What is Stress?

What is stress? What we know as “stress” is actually our response to stress. Everything else is a stressOR, that triggers our response, which is the experience of stress. Our stress responses are pretty generic, so the body can’t differentiate between physical, mental, or emotional stress. To the body, stress is stress, no matter the form.

Physiologically, we’re hardwired with two systems — a system for stress, and a system for de-stress (aka regulating our stress response). This is super impactful because we are actually designed to have the capacity to control our stress, and it’s a system that doesn’t require change or experience to initiate (aka it doesn’t require neuroplasticity). It’s a biological system we are born with, and therefore have control over.

Short term stress, which isn’t necessarily harmful and is often advantageous, creates a sympathetic response (fight or flight). When the sympathetic nervous system is activated, adrenaline (aka epinephrine) gets released in the organs, which triggers a sense of agitation in the body. This agitation will make us want to move, to do something or say something, to be active in something.

In order to manage that response, we have to work with that sense of agitation. Maybe it’s exercising, dancing, journaling, etc. But we have to work with the agitation, not against it, not resisting it.

Instead of thinking about “shutting down” the sympathetic response, think about activating the parasympathetic response in short term stressful states. Think about using the agitation and re-directing it to engage the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest) to balance out the stress response and neutralize it.

The fastest way to trigger the parasympathetic system safely? Evidence shows that the physiological sigh will take down the stress response effectively and efficiently.

How to do it:

Inhale through the nose twice consecutively, then exhale fully through the mouth making a “sigh” sound. So it goes — inhale, inhale, exhale. Repeat it 3-5 times, or go upwards of 15-20 times for a more intense response.