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“This is your brain on stress”

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Most of you probably remember the advertisements that used to talk about your brain on drugs, showing eggs frying.  It made a lasting impression.  Unfortunately, it’s not just drugs that can cause a scrambling of the brain, but it turns out unmanaged stress might be just as dangerous; but one that we can’t completely eliminate, or avoid and that we even need to have in just the right doses. 

Stress (and drugs) have been shown to have the following side effects: increased heart rate and blood pressure, increase in blood sugar, breakdown of muscle tissue, decreased digestive functioning and discomfort, ulcers, blood clotting, migraines, skin problems, premature aging, loss of brain cells, not to mention social isolation and loneliness, anxiety, panic attacks, depression, substance abuse, relationship problems, lack of focus, multitasking and disengagement.  In fact a 20 year study by the University of London completed in the early 1990s found that unmanaged reactions to stress were a more dangerous risk factor for cancer and heart disease than either cigarette smoking or high-cholesterol foods.  And stress may even be as addictive as drugs.  In addition to the hormones adrenaline and noradrenaline, stress also releases dopamine, a “feel good” chemical.  Scientists believe that dopamine encourages repeat behaviors by activating this reward center and may be at the heart of many addictive behaviors and substance abuse issues. 

Thinking back, are you able to notice any times where you felt you thrived on stress?  Have you ever tried to take time off only to find it takes days just to get yourself to decompress?  One of the challenges in getting people to manage stress is fighting this tendency to be drawn towards the rush and realize the significance of what a stress imbalance does to our system, physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Getting recovery is not optional.  It is critical to our health, happiness and success and therefore must be part of our daily routine.

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