Everyone feels stress sometimes, most likely more than usual now in 2020. COVID, possible job uncertainty, police brutality, riots, and the future of the nation, how could you not feel some level of stress. Not everyone defines stress in the same way, but typically we all relate it to a feeling of pressure or strain either physically, mentally, or emotionally. On a technical level, stress can be defined as any type of energy your body has to use to hold steady the delicate balance of chemical, structural, and emotional processes that keep us functioning. It is a normal response to daily routines and activities. We actually rely on our stress response system to maintain our equilibrium and manage daily life. In other words, not all stress is bad. But how do we deal with the stress that is bad, and is damaging to our overall health?
It’s important to identify good stress and combat bad stress, because not dealing with it is when your heath is at risk. So where do we start? It’s key to know which form or stage of stress you’re experiencing, Eustress, Distress, Acute Stress, or Chronic Stress. This first step can be key in determining the best method of self-care and ultimately living a happier and less stressful life!
Eustress is stress that is caused by things in life that have positive connotations, such as marriage, getting a promotion, having a baby, winning money, moving, maintaining friendships, graduation etc. These are all positive things in life, but these milestones can still bring stress. For example, earning a degree is an extremely exciting achievement, but it may come along with stress of finding a job, repaying student loans and trying to figure out what comes next.
Opposite from Eustress, Distress is stress that is caused by things in life that have negative connotations, such as divorce, punishment, injuries, negative feelings, financial problems, loss, etc. these experiences in life are stressful and challenging in nature, but also inevitable for most. Sometimes we have to endure distress for a greater good.
Tips for Handling Eustress and Distress
Eustress and Distress typically aren't the types of stress we are dealing with most often, but we still need to know how to handle, and hopefully grow, from it. Managing these forms can be achieved by setting plans or intentions, as the unknown of what’s next can be the most stressful aspect of these kinds of events. Another important practice is finding an outlet, like exercise, meditation, cooking, journaling or anything you find that works for you. This may help you to handle the pressure that is often experienced with Eustress or Destress and keep you from becoming too overwhelmed.
It’s important to be able to focus on the positive aspect in these situations. We are our own toughest critics so it can be difficult to be conscious and confident that we will get through whatever it is causing stress. Try to start by reminding yourself that life has a way of pushing forward through the toughest of times.
Acute stress is situational stress, also known as the fight or flight response for our bodies to defend itself. The mind perceives the environment, and when it sees something it believes to be threatening, it sends a signal to 50 trillion cells alerting them that danger exist and to ramp up the stress responders. Most people feel acute stress as being temporarily overwhelmed or it could be in the form of a panic attack, but the feeling goes away when whatever is triggering the fight or flight response passes.
To Manage Acute Stress, allow yourself enough time calm down when it's over. Research shows that it takes about 90 minutes for the metabolism to return to normal functioning. So cut out time for self-care, just for an hour and a half. You’re body literally relies on it.
Chronic Stress - the one to watch out for
Chronic stress is the most dangerous form of stress. Left unmanaged it can be extremely damaging to our physical health, emotional health and over all body function. It stems from the trials and tribulations of living; and we tend to try to ignore it or push it down, which only makes things worse. It's things like bills, debt, parenting, jobs, or unhealthy relationships that can build up into chronic stress sources and actually make us really sick.
Sometimes we push these things down and allow ourselves to suffer alone in a constant state of stress because there is a level of fear that comes with managing it. According to author Bruce Lipton there is a biological science behind the expression “Fear Kills”. It has been studied that when negative stress chemicals produced by the brain are put in contact with normal healthy cells, those cells begin to die and may shut down the growth of the body and the immune system over time. Still, things like handling finances can seem endless, admitting parenting is stressful might make you feel like other parents are handling it better than you, leaving a job that makes you miserable can be a tough process or ending an unhappy or unhealthy relationship and starting over can seem really scary. So, we push it down and bury it out of fear, not realizing how it's taking a toll on our body.
Uncontrolled Chronic Stress can translate into a host of symptoms including: fatigue, brain fog, Insomnia, depression, joint pain, adrenal dysfunction, irregular periods, PMS, hot flashes, and that’s just to name a few. This is when you need to take further action.
Fortunately Chronic Stress is manageable, and the reality is that nearly every single person feels or has felt the way you do now! Try to be open to change, even if you may need to face some fears, reconstruct your response to different situations, or make life changes. Positive actions like seeing a therapist, talking to friends about how you feel, listening to podcasts or music that makes you feel motivated or happy can be great resources. Additionally always remember to be aware of your health and recognizing the signs that you may need to take further action.
One option is performing a lab test to check the imbalances in your body. Through over 20 years of research at Sabre Sciences and working with doctors to analyze lab reports pertaining to stress levels, we’ve found that there are stages of chronic stress. Furthermore, with proper intervention we can stop the stages from advancing from bad to worse, and actually reverse the symptoms that are being caused, get your body back into balance and your immune system strong again.
With all stress, the more we understand what we are actually feeling, how to manage it, when we need further help, and what resources are available to us to get through these feelings, the healthier we will be! So, if you are feeling overwhelmed or stressed out too often, it’s time to implement self-care and self-checks into your routine. We are here to help you along the way!
Furthermore, if you think you may be dealing with chronic stress, or you just want to check in on how you’re body is functioning, reach out to our team to help you determine if lab testing is a good idea for you.