Why dealing with Stress is Difficult? Because Our Brain Thinks We’re Still Chasing Mammuts!

Did you know that our stress response is absolutely not suited for our modern live? Stress triggers a ancient fight or flight response, but today it causes us more problems than it benefits us. You don’t take your small Beetle car for a trip through the desert right? But that’s basically what happens to us every day!

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Adrenaline makes you kind of a superhuman

So here is a little science: adrenaline is a stress hormone that comes from adrenal glands on the kidneys. Getting an adrenaline rush feels like an energy bomb exploding inside your body. It allows you to think fast, react instantly, block physical pain and accomplish almost supernatural deeds. Like mums lifting cars because their child is underneath it. This temporary ‘superhuman’ power-up is as ancient as our prehistoric brothers and sisters. It triggers the famous ‘flight of fight’-response which could came in very handy if you accidently ran into a hungry tiger.

But modern society comes with different threats

Our brain hasn’t evolved in the meantime, but our society did. Our threats now no longer have claws and sharp teeth. Threats are more likely to consist of arguments with your partner, missing a deadline, having financial problems or trading charts going through the roof. You probably think that this is for the better, since missing a deadline is (usually) less deadly than a hungry tiger.

Need to keep calm while your blood is pumping...

But is is a huge problem, because this superhuman-assets are (mostly) useless to deal with today’s threats. I will explain the three most important reasons. (1) Nobody would accept (of expect) if you to engage in a physical fight or to run away as fast as you can. So our heartbeat increases, our eyes widen and our muscles are ready for action. But we need to keep our cool, stay calm and and act rationally. The energy cannot leave the body and therefore remains way longer in our bloodstream than is needed.

The modern tiger appears three times a day

(2) Our lives have more impulses than ever. There are so many factor that can threaten our way of living, that it has became a normal part of live. Obvious threats (a break up) and less obvious threats (a check that bounced) set the adrenaline process in motion. But after these few minutes of intense mental and physical effort, your body is desperate to recover. All the extra chemicals that were produced to help, need level out with the rest of your system and that takes time. In the meantime you feel exhausted while you have to continue your daily work. And people who experience severe stress may and up with a burn-out.

The remaining body functions stay ‘on hold’

Our body directs all our energy to prepare for a fight or to flight. This means that other (important) functions like digesting food, learning and remembering and developing the immune system are put on hold. They are simply not needed to keep you alive when you face a severe threat. But most of today’s threats are simply not solvable within a few minutes. It takes hours, days or years to fix problems. And it can be dangerous if your body puts these important functions on hold for such a long time. It’s the reason why people with enduring stress experience memory loss, stomach- and gut problems and get sick.

So for the sake of your overall health, it is important to keep your stress level in check. Some acute adrenaline won’t do you any harm but our bodies are simply not made for chronic stress. At least give your body the opportunity to release the stress hormones (just excuse yourself and go out for a walk) and take enough rest afterwards to make sure that your body recovers from the effort. Take care!!