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Stress has been around since the beginning of human civilization. Just like people, stress has evolved over time, as our society has grown and advanced. It seems like stress typically has a negative connotation because it can often feel uncomfortable to be “stressed out”. However, stress was originally, and still is, a mechanism to keep us safe. When our ancestors had to hunt and gather for food, the feeling of stress could protect them from a life or death situation, like being eaten by a bear. Can you imagine perusing the local grocery store while having a bear chase you, navigating all of the people and carts and trying to ward off the shock of high grocery prices? It makes me sweat just thinking about it. Luckily, today, the threat of being eaten by a bear is less common, but stress does still exist to protect us and help motivate us to get things done.

Stress isn’t always “bad”

It is important to note that stress is not inherently “bad”, but when we do not have the proper tools to manage stress or stress becomes chronic, that is when it can have a negative impact on our health and well-being. Stress serves a purpose to help us survive, function and thrive. It is a normal biological and psychological response to a perceived threat, real or imagined. This response requires mental, physical, and emotional resources to adapt to the new, unexpected and/or challenging situation.

What’s the science behind stress?

A perceived threat, real or imagined, initiates the stress response also knows as “fight, flight or freeze” which is started by the sympathetic nervous system. Our parasympathetic nervous system works to restore balance. It is important for you to understand that these systems operate automatically. When a person perceives a threat, their sympathetic nervous system takes control and the higher functioning (logical thinking) areas of the brain are hijacked and unable to function well. Simply put, the more we react to threats, real or imagined, the more the sympathetic nervous system develops and the more the parasympathetic nervous system is pruned. As the survival response strengthens and the calming response weakens our “fight, flight or freeze” response happens more frequently with more intensity, even to smaller stressors. While this can seem overwhelming, the good news is there are many way to manage stress!

Stress prevention vs. stress relief

When thinking about stress management, I often think about it in two ways – stress prevention and stress relief. Stress prevention includes things we can do on a daily basis that help prepare our bodies to take on stress and manage it in a healthy manner. For instance, getting enough sleep, eating a balanced diet and getting physical exercise. Stress relief refers to tactics we can use in the moments when we feel acute stress, like when we are trying to get dinner on the table, finish one last work email and the kids need help with their homework or driving on I-485 during rush hour or when we are called into the boss’s office unannounced. Acute stress is an inevitable part of life, so it is important to know how to deal with it when it happens.

Tips to prevent stress

I think of stress prevention as an investment. You are investing in your well-being to help protect yourself from accumulated stress and increase your ability to cope. Ways to engage in stress prevention include: