This training segment (video transcript) explains how acute stress is a normal adaptive response while chronic stress can cause significant negative effects on mental and physical health (digestive issues, anxiety, cardiovascular risk, weakened immunity, reproductive problems, sleep and concentration difficulties). It describes the physiological fight-or-flight pathway (hypothalamus, stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline) and offers practical stress-reduction strategies: regular physical exercise, mindfulness/meditation, social connection, good nutrition and hydration, and sufficient quality sleep. The segment closes by signalling a move to work–life balance.
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Stress left to its own devices will turn into chronic stress, which long term can have lasting negative effects on both the mind and body. The reality is stress is a normal part of the human experience. In small doses, it can even have benefits towards helping you stay motivated, committed to getting things done and even play a part in helping you stay safe. Think about it this way. When you encounter a stressful situation, the body responds automatically. Your brain will sound the alarm, telling your body to release hormones, hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline into your bloodstream. The release of such hormones aids the body in responding to the stressor. For an athlete about to spring into action, this experience will call his or her body to produce more energy and encourage the muscles to activate and perform. Here are some examples of how chronic stress can affect the mind and body. A person experiencing chronic stress may exhibit digestive problems, weight gain, anxiety and depression, headaches, sleep problems, poor concentration or focus, and even high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. Do you recognize any of these effects in your own life? Are they caused or at least made worse because of stress you're experiencing? There's a lot that goes into why stress can have such an effect on our overall well being. Your body's central nervous system is responsible for your fight or flight response. When you are experiencing stress, your body produces stress hormones which increase your heart rate and send blood to areas of the body that need it most, such as your muscles and your heart and other important organs. The hypothalamus is responsible for getting the ball rolling. When the perceived fear is gone, the hypothalamus tells all of the body's systems to go back to normal, returning the central nervous system back to a normal state. If the central nervous system fails to return to normal or if the stressor doesn't go away, the stress response will continue. As a result, these stresses can cause a major negative impact on the body. The heart will have to work harder, blood vessels may tighten and constrict, blood pressure can be raised or resulting in major health crises such as stroke or heart attack. Chronic stress can also lead to muscular injury, sexuality and reproductive system problems such as erectile dysfunction disorder or painful menstruation cycles, and a weakened immune system. Let's talk about some of the ways that you can manage and reduce stress so that you can relieve mental and physical strain on the mind and body. There are many strategies for managing and reducing stress. Regular physical exercise is effective in managing or reducing stress. Getting out into the fresh air or easy and light movement can really help. The effects of consistent Exercise on both the mind and body are impactful in reducing stress and helping people improve their mood and feel better. Overall. Mindfulness and meditation can be practiced anywhere and at any time. This practice keeps the individual in the present moment reducing the effects of anxiety and other stress related issues. Spending quality time with others can also reduce stress. It allows for people to feel a sense of connectedness and belonging. Good nutrition and diet are important in managing stress because there's growing amounts of evidence that food affects our mood and overall well being. A healthy diet provides adequate amount of brain nutrients such as essential vitamins and minerals. Proper water intake also plays a part. Finally, getting the proper amount and quality of sleep is an important way to manage or reduce stress well. Stress can affect someone's ability to fall asleep, stay asleep and feel rested even after a night of sleep. Sleep is crucial for brain improvement, improved energy throughout the day, as well as assisting with the prevention of certain diseases like heart disease, stroke, obesity and dementia. As we've discussed already, stress is a natural response to many situations faced in life. How we manage those stresses can determine whether or not we will prevent long term damage to our minds and bodies. Let's take a look now at work Life balance, which is an important component in managing our lives and reducing stress. It.
