Newsletter 12 - Stress

So, I thought twice (or 3 or 4 times) before choosing this topic. It's much talked about and we probably all know the most important thing about it: we shouldn't stress, it's not good for us, but we can't help it. And we deal with it the best we can.

Still, people stressing about speaking a foreign language in front of others is such a big part of why I have a job as a Language Coach that I couldn't ignore it.

For today’s newsletter, I just want you to be aware of how hurtful stress can be for your body BUT worry not, it's not all bad news, next week's newsletter will be all about « good stress » so stay tuned ;-)

The biology of stress

The body’s involuntary functions—digestion, blood pressure, heart rate, tissue regeneration/repair, and immune function—are all under control of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). There are 3 branches to the ANS:

• the sympathetic system prepares the body for action in stressful or dangerous situations (increased heart rate and blood pressure, dilated pupils and bronchi, decreased digestion and salivation, increased sweating and blood glucose, and release of adrenaline)

• the parasympathetic system restores the body to a state of calm and relaxation after the threat is gone (decreased heart rate and blood pressure, constricted pupils and bronchi, increased digestion and salivation, decreased sweating and blood glucose, and stimulation of sexual arousal)

• the enteric system is a third branch of the autonomic nervous system that controls the gastrointestinal tract and its functions

The 3 branches work together to maintain a state of homeostasis - optimal balance of physiological functions for survival and well-being. This balance can shift depending on the situation our body is in. For example, when you’re resting or sleeping, the parasympathetic system is more dominant, but when you’re awake or exercising, the sympathetic system is more dominant.

Many people today are stressed out all the time, which makes their nervous system go into overdrive. When you’re always stressed, your body doesn’t get to relax and calm down enough, your body is always on high alert and ready for action. This affects negatively every system in the body, either directly or indirectly.

A concrete example of that is cortisol. Read this carefully:

• when stressed your body releases cortisol

• when chronically stressed, your body releases cortisol non stop

• Cortisol keeps inflamation in check but when released continually, the cells become less receptive to it

• Inflammation is now wreaking havoc in your body (heart disease, obesity, mental health disorder, damaged telomeres…etc…)

Knowing that today everything is a source of stress (your commute to work, your boss, your colleague, your partner, your kids, everything and anything can become stress) . Stress builds upon stress : your body is in fight or flight mode, but you can't fly from your every day life and you can't fight routine or problems so you stress even more. Bottomline: there's a good chance that you are literally damaging your body.

Do you see how you should go back and read my newsletters about positive psychology? ;-)