The Science of Stress Management

🤔 Stress is personal and experienced differently by each individual.

🎢 Perception plays a crucial role in determining whether a situation is stressful or not.

⚠️ Stress becomes a problem when it accumulates beyond coping abilities and without adequate recovery.

🧠 Stress can impact our resilience and create pressure and overwhelm.

💡 The body has the autonomic nervous system, which includes the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches.

❤️ The sympathetic nervous system increases heart rate, blood pressure, and blood sugar to support performance.

🔑 Chronic stress suppresses the release of dhea, a hormone that boosts the immune system and prevents lifestyle-related diseases.

💡 Excess cortisol and chronic stress increase the risk of strokes and heart attacks by causing inflammation in the arterial lining.

🧠 Stress can affect brain function by disrupting the normal transmission of stimuli to the cerebral cortex.

🧠 Under stress, the brain's high-level thinking is bypassed and the fight-or-flight response is activated.

💤 Improving sleep quality can reduce activation of the fight-or-flight response.

⚖️ Low to moderate exercise, such as yoga, can regulate cortisol levels and activate the parasympathetic nervous system, helping to manage stress.

🏃 Engaging in light to brisk walks before bedtime may be more effective for stress relief than high-intensity runs.

💡 Managing lifestyle factors like nicotine, caffeine, and alcohol can improve stress management, as they can exacerbate stress instead of reducing it.

😌 Learn how to manage stress and improve your resilience.