Most of our clients are surprised when they find out just how much stress is affecting them. Although some have heard about the physical changes brought about by stress, few have heard about the changes stress makes to the brain, emotions, and perspective.

Making sense of stress is important. Although it won’t release stress, just knowing what’s happening and why it’s happening helps us separate ourselves from our stress. This little bit of distance gives us the opportunity to observe our stress instead of being ruled by it.

In this article, we use laypeople terminology to explain the science behind these stress changes. As we explain each area of change, we’ll also look at some of the consequences those changes create.

We’ll start with a look at one of the least talked about ways that stress changes us.

 

You’ve probably noticed how our negative attributes always escalate when we’re stressed. With enough stress, those negative attributes end up looking like our normal behavior, making it easy to confuse them with who we really are. But we are not our stress behaviors.

Stress is the result of our brain switching into survival mode. It’s our brain’s way of pressuring us to act in a way that will help us survive.

When we experience stress, it’s because our brain has switched into survival mode. This switch makes us more likely to be tense, pessimistic, and argumentative.  It also makes us more likely to be confused, disorganized, discouraged, harsh, agitated, obsessive or exhausted.

Many of our clients mistake these undesirable stress behaviors as part of their personality when, in fact, their undesired behavior is the result of a stress response. Once they release their stress response, they’re shocked to find a different more desirable behavior living underneath, ready and waiting to take its rightful place.

Stress masks who we really are. In addition to instigating unwanted behaviors, stress also masks our natural talents. With enough stress, our talents become completely obscured, leaving us feeling afraid, insecure, worthless, or vulnerable.

Self-confidence can improve just by knowing you are not your stress behaviors. And it can grow by learning to separate your stress behaviors from how you see yourself.

In addition to affecting our confidence and self-image, stress negatively affects our health, our relationships, and our ability to achieve. Let’s look at how.

 

The science all starts with something called the stress response. This stress response is the body’s way of keeping us safe when we’re threatened.  Since the brain does not distinguish between a real or perceived threat, the stress response often gets triggered when it will do more harm than good.

An example: A minor argument with a spouse can cause the same stress response as being confronted by an angry bear. Even though the stress response is critical to surviving the bear, it’s counterproductive and usually harmful to the relationship when triggered by an argument.

Regardless of whether the threat is real or perceived, when the stress response gets triggered, it instantaneously switches our brain, body and perspective into survival mode.

 

When the stress response gets triggered, our thinking gets cloudy and we’re likely to:

• forget to do things
• find it difficult to focus
• make bad choices or decisions
• get lost
• become clumsy

These are just a few examples of the types of diminished ability we experience during a stress response. Each is a direct result of the brain switching from executive functioning mode to survival mode.

It provides the skills needed to reason, plan, problem solve, organize, strategize, pay attention to and remember details.

Executive functioning helps us focus, exercise discipline and self-control, be flexible, modulate emotional responses, relate well with others, and initiate tasks or activities.  It helps us think clearly and make fruitful plans for our future.

As you can imagine, the capabilities provided by the executive functioning mode are necessary to advance every long-term goal we set for health, relationships and achievement.

It provides the skills needed to survive life-threatening situations by enabling us to act fast without thinking. 

The brain switches out of executive functioning mode because it’s not considered necessary when facing a threat. We don’t need to think (executive functioning mode) we need to act fast (survival mode).

The sense of urgency that goes with the survival mode can save us in dangerous situations. Unfortunately, the same sense of urgency usually has detrimental results when triggered in everyday life.

This switch from executive functioning mode to survival mode explains why we can’t relax, think clearly, or function at our best when we are stressed. Our brain is not trying to think clearly, it’s urging us to act fast so that we can survive the immediate threat.

In a nutshell…

• The stress response switches us out of executive functioning mode, reducing our ability to focus, reason, plan, problem solve, organize, strategize, exercise self-control, be flexible and modulate emotional responses.
• The stress response switches us into survival mode, creating a sense of urgency which can cause us to make rash decisions or act on impulse.

 

At the same time the brain switches from executive functioning mode to survival mode, the nervous system switches from the rest & digest parasympathetic nervous system to the survival sympathetic nervous system.

The rest & digest nervous system is responsible for our long-term success.  It’s the part of the nervous system that supports our immune system, helps us relax and digest our food.  It slows the heart rate, dilates blood vessels, decreases pupil size, increases digestive juices, and relaxes muscles in the gastrointestinal tract. 

The survival nervous system is responsible for our immediate survival of a perceived threat.  Among other things, it floods our body with adrenaline and other hormones to speed up our heart.  It directs additional blood to our muscles to help us run or fight.  And, it slows down our non-critical processes… such as our immune system and digestive system, neither of which are critical to surviving an immediate threat. 

Everything generated by the survival nervous system is crucial if we need to run or fight for our lives. However, when the stress response triggers the survival nervous system in everyday life, it’s counterproductive to our health and wellbeing.

In a nutshell and as stated on WebMD:

• 43% of all adults suffer adverse health effects from stress.
• 75% – 90% of all doctor’s visits are for stress-related ailments and complaints.
• Stress can play a part in problems such as headaches, high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, skin conditions, asthma, arthritis, depression, anxiety, etc.

 

When the brain switches from executive functioning mode to survival mode, it also switches our perspective from executive functioning perspective to the survival threat perspective. 

It enables us to be engaged, energized, playful, orderly, connected, capable, inspired, kind, efficient, flowing, clear headed, and at peace.

The feelings available in executive functioning perspective include serenity, gratitude, joy, interest, hope, pride, amusement, inspiration, awe and love.

The executive functioning perspective gives us the ability to be flexible, modulate emotional responses, and relate well with others.  All of which are critical to building strong, healthy relationships.

This is crucial to our survival when we are facing a life-threatening situation. Unfortunately, the exaggerated threat perspective can damage our relationships when triggered in everyday life.

When the stress response triggers the threat perspective, we’re likely to be tense and pessimistic with underlying urges to either argue and fight or run and hide.  We’re more likely to be confused, disorganized, discouraged, harsh, agitated, obsessive or exhausted. 

Feelings that accompany the threat perspective include fear, anger, sadness, insecurity, feeling isolated, humiliated, worthless, frustrated, resentful, paralyzed or vulnerable.

These urges and negative feelings are a key factor in our ability to survive a life-threatening situation.  Unfortunately, those same urges and negative feelings can damage our relationships when triggered in everyday life.

In a nutshell…

• The survival’s exaggerated threat perspective causes underling urges to argue & fight or run & hide.
• When in exaggerated threat perspective, we are less able to be cooperative, respectful, compassionate, collaborative or relate well with others.
• Exaggerated threat perspective makes it difficult to resolve issues and unresolved issues can damage even the best of relationships.

 

Our survival instincts trigger a stress response anytime our brain perceives a threat.  This stress response:

• makes it difficult to think clearly
• slows down digestion and immune function
• floods our bodies with adrenaline and other stress hormones
• shifts our perspective so that we feel as though we need to run or fight for our lives

All these things are detrimental to our confidence and to our health. They create problems in our relationships and hinder our ability to achieve our goals.

Since stress negatively affects every area of our life, it’s important to find a way to release it.

Many people have come to believe that stress is a normal part of life. That they need to suffer with stress and its negative effects in their life. But you don’t need to suffer with stress. You can conquer your stress and take back your life.

Whether you chose to use our Stress Release Method™ or one like ours, find a way to reduce your stress so that you can truly appreciate yourself, enjoy your friends and family, and soar through life achieving your greatest desires.