What’s Your Stress Level?

Have you ever found yourself thinking “I’m really %$%#@*& stressed out right now”? Once you got a handle on it, did you reflect on learning how you got to that state? Did you do anything significant to get back to a calm state or did you sit and stew for hours until you felt calmer? 

As human beings, we are going to feel stress from time to time due to modern society's daily life. We balance work, family life, the needs of others around us, schedules, and household chores. Add on traffic congestion, financial issues, and health concerns for ourselves or others. All this adds up if we aren’t consciously mitigating stress. 

Having a noble career in firefighting, EMS, law enforcement, public safety telecommunications, corrections or the medical field can compound the stress we experience due to the dynamic nature of the jobs. We all work in environments where major and critical events can occur with little to no warning. In some occupations we train to be hypervigilant which is a form of self-induced stress.

I want you to understand the stress response, what happens in your body and how it impacts behavioral health, and some easy mitigation strategies you can practice.

Your stress response begins in your brain. Sensory organs such as the eyes and ears transmit information about potential danger to the amygdala, which is an area in your brain that handles emotional processing regarding fear and anxiety. When we face extremes, we can suffer an amygdala “hijack” during which the brain frontal lobes, where logic occurs, can't override the amygdala with a rational response. If you’ve ever “lost it” or “flipped your lid” or “blown your stack” you’ve experienced an amygdala hijack. The amygdala may also play a role in PTSD/I, as well as anxiety disorders and panic attacks.

The amygdala can activate the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis. The HPA Axis is a monitoring part of your endocrine system that signals your adrenal glands to release adrenaline and cortisol.

Hormones like adrenaline and cortisol aren’t necessarily bad. Your body needs an appropriate cortisol release to wake up and feel energized in the morning. Adrenaline and cortisol can give you a burst of energy to avoid danger, execute physical functions and focus your attention. The problem arises when your system stays in a heightened state of releasing adrenaline and cortisol, leading to adrenal fatigue where you are unable to manufacture these hormones and you feel burned out. 

Your cortisol can also remain high from stressful lifestyle factors such as inadequate sleep and job stress. High cortisol can suppress testosterone production leading to diminished energy levels, a weakened immune system and reduced sex drive. Testosterone isn’t just a men’s hormone; women naturally have testosterone too and need adequate levels for all hormones to function properly. High cortisol is linked to weight gain and an inability to lose weight. In fact, if you’re struggling with your weight, the number one thing you should be working on before exercise or anything else is stress reduction and a resilient mindset. Chronic high cortisol can also lead you to be tense, causing chronic muscle tension in your neck and shoulders.

Stress hormones triggered by the brain result in you experiencing physiological changes that can have behavioral health connections. Most commonly, you will experience an increase in pulse rate, blood pressure, an increase in respiration rate, muscle tension and an increase in body temperature. When you’re in a stress state, your sympathetic nervous system has taken over. Further, when you’re constantly in a state of unmitigated stress you lose the ability to use logic and communication skills which can lead to poor behavior and reduced impulse control. 

The sympathetic nervous system is the 4 F’s. Flight, fight, freeze or fawn. These are self-explanatory, so I won’t go into detail here. The sympathetic nervous system will save your life in an emergency, but it can take your life over the long term if you stay stuck in it.

The parasympathetic nervous system is the rest and digest part of your nervous system. That is where you’re calm and relaxed. Your blood pressure, pulse and respiration rates are normal. You are also able to use the parts of your brain that help you communicate well and use logic to solve problems. 

To avoid unwanted stress responses, you need to intentionally develop and practice personal stress mitigation skills. The goal is to understand what stresses you and practice to avoid escalation of stress. Sometimes a certain level of stress is unavoidable, so you must have skills to monitor and lower your stress levels. You can control your stress levels through consistent application of easy to learn techniques and principles. 

At a basic level, stress can be lowered in your life by taking time to play, meaning participating in activities that are fun. Get adequate sunlight and fresh air. Engage in creative intellectual pursuits that stimulate your brain like art, woodworking, writing or other hobbies. Aligning your sleep to the natural circadian rhythm will help greatly. Avoid activities that compound physical stress to your system like drinking, excessive social media or eating to soothe stress.

There are several stress mitigation techniques such as mindfulness, meditative practices, yoga, and breathwork. The commonality of these techniques is that they all work to keep your physiology in a state where you control your emotions and can formulate responses rather than reactions.

Breathwork is an outstanding way to practice regulating your nervous system. The physiological sigh or cyclical sigh is a technique studied by physicians and neurologists at Stanford Medical School. The technique involves taking a deep breath inhalation, pausing, then taking in a little more air at the top of the inhalation breath with a brief hold of a couple seconds before exhaling. There are a few variations you can try such as humming on exhaling or forcefully exhaling. The studies show that practitioners can move themselves into the parasympathetic nervous system with this technique. I recommend you try this for 5 minutes every morning. It's free, you don’t need any equipment and it will change your life over time. You can also implement this technique at any time you’re starting to feel stress creep into your day.

In future articles I will cover topics such as the sympathetic versus parasympathetic nervous system and other information on how to remove stressors from your life. 

Disclaimer: I’m not a medical professional. I provide information for your education. I encourage you to research these topics further for yourself in your journey to healing and health.

If you or a family member are having any issues with mental health or relationships, please reach out for help. Responder Health (responderhealth.com) is an organization that offers resources specifically for first responders and their families. Responder Health provides confidential and full-service solutions that support first responders through stress and traumatic events, and provides them with the education, resources, and community they need to live healthy, happy lives. Our peer advocate hotline (206)459-3020 offers a confidential 24-hour crisis referral service for all public safety employees, all emergency services personnel, and their family members nationwide.