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How stress works

Under Pressure Whats filling your bucket

Did you know?! Stress is actually a normal and necessary part of being human!

Back in the caveman days, our brain developed in a way that helped us to keep safe from danger. So if we started getting chased by a bear, our brain would release chemicals that would help us to fight the bear off, run away from the bear or freeze so the bear wouldn’t see us. This was known as the “Fight, Flight, Freeze” response. Today, our brains still respond to stressful events in the same way and this can get in the way of living our lives unless we help release those FFF chemicals.

Feeling stressed is often seen as just a really negative thing, but in the same way as it helped cavemen keep safe from bears, it is also helpful to us. It can help us feel focused during a stressful event, keep us motivated, give us energy to keep going when the times are tough, prepares our bodies to rise to challenges!

However, feeling stressed can have a negative impact on our lives when it isn’t given an outlet. When something stressful happens and all those chemicals that are released that make us want to fight, flight or freeze and we don’t do anything to manage those chemicals, then being stressed can make us feel tired, run down, grumpy, irritable, clumsy, shaky, low, cloud our mind and even make us physically sick.

 

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