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Feb 13, 2020, Stress

In a stressful situation, the brain sends a message to the adrenal glands to produce adrenaline and norepinephrine, which immediately causes your heart to pound, your muscles to tense, you breath faster, may start to sweat and your attention is sharper.

The adrenal glands also releases norepinephrine, which makes you more aware, awake, focused and more responsive. It channels blood from where it is not needed to where it is needed, like the muscles.

Cortisol, known as the stress hormone, is also produced by the adrenal glands. It takes a little longer to kick in, minutes rather than seconds. Cortisol helps maintain fluid balance and blood pressure and other ordinary functions that are not crucial during stress.

If you are under stress, you body continuously releases Cortisol which can suppress the immune system, increase blood pressure and sugar, decrease libido, produce acne, cause you to gain weight and more. These are not the only stress hormones, but are the main ones. When the reason for your stress is gone, it can take half an hour to days to return to your normal state.

Doctors love to give you all kinds of drugs for stress, drugs that can have unpleasant side effects and become habit forming. Stress is a natural response and it can be handled naturally without drugs.

To handle stress, you need to burn off the hormones with exercise, brisk walking will do it. You also need to calm your mind. Meditation is excellent. Also, focusing on a task like drawing, writing, tidying your closet, playing a musical instrument or listening to a good audio book will calm and occupy your mind.  Burn off the hormones and occupy your mind and the stress will melt away.

Stress is a survival tool. Stress ramps up the body for flight or fight and provides a surge of energy. But in our sedate lives we do not usually need to run or fight. If we do not use that surge of energy, it will fight to get out and make the day unpleasant. Move your body and use up those hormones. Exercise is always good for the body and good for the brain so take advantage of stress and use it to reap the benefits of exercise.