“We live in a culture that gets us to walk faster, talk faster, work longer, and we are taught to think that is where productivity and success come from.”
Johan Hari, Stolen Focus.
What do you think of this quote? And what is the price we pay for embracing this culture?
Eight years ago, when I started my business – a large cafeteria in the center of San Jose, Costa Rica – I wasn’t aware of the price I would pay. That decision came with numerous challenges and unforeseen difficulties that I only realized years later. On that journey, my primary struggle was coping with stress, and it took a toll on me. It affected my physical and emotional well-being, social life, and relationships. I was a complete mess.
What is stress really about?
The National Institute of Mental Health defines stress as the physical or mental response to an external cause. A stressor may be a one-time or short-term occurrence or can happen repeatedly over time. The World Health Organization provides a broader definition, emphasizing that stress prompts us to address challenges and threats in our lives, and affects both the mind and body.
We all handle stress differently. My friend Martha prefers to cry and shout it all out, while my brother seems to internalize the stress and keep a poker face. I’m not sure what the right way of coping is. Genetics, early life experiences, personality, and social and economic situations can influence our ability to cope.
The cascade of events that occur in our body during this stress response mode fascinates me. When we experience stress, our body releases stress hormones that trigger a fight-or-flight response and stimulate our immune system. Sometimes this may be a good thing. It can help us overcome fear or pain, enabling us to complete tasks like running a marathon or beating the deadline of writing this blog. Typically, our stress hormones return to normal shortly after the stressful event, with no lasting effects. However, excessive stress can have adverse effects, leaving us in a constant state of fight or flight, feeling overwhelmed and unable to cope. Over time, this can impact both our physical and mental health.
Stress and the obvious manifestations
When considering stress, one might think of various clinical symptoms such as difficulty relaxing, anxiety, irritability, headaches, lack of concentration, and sleep disorders.
“We struggle to sleep when we experience stress and hyper-vigilance. If you don´t feel safe, then you will be unable to wind down, because your body is saying to you: You are in danger; stay alert.”
Johan Hari, Stolen Focus.
I first experienced the “wonderful” life of insomnia when I opened my business. Uncertainty about the future affected my ability to rest because my brain was overthinking. I worried about whether I had enough money to pay the rent, if the coffee would go bad, and if the customers would like the place. My mind was racing even though my body yearned for sleep.
Stress and the non-obvious manifestations
Interestingly, the brain is the only organ affected during stress mode. Have you ever heard the medical myth – ‘stress causes wrinkles’? Well, that’s true. The American Academy of Dermatology Association agrees that stress can definitely harm your skin. Dr. Kaira Barr, a dermatologist and the author of “The Skin Whisperer,” believes that our brain and skin are intimately linked and communicate with each other. This means that when we experience chronic stress, the skin is both a target and a source of stress hormones, which can make the skin more vulnerable to itch, inflammation, irritation, and infection. In addition, stress hormones break down the collagen and elastin in the skin and interfere with rejuvenation, speeding up the aging process and causing more fine lines and wrinkles.
But it’s not only wrinkles. An interesting study published in 2004 shows a clear association between severe stress and malignancy. Stress can contribute to hair thinning and loss. A study by Gerardo Nardone, published in 2014 in the Digestive Disease Journal, thoroughly explores the link between emotional stress and stomach ulcers.
“Ulcer patients are more likely to be divorced, separated or widowed. Stress exposure may impair the gastric and duodenal defenses against the damage induced by acid and pepsin ”
Nardone et al, The Psyche and Gastric Functions ,Digestive Diseases, 2014
Almost 2,500 years ago, the great Greek philosopher Plato and his teacher Socrates advised the need for a holistic approach to all disease: ‘Just as you ought not to attempt to cure eyes without head or head without a body, so you should not treat the body without a soul.’ The impact of stress on the whole body just proves how right they were, and the medical community agrees with them.
“The medical community needs to have a greater appreciation for the significant role that stress may play in various diseases and then treat the patient accordingly using both pharmacological (medications and/or nutraceuticals) and non-pharmacological (change in lifestyle, daily exercise, healthy nutrition, and stress reduction programs) therapeutic interventions.”
Yaribyigi et al, The Impact of stress on body function: A review, ECLI journal, 2017
Conclusion
If we want to restore our stolen focus, decreasing our stress levels should be of high priority. Common strategies include meditation, acupuncture, mindfulness, breathwork, Tai Chi, Yoga, and sports. For me, Taylor Swift playlists and reruns of “The Office” do the trick. What about you?
