How does stress destroy us and how can we deal with it effectively?

If we don't die a violent death, then stress will kill us. But mankind has found an antidote to him too.

Good is in accordance.
Inconsistency is killing.

RUN OR FIGHT

For many tens of thousands of years, our ancestors polished an effective mechanism for responding to danger, which our contemporaries will call the "instinct of self-preservation." In scientific circles, the term “fight or run away” is often used. This amazing physiological mechanism explains our specific and completely predictable behavior in abnormal situations when our brain interprets any stimulus as a threat. Consciousness cannot yet figure out the essence of what is happening, and the unconscious is already starting to act to save our skin.

However, with the development of civilization, much has turned upside down. The instinct that has contributed to our survival for many tens of thousands of years has now turned into a real disaster. Strokes and heart attacks are the leading causes of death in the 21st century. And the fault is the very "instinct of self-preservation", which was created by evolution for our salvation.

STRESS IS WHEN WE DESTROY OURSELVES

What happens to us when we are stressed? To simplify as much as possible, the unconscious prepares our body for the fight for life. This is reflected in the initiation of catabolic processes stimulated by stress hormones - adrenaline and cortisol. Adipose tissue, glycogen and even muscle protein - all of this undergoes breakdown processes to saturate the blood with glucose (energy source) and amino acids (building material). The latter are needed in case of injury. And also the cholesterol level rises powerfully. At the same time, the ability to quickly coagulate blood increases, which is certainly in demand if we are going to skin a cave bear that is still alive.

In the 21st century, cave bears have moved to the pages of paleontological resources, and the number of stressful stimuli has increased dramatically. Streams of negative information now tyrannize our brains everywhere. And the human unconscious in the entire history of our species has learned to respond to stress in only one way - by launching the "run or fight!" Program. Nervous, anxiety, or outright freaking out, we are no longer subjected to powerful physical exertion that can compensate for the physiological changes in the body that are triggered by stress hormones. And even physical education here, unfortunately, will not be able to help us in any way: the range of movements for which our body is "designed" is, perhaps, now available only to professional athletes.

ANTIDOTE FOR STRESS

What can we hope for? As always - on effective self-government, on the ability of a developed consciousness to control feelings, thoughts and emotions. In order to take control of the ancient automatisms that have lost their relevance today. And find your correspondence to reality.

American psychologist Kelly McGonical, in her book "Good Stress as a Way to Become Stronger and Better", provides convincing statistics accumulated by the scientific community, which pushes to unambiguous conclusions: stress is killing us, but our perception of the problem can change everything.

Sometimes, we are not able to influence the situation. If you fell under the ice in winter, and then, damp and frozen, run home, then you can help your body get out of this situation with fewer losses (and, perhaps, no losses at all). All that is needed is to cultivate the correct attitude to any stressful situation, as to tempering that makes us stronger. It turns out that those people who are firmly convinced: "Stress makes us stronger" live longer and have better health.

But I suggest that you go even further and teach yourself to change the very attitude to the stress factor. Stress is not only about objective changes in the external environment. Stress is, first of all, our assessment of what is happening. We change the assessment - we change the physiological response of the body. It is precisely the techniques of changing this assessment that the third stage of the "Hunter" method is devoted to - psychoregulation.