3 strategies to cure chronic stress

Photo by energepic.com from Pexels Stress is a necesary built-in biological response and there’s a goot reason to have it. If you face a fire and your life depends on your actions in the next two seconds you don’t have time to make a rational decision. That’s why the prefrontal cortex of your brain, where the rational thinking happens, shuts down and all the action goes to your amygdala. Its job is to get you ready to react automatically fleeing, fighting or freezing. The first and second responses seem logical. The third is the solution your brain picks when you don’t see a way out. You feel no power to change the situation and brace for impact. Stress in little dosis is harmless, but chronic stress leads to pathologies that go from fatigue, focus and memory loss, to depression, obesity, high blood pressure and an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. We humans control our alertness unconscionsly using two antagonist nerve systems: The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) elevates our alertness and stress response. The parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS) relaxes the whole body. They usually are balanced. When we need alertness the SNS’ activity rises and PSNS lowers. For example in front of danger, before a competition or when we go out for a run. On the other hand, when we need rest, digest or during sexual arousal, the PSNS’ activity rises and SNS’ decreases. Think about our prehistorical ancestors and other animals to understand the simplicity of the two systems: When a tiger is nearby, you need to be alert. When you have to sleep, eat and have sex to secure the survival of the species you need to be relaxed. We burned stored energy at a high rate just when necessary (SNS on), and the rest of […]

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