Responding to Stress

One of the biggest challenges with overcoming stress is that you can’t always distance yourself from it. Whether it’s exams, a sporting competition or a situation that puts you under pressure, you can’t always run away from it. However, it is important to know how your body responds to stress and understand the ways in which you can control it.

Dr. Greg Wells went through a step-by-step process that outlined different stages in which an individual typically responds to stress.

The first stage of responding to stress is your senses and how you interpret your environment. This is when your body decides to ‘fight it’ or ‘take flight from it’. Unfortunately, ‘taking flight’, or running away, isn’t always an option. A key example of this is exam season. No matter how stressed a student may be, they have to take tests in order to get through school.

At this point, the amygdala decides to activate fear and anxiety and sometimes even aggression. This stage can be physiologically impossible to avoid because the amygdala is responsible for emotions, instincts and memory - all of which are hard things to control.

The hypothalamus now activates the sympathetic nervous system. At this stage, you can physically ‘see’ stress. Sweating, pupil dilation and shaking are some of the many physical symptoms of anxiety and stress.

Step 4: Pituitary
At this stage, the hypothalamus activates the pituitary gland, which takes messages from the brain and produces hormones that travel throughout the body. This has an effect on energy levels and leads right into the next step: adrenaline.

The pituitary gland releases adrenaline and cortisol, increasing blood sugar levels. In some instances, acute stress can be good for health because it helps you focus and concentrate. For example, when an athlete is under pressure, the stress response can help them to perform better.

Stress becomes a problem when it gets too high for too long. Chronic stress is bad for health and performance; it can damage blood vessels, increase blood pressure and increase the risk of heart attack. It can also make you sick, damage your body and cause ongoing fatigue.

Although stress can be very hard to avoid, Dr. Wells taught us five ways to control stress. Practicing these steps each day can help reduce stress, improve mental health and boost your overall well-being.

Thank you, Dr. Wells, for sharing your knowledge with the school and making the Greenwood community happier and healthier. Until next time!