Stress Response | Mindfulness of your emortion

The stress response is triggered when we perceive or interpret a situation as being a threat or a challenge. The threat may be real or imagined. Many challenges are created byexcessive craving and aversion; many are the result of old emotional wounds and self-doubt. Whatever the cause, once we have interpret it as a threat, the part of the brain called hypothalamus send signal to the master gland, the pituitary, to release biochemicals which are then released into the bloodstream and travel to where they stimulate the adrenal glands.


These glands in turn release stress hormones into the blood stream. In this process, the sympathetic nervous system is activated , which assists stress hormones to raise the metabolic rate, thus elevating blood sugar levels, increasing the heart rate and mobilizing energy to deal with the perceived challenge. When the sympathetic nervous system dominates, thinking becomes fear based and/or goal oriented. Gearing up for challenge and tightening up to face a threat are normal and healthy functions of survival instinct. However, these stress mechanisms are designed to be used in the short term and then switch off, allowing the relaxation response ( opposite of stress response ) to take over and balance to be restored. Prolonged activation of the stress response, out of habit or lack of awareness, makes us sick and unhappy: we suffer. Chronic tension without sufficient rest gradually breaks down our emotion, our mind and our body .In contemporary society, for many the stress-response has become both an addiction and a way of life. An addiction to stimulation, control and struggle. Instead of switching off the stress response, it is indulge to the extent that it becomes a source of energy and hyped-up motivation as well as becoming tied into our sense of personal identity. We overuse it. The stress-response is also often deployed as defence mechanism aimed at protecting protecting old wounds and insecurities . For others, stress is a form of social conditioning – the drive to achieve, attain, possess and succeed.

Apart from acute bouts of stress often triggered by the demands of external circumstances, many people suffer from chronic, low-grade stress which is often self-created and self-perpetuating. In many ways being constantly busy are glorified attributes in our society, reinforced by packaged and fast foods, sensationalist media and materialistic priorities. If we are not busy and driven, we are bored and listless. We avoid down time, free time and alone time, and time to chill out, unwind and enjoy moments of peace. Chronically operating in the stress response has been described as being stuck in stress response whether the stress is warranted or not.