Sober Synthesis

What is Stress?

• Stress is an essential biological system for all animal species.
  • The purpose is to mobilize other systems in the brain and body to respond to the environment.
  • It’s our body’s response (sympathetic nervous system) to a perceived threat or challenging situation.

What are Different Types of Stress?

• Positive Stress (eustress) is experienced when a stressor leads to an improvement in your overall performance and productivity. 
  • Positive attitude (mindset) towards a stressor (being proactive)
  • Good time management practices
  • Prioritizing activities 
• Negative stress (distress) occurs when our stress threshold is exceeded. 
  • Drug and/or alcohol abuse: increases distress by both activating negative stress responses (cortisol) and impeding healthy stress responses.
  • Negative/fixed attitude (mindset) towards stress as uniformly bad for us. 
  • Poor time management practices
  • Failing to prioritize activities 
  • Traumatic events
• Short term stress is good for the immune system, enhances focus, sharpens cognitions.
• Chronic stress is characterized by prolonged activation of our sympathetic nervous system (flight or fight) and continual high levels of cortisol. Long-term elevated levels of cortisol can have a damaging effect on our mind and body.
• The strongest symptom that stress has become chronic is sleep disturbance.

Activities to Prevent/Minimize Chronic Stress

• Mindfulness and gratitude practices
• Identify sources of negative stress and identify opportunities to change perceptions/mindsets. 
• Regular exercise and balanced nutrition
• Set limits
• Raise stress threshold (build stress muscle) by inducing a physical stress response while practicing cognitive and behavioral nervous system calming techniques.
• Social connections decrease chronic stress by releasing serotonin and suppressing tachykinin.

Chronic Stress Intervention Activities

• It’s hard to control our thinking if we are stressed or tired.
• Real-time tools to reduce acute stress will need to impact our autonomic nervous system.
  • The parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest) has certain levers we can use to calm an aroused nervous system.
  • Start exhaling. Physiological sigh (inhale 2 X consequently with long exhale) is the fastest way to engage the parasympathetic nervous system to deactivate the stress response (sympathetic nervous system). Hint: Practice exhaling by blowing bubbles. 
  •  Panoramic vision engages the parasympathetic nervous system.
  • Exercise to decrease cortisol and adrenaline and release endorphins. 

Tools for Managing Stress & Anxiety | Huberman Lab Podcast #10 – YouTube

Proposed questions for thought/sharing:

1. What changes have you made to monitor and manage your stress, and how have those changes supported your recovery/wellness?

2. What are your challenges to monitor and manage your stress? Any ideas for the future?

3. Can you identify ways you have harnessed positive stress?

Disclaimer

This summary is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed.