better at managing stress in your life.
So, what is this stress response cycle?
It is our body's physiological response to stress. This includes:
Stage 1 Alarm: This involves your body's initial response in an attempt to "fight" against or survive the stress, including the Fight, Flight, Freeze, or Fawn reaction. Responses such as increased heart rate, heightened adrenaline, and muscle tension are common.
The heightened adrenaline response may be what makes you feel like you work well under pressure, like performing well on a school or work assignment that you finish the night before it is due.
Stage 2 Resistance: The initial response has subsided. If the stress / stressful situation has ended, the body will move into a state of repairing itself, but if the stress continues, the body remains in a heightened state. This can look like irritability, frustration, difficulty concentrating, and eventually leads to exhaustion.
Stage 3 Exhaustion: Prolonged stress causes your body to deplete itself of resources, so it becomes exhausted mentally, physically, and emotionally. In this stage, you may experience burnout, depression, anxiety, fatigue, and weakened immune system.
Our brains continue to respond the same way to present day stressors (such as getting cut off on the road or receiving negative comments on social media) as our ancestor's responded to encountering a dangerous animal in the wild.
While our ancestors responded to this encounter with a fight or flight response (probably by running away!), they were typically able to complete the stress response cycle by resting after the stressor was gone.
That is often not the case today. I think this is for a number of reasons, including:
The type of stressors we experience today has changed a lot since those in the days of our ancestors
Many of us lead busy, fast-paced lives and often don't take the time (or make the time) to manage our stress fully and healthily
We are often not well educated on the impact of stress on our minds and bodies or how to manage this stress well
This leads many of us to be stuck in a prolonged state of stress.
How do we complete this dang cycle?!
Physical activity / movement
Such a big part of stress becomes physical, so it is important to use physical movement to help end the cycle. It's important to remember that this doesn't need to be going to the gym. This can be taking a walk, jumping up and down, punching a pillow - any movement.
Laughter
Crying
Physical affection
A solid hug is especially helpful.
Creativity
Deep breathing
Rest!
Getting adequate rest is such an important part of allowing our minds and bodies the time they need to repair themselves. Why We Sleep is a great book that gives a thorough explanation of the benefits of adequate sleep and consequences of inadequate sleep that is both engaging and informative.
Next time you are feeling stressed, try one or more of the above strategies to help end your stress response cycle before it has a chance to reach the exhaustion stage.
To learn more about this, Burnout is a great resource! We'll be discussing this book at the next virtual book club meeting on May 6th at 9:00-10:00 am CT. You can join the meeting here.