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We live in a fast-paced society. Actually, this is an understatement! We literally hold access to the entire world in our palms. This includes, among other things 24/7 instant communication. Add all this to the already busy roles we have as parents, spouses, employees, and so on; and we now have to deal with more things on our brains than ever before! Between work and home priorities, relationship needs, and now constantly having discussion and mindless Internet and social media browsing, our minds barely have time to rest.
Those who experience significant stress, usually do not have to be told that they are stressed, it is very apparent. Also, I don't think many people have to be shown how stress manifests in their life, though responses vary from individual to individual (such as anger, sadness, irritability, etc.). This issue lies in how to combat the stress, and experience peace. As Christians, stress can be a huge discouragement as we read promises in scripture such as in John 14:27, "peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you" (ESV). It is my belief that having some understanding of the neurological effects that stress produces, can bring some empowerment and help in this war for peace.
The purpose of this article isn't to provide an in depth coverage of all neurological functioning during stress, but rather an elementary introduction to what I'll call public enemy number one, cortisol.
Cortisol, also known as the 'stress hormone', is said to effect pathways in the brain, between the hippocampus and amygdala, in such a way that the brain shuts down certain functions and focuses on survival. Psychology today says it this way, that high levels of cortisol, "a brain that becomes predisposed to be in a constant state of fight-or-flight." Other effects high levels of cortisol can have on an individual can include: effects on memory, higher blood pressure, lower sex drive and anxiety.
Again, I wanted to just simply introduce the very basics of cortisol and its effects when a person experiences high levels of stress. Why is this? Because I think knowing that during these stress periods of our life, there is actually a hormonal reason for why we allow stress to effects us in such negative ways, can actually be empowering! I mean think about it, during the last stress period of time in your life, did you find it hard to achieve goals? Did it seem as if you were just doing the minimal in life to get by? Did you beat yourself up for thinking that you were being lazy, or choosing not to go above just surviving? How many of us get so frustrated at our self because we are too mentally and physically exhausted at the end of the day to clean our house. How many of us get upset and disappointed at ourselves because when we do have a few moments to do anything, we find ourselves vegetating on the couch because exhaustion is just overbearing? Well how does it feel now to know that this wasn't a decision you consciously made, but a response your brain had to high levels of cortisol? You should feel like some, if not all of the responsibility can now be released from your shoulders.
Now that we have a basic understanding of what is occurring in our brains during stress, you may ask, how can I stop this? Well, it is commonly agreed upon that physical exercise and mindful mediation can be useful in this battle. The bible provides excellent sources of meditation that can be life changing! Passages such as Joshua 1:8 and Psalm 1:2 provide examples of mediation on Gods word. There doesn't have to be a special passage you must meditate on to receive some type of benefit, but simply taking a few moments of quiet to sit down and read the literal words breathed out by God (2 Timothy 3:16) will suffice. However, you have to make that choice to take the time and sit down with your bible and read. This can and will be very challenging as you will have mental resistance to taking time out of a chaotic day to read.
You can prepare for this, expect it, so that it isn't a surprise to you. Your body just wants to survive, but you have to be willing to overcome. Along with reading and meditating (which includes prayer), it is important to get some type of physical exercise throughout every day. Physical exercise releases endorphins which will be crucial to a peace of mind. It is important for you to find a type of exercise that you enjoy. It can be something as simple as going for a walk, taking a fitness class at your local gym, or a full on weight training session. Whatever you enjoy, stick to it, and make sure you get to do SOMETHING DAILY.
We all have a million things that contribute to our stress daily, let's help make the fight more fair, and employ weapons of our own. It will be much easier to achieve things despite stress, once we are able to exit the constant fight or flight stage. Exercise and mediation will not make your life stress free by any means, but it will certainly make you more functional, which can ultimately lead to peace.
References
Article retrieved from: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-athletes-way/201402/chronic-stress-can-damage-brain-structure-and-connectivity
References
Article retrieved from: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-athletes-way/201402/chronic-stress-can-damage-brain-structure-and-connectivity
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