the biology of stress
this "fight-or-fight" hormone is released by your adrenal glands when you encounter a stressor .
what is adrenaline?
Chronic stress often causes people to unconsciously clench their jaw or grind their teeth, a condition known by this medical term.
What is bruxism?
This deep-breathing technique involves inhaling for 4 seconds, holding for 4, exhaling for 4, and holding for 4.
What is box breathing (or square breathing)?
This 4-letter acronym describes the modern anxiety that an exciting or interesting event may currently be happening elsewhere without you.
What is FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out)?
True or False: The goal of stress management is to eliminate 100% of the stress from your life.
What is False? (Some stress is necessary for survival, motivation, and growth).
Know as the primary "stress hormone," this chemical increases glucose in the bloodstream and can suppress the the immune system if elevated for too long.
What is cortisol?
Because stress diverts blood flow away from the digestive tract to the muscles, it frequently causes this common stomach complaint.
What is indigestion?
While a glass of wine or a beer might feel relaxing in the moment, alcohol is chemically classified as this, meaning it actually increases anxiety and disrupts sleep later.
What is a depressant?
This is the act of mindlessly scrolling through negative news articles on social media, which heavily spikes cortisol levels.
What is doomscrolling (or doompaging)?
True or False: Your brain can't actually tell the difference between a real physical threat (like a bear) and an emotional threat (like a scary email).
What is True? (The amygdala triggers the exact same fight-or-flight response for both).
This part of the brain acts as an alarm system, processing emotions and triggering the stress response
What is the amygdala?
This type of headache, often described as a tight band around the forehead, is the most common headache triggered by stress.
What is a tension headache?
This relaxation technique involves tensing and then releasing different muscle groups throughout the body, one by one.
What is Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)?
According to numerous workplace studies, this specific, intrusive work element—often sent after hours—is a leading cause of modern employee stress.
What are emails (or Slack/work messages)?
This popular beverage ingredient is often consumed to combat tiredness from stress, but it actually mimics the body’s stress response, raising heart rate and anxiety.
What is caffeine?
While the Sympathetic Nervous System revs you up for a fight, this division of the nervous system is responsible for calming the body back down ("rest and digest").
What is the Parasympathetic Nervous System?
Long-term, unmanaged stress causes chronic inflammation, which significantly increases your risk for this major cardiovascular issue.
What is heart disease?
This psychological term refers to the unhealthy habit of continuously thinking about, rehashing, or obsessing over a stressful past event.
What is rumination?
This type of stress occurs when the demands of your job, school, or life exceed the resources or time you have available to meet them.
What is role overload (or cognitive/work overload)?
True or False: Exercising when you are stressed out just adds more bad stress to your body.
What is False? (Physical exercise burns off excess cortisol and produces endorphins, the body's natural mood lifters).
Believe it or not, some stress is good! This is the medical term for positive, motivating stress (like the excitement before a roller coaster or a wedding).
What is eustress?
This is the name for the physical exhaustion, cynicism, and feelings of reduced effectiveness resulting from prolonged, unmanaged workplace stress.
What is burnout?
Spending time in nature to reduce stress has become so popular in Japan that they have a specific term for it, which translates to "Forest Bathing."
What is Shinrin-yoku?
This psychological phenomenon describes the stress of feeling like a fraud, despite clear evidence of your success and competence.
What is Impostor Syndrome?
While people think venting to a friend always reduces stress, doing it excessively without looking for a solution can actually do this to both people's stress levels.
What is increase them (or "co-rumination," which spreads the stress)?