Is there a response which can set you up for anxiety?
Stress Response
When you experience something stressful (stressor), your body has a chemical reaction that enables you to respond appropriately to protect yourself from danger.
The Sympathetic nervous system is activated and hormones like adrenalin and cortisol are secreted to help you prepare to escape the stressor or to fight off an attacker.
This is called the “flight or fight response.”
This is very useful when faced with an immediate threat to safety. If you encountered an intruder or gun man, you would need to fight or take flight to preserve your life.
Chronic Stress
The problem arises when you are constantly in a stressed state. This can be because you are constantly in danger or the threat of danger.
As a result, since your body is always ready for fight or flight, the stress hormones are high and you never get to recuperate from the stressor.
This continuous state is extremely damaging to your health and is a major contributor to anxiety disorders and other diseases like high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, etc.
You see, the body views even the very thought of the stressor as though you are actually experiencing the stress right there and then.
For example, when you relive an incident from the past – abuse, molestation, abandonment, neglect, or any stressor, the body doesn’t know the difference between what happened to you 10 years ago and what you are remembering right now. That’s why you feel stressed when you think about it or even when you dream about it, or discuss it with a friend.
You’ll notice your heart rate increases, your heart starts pounding, you start breathing shallower. You may even feel anxious, lightheaded, stressed, or anxious. This means you are actually having a stress response, yet again.
Years and years of reliving the stress response depletes your body, making it fragile and vulnerable, until eventually you are in a perpetual state of fear. I want you to know that this is what is happening so you can be aware of it when it occurs.
Dr. Jen says: That’s why my big tip for today is not stress management but stress elimination.
Stress Elimination not Stress Management
We are always hearing about stress management as though we are to always have various stressors and learn how to cope with them forever.
I am here to tell you that this is the most counterproductive approach I’ve seen.
Yes, once there is life there will be stress, but when you begin to believe that having stress in your life is “normal”, you condition your mind and body to always be in some sort of stress response and to perpetually be in an anxious state.
Always work on getting rid of or eliminating your stressors, one by one.
Stress Elimination Activity
- Make a list of ALL your stressors: no matter how simple the stress feels and no matter how long the list may be.
- Number the stressors starting at number 1.
- Now circle the stressors that seem like they would be the easiest to fix.
Let’s say your list had 20 stressors.
- Your job is to get rid of them 1 at a time, starting with the easier ones, the ones you had circled.
Yes. It’s just that simple. Love yourself enough to get rid of one stressor at a time.
For example, if rushing to leave out in the mornings feels stressful for you, give yourself an additional 15 minutes to get ready.
If having a credit card bill to pay at the end of the month is stressful to you, stop using a credit card and pay with cash or a debit card.
Eliminate the stress, and replace it with a solution that fixes the stress.
The point is this: stop trying to juggle stressors like a clown juggling balls. (PIC)
Literally, get rid of the stressors one by one, taking baby steps.
The following are additional tools:
- Rest and Recovery
As you now know, the sympathetic nervous system mediates the stress response of fight or flight.
There is another part of the nervous system that does the total opposite and it’s called the parasympathetic nervous system. Its job is to facilitate the body’s housekeeping functions such as sleep, healing, and digestion.
When you are chronically stressed and anxious, you will need to engage this part of the nervous system much more frequently and more deliberately. This may be done by resting and allowing for adequate recovery after exertion.
Dr. Jen says to rest. Rest = Peace of Mind.
Here are some recommendations for starters:
- Sleep
- Take naps
- Relaxing
- Do activities you enjoy/hobbies
- Leisure and recreation
- Pursue your passions
- Prayer and meditation
- Prayer and Meditation
Rest in God’s Words and His promises. Meditate on relevant scriptures. Mediation is thinking about something over and over. 2 Timothy 1:7 is my theme verse for 2025 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
Anxiety is a fear response.
- Sleeping
When you are anxious, recovery is needed. A lot more sleep and rest are absolutely necessary.
Going to bed before 10 p.m. and waking up at or before sunrise to help maintain the body’s own natural circadian rhythm are extremely important. Stop watching TV and internet until late at night. Reduce interacting with your phone in the nighttime as the blue light from these devices messes with your body’s chemistry.
Rest and recover!
- Other techniques to modulate the stress response include:
- Deep breathing – especially holding out the exhalation part of the breath
- Massage
- Vagus nerve stimulation.
Next week, in our final article on anxiety, I’ll be dealing with practical tips you can take to reduce it, including diet, exercise, and medications.
Until next time and with love, Dr. Jen
Serving God and the elderly are two of Dr. Jennice’s passions. A house call doctor and health educator, she has been a Christian from her youth.