We are living in very stressful times. The political and socioeconomic landscape of the world, the doomsday clock, media overload, personal factors and so much more cause micro and macro stress elements to enter our lives.
This is not good for our health. Stress is a catalyst for many health and wellbeing-related problems, including increased strain on our hearts, heightened inflammation, and suppression of our immune system, not to mention the mental strain.
We all experience stress to some degree, but why does it happen and how can we manage it?
“The human mind is incredibly complex, with some ‘design flaws’ coming from how the brain has evolved for us humans,” says Michaela Thomas, clinical psychologist and host of the Pause Purpose Play podcast. “We operate on a ‘better safe than sorry’ principle, meaning we pay more attention to negative information than to positive.”
The “negativity bias” is a long-standing evolutionary trait in humans. We are quite simply hardwired to lean towards the negative, even when a positive and negative experience hold the same weight. It is the brain’s way of protecting us. In evolutionary terms, the negativity bias ensured we paid attention to danger or threats and were conscious of risks. In early human history, it was a matter of life and death.
Today, while the negativity bias still aims to keep us safe by influencing our critical thinking and analytical skills, it can also add to our stress pile-ons as we dwell on thoughts, interpret events and relationships inaccurately, or have difficulty making decisions.
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“The human mind can ‘time travel’ in a way other mammals’ minds can’t,” says Thomas, “in that we can dwell on our past mistakes and worry about future failures, rather than be present in the here and now. We have a wandering mind, or the so-called Default Mode Network, which means we aren’t focusing on what is happening now but rather what has already happened or what is about to happen. Many of those things we worry about don’t even happen, but we think about them, ‘just in case’, so that we are prepared.”
Thomas notes that constantly feeling on edge like this “can create mountains out of molehills, by blowing things out of proportion or catastrophising about them”. We are not living in the moment, noticing what is happening around us and making accurate assessments about the state of play. We are likely overwhelmed, anxious, and exhausted.
“This is even more common in those of us who are prone to anxiety or are neurodivergent,” says Thomas. “The fact that we are stressed out by something means we want to avoid it rather than deal with it, as we then get temporary relief from the stress or anxiety. Like an ostrich sticking its head in the sand, it works in the short term but doesn’t actually solve the problem. So, it builds up and gets even more overwhelming, in a vicious cycle.
“Even though it doesn’t make logical sense to let things pile up, it means short-term emotional sense, hence why most of us do it. And then feel worse, by beating ourselves up for not having faced the stressful thing.”
Thomas points out that stress isn’t inherently bad for us when experienced in small doses. “The stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol help us to rise to challenges,” she says, as these natural chemicals mobilise the body through the fight or flight response. “It is chronic activation of the stress response, which is harmful for us, both physically and mentally, as the body doesn’t get to rest and recover between each battle.”
However, she does note that chronic stress can affect everything from our digestive system to our immune system, which means that nasty cough or cold you can’t seem to shake could be impacted by your stress levels and subsequent inability to fight off infections.
“Chronic stress can also impact your brain,” Thomas highlights and suggests that the prefrontal cortex is affected, which can hinder your ability to “plan, focus and make decisions”. She also mentions stress on the hippocampus, which leads to an impairment of memory and learning. Added to this, fluctuations in the amygdala as a result of stress can make a person more “emotionally reactive”.
Is it any wonder that chronic stress is associated with poorer sleep as we lie awake ruminating on problems?
The key to lightening our load when stress piles on is rest and recovery, advises Thomas. “You can survive a stretchy period without becoming overstretched,” she says. “Taking micro breaks, or ‘pause pockets’ as I call them, can help regulate your body and mind in a similar way to opening the screw cap on a fizzy drink and letting some of the bubbles out after you’ve been shaking it for a while. The shaking might be inevitable, as lots of stressful things happen in our lives which shake us up, so the important thing is to give ourselves the permission to pause and release a bit of the built-up stress.”
Pausing may not feel natural for many people, but the practice does not have to be cumbersome. The point is to slowly recognise the power of taking a break, a pause, a quiet moment to regroup, de-stress, and balance your mind and body.
“These moments of pause can be as simple as mindfully closing your eyes for five minutes every day,” says Thomas. “Listening to your favourite calming music whilst taking some deep breaths, staring out the window to rest your eyes away from the computer, or take a walk in nature without listening to your headphones at the same time.”
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Over time, you can increase these minutes. Being mindful of your present moment, slowing down the day, and being non-judgmental in this practice is essential to strengthening your ability to simply be, which will help you navigate the stressors in your life more effectively when they arise. Guided meditations, breathing techniques, and embracing laughter are all equally valid and useful techniques to pause.
“The body is built for stress,” says Thomas. “But [it] breaks if you don’t let it reboot and recharge once in a while. Ask yourself what is most important right now. Notice any perfectionistic tendencies to want to get it all done and see what you can let go. It’s okay to consciously put down some of the plates you’re spinning before they all come crashing down.”
