DO YOU KNOW ABOUT GOOD STRESS? HORMESIS: STRESS THAT CAN HELP

We all know that stress is one of the most talked about topic and something people want to get rid of because of its immense contribution to people’s life. The thing with stress (just like all other things) is, it has its upsides and downsides.

While the downside can be something as bad as heart failure (which is known to many), the positives are not really talked about the way they should be like stress and stress response can keep us alive and in fact can sharpen our mental acuity.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM STRESS

Short-term stress may include a variety of things like giving a presentation, running or saving your life etc which can give mental clarity and focus. However, the moment it becomes chronic, that is dealing with something stressful for 20 years or over, the graph is only downhill.

Sometimes stress is a great thing especially when people pay for it for example paying to watch a horror movie or a roller coaster ride etc can cause the right amount of stress causing stimulation because too less of stress can cause boredom too.

The Short Term Stress response, when made on a graph looks a lot like The Excitement response.

However, we don’t want to be stressed all the time. Chronics or long-term stress can be from several weeks to several years. Chronically elevated levels of heart rate or low levels can be dangerous. In fact, it can suppress our immune system via a molecule known as Tackykinin (which gets activated or produced if we are not socially well connected for a long time)

SIMPLEST WAY TO REDUCE STRESS

There are certain tools which can help in de-stressing. The fastest, the most grounded in physiology, and the self-directed way to calm yourself down is PHYSIOLOGICAL SIGH.

In simple terms, use your respiration or breathing to reduce stress. The technique is simple, you exhale longer and more vigorously than your inhales.

ADVANTAGES OF SHORT-TERM STRESS

There are certain advantages of short-term stress, like the ability to fight infection by releasing adrenaline, alertness and focus. There are ways to achieve that kind of short-term stress by hyperventilating (inhale-exhale fast for 15-25 cycles). This method is so powerful that for people with anxiety, can cause anxiety attacks.

TYPES OF STRESSORS: PSYCHOLOGICAL & PHYSIOLOGICAL

Hormesis can be Psychological or Physiological.

Psychological- The stress of an exam can produce short term stress in the body resulting in focus or alertness, watching a horror movie can produce stress (more like an excitement response).

Physiological- Physiological stress can be caused by following ways:

-Exercise

-Restricted eating/ Fasting

-Cold exposure

-Hot exposure

-Adventure sports

If these are deliberately done, in a controlled manner, then it can produce a cascade of good reactions, like activating certain hormones or genes of longevity, fighting infections etc.

Take home : Not all stress is bad, in fact short term stress can be beneficial if done right.

Hope this helped.

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