Understanding Stress: Its Biological Roots, Psychological Consequences, and Effective Management Strategies

We experience stress when we encounter a stressor. A stressor is anything that frustrates us, places a time constraint on us, distresses us emotionally, causes us to worry about an unpleasant future event, or appears to threaten us. Stress is just our body responding to these stressors as it tries to help us cope with the situation.

Millions of years ago, our bodies developed a system to cope with stressors. It recognizes that anything that stresses us needs to be dealt with immediately.

Enter the fight-or-flight response. We can either fight whatever stressor we encounter, or we can run away. Both of these responses require extra energy, clear thinking, more blood in our muscles, and more air in our lungs. When our brains recognize a stressor, it immediately signals the adrenal gland to release epinephrine. This hormone raises our heart rate, raises our blood pressure, raises our blood sugar, and raises our rate of breathing. We are now ready to confront our stressor.

A short while after that, a hormonal response kicks in. Our brains release hormones that stimulate the adrenal glands to release cortisol. Cortisol raises the blood sugar further and acts as an anti-inflammatory to help heal any wounds we may suffer. Unfortunately, it also suppresses the immune system.

This response is helpful when it helps us deal with stressful situations. If we can resolve the situation immediately, we are experiencing acute stress. It lasts for a short while until we remove it. Sometimes, however, our coping mechanism fails to remove the stressor. We then experience chronic stress. The fight-or-flight response persists indefinitely. The blood pressure remains high, the heart rate remains high, the blood sugar remains high, and our psychological balance is threatened. The American Psychiatric Association provides an in-depth look into the many responses people may have to chronic stress.

This persistent activation of the body’s flight-or-flight response takes a toll on the body. People can develop high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, heart attacks, strokes, and psychological diseases. As we can see, it is crucial to manage stress and turn off the stress response when it is no longer needed. This is called stress management. Stress can be managed by taking medications. It can also be managed by seeking professional help and engaging in “talk therapy."

Personally, we can also manage stress by learning stress management techniques. Simple techniques such as relaxation techniques, mindfulness practices, visualization techniques, deep breathing techniques, tai chi, qigong, or yoga can turn off our stress response when it is no longer needed. We can also reach out to friends and family to receive support.

Occasionally, stress can become overwhelming and present a life-threatening situation that needs to be dealt with immediately. If you experience stress that you feel is out of control or you have any thoughts of harming yourself (or others) you should immediately call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can either call 988 or text to 988. They are available 24 hours a day.

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