Stress. One of the most spoken words nowadays, but not that well understood in the same proportion.
Do you really have any idea what stress is and how it can affect your life?
We often find ourselves in situations in our daily lives of intense stress, either through dealing with a difficult boss, in a meeting with an unhappy client, or handling personal issues.
In countless situations like these, I could have snowballed into emotions if I hadn’t been aware of what Neuroscience can do for me when it comes to stress management.
A pessimistic thought becomes almost inevitable, because looking at the positive side of things in a stressful moment, it can even seem contradictory.
But it is important to find ways that allow us to take control of the situation and thus not let it affect us so much. Many eating disorders, stomachaches, heart and respiratory problems and many other physical and mental health conditions affected by stress are caused by a lack of ability to manage it.
How does stress act on our body?
When we are subjected to stressful situations, our body produces two hormones: adrenaline and cortisol, which accelerate various metabolic processes and trigger an increase in heart and breathing rates, as well as blood pressure.
The continuous release of cortisol can cause an increase in cholesterol and blood sugar levels, and as its production demands certain vitamins and minerals, constantly high levels of stress can lead to the depletion of these nutrients in our body.
In addition, the greater the degree of stress, the greater the production of adrenaline, and therefore the greater the demand for the person responsible for its production, the neurotransmitter dopamine – associated with motivation – which can cause mood swings.
Therefore, the optmal is to find ways to break this cycle of stress, in order to bring more clarity to the decision-making. It’s like a biological hack where you can anticipate a stressful situation and prepare to deal with it in a lighter way.
How Neuroscience can change the game
Neuroscience is the study of the nervous system, especially the functioning of the brain, and its relationship to human behavior.
So, by knowing the structure of the brain and how the different parts of it interact, as well as the chemistry that goes on there, allows me to better understand what might be going on inside my client’s brain.
You might be asking yourself, “ok, and how does that help exactly?”
Through mechanisms to create new neural pathways. Studies show that they are formed through emotional experiences and repeated exposure, which is the foundation we explore together alternatives for dealing with everyday issues, including how to manage stress.
It may seem like a very complex concept to understand, but believe me, I’ve experienced it and several of my clients have experienced it too: in practice, it’s much more powerful and effective than what I tried to simplify with the words above.
Most of knowledge I bring from Neuroscience, combined with Emotional Intelligence tools, can help people deal with life situations, better manage day-to-day stress, and thus make them mentally stronger.
Ultimately, this also helps to develop Antifragility, that human skills that goes beyond Resilience, about which I have already explained here.
How about you? How do you deal with stressful situations in a lighter way? Tell us a little about your experience in the comments!
If you want to understand a little more about this, as well as more practical Neuroscience tools to become more mentally prepared from the effects of stress, WhatsApp me, free of charge!
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About me: I’m a High-Performance Coach who uses a Neuroscience-based method to support you in Achieve More with Mental Well-Being.
