Pathways - Stress

Date: October 28th

Location: Your couch! See your e-mail for the Zoom link!

Directions: See your e-mail for tips for signing into Zoom!

Credits: Today’s reading is adapted from lessons written by the incomparable Mary Burns for SDCE.

stressed out!

For some mood music, check out this instrumental song by Marconi Union:

This song was among the top 10 most relaxing songs, according to a study conducted by British researchers.

If you’re looking for something a bit more classic, you can try Enya’s “Watermark”

or Mozart’s “Canzonetta Sull’aria”

Researchers found that these songs were particularly effective at reducing stress levels because they were, by and large, designed to do just that. They involve melody and rhythms that help slow down the heart rate, lower blood pressure, and reduce listener’s stress hormones.

See the entire list here:

10 Most Effective Stress Relief Songs in The WorldWe know that listening to music helps people calm down. But these special songs can even help you reduce stress by 65%.

So what is stress?

Stress is how your brain and body respond to any sort of demand. Almost anything can produce a stress response; a performance at work or school or a traumatic event. Moderate stress works to increase alertness, helping brain circuits function more efficiently.

When you perceive a threat or challenge, the brain releases chemicals and hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol, which floods the body, priming it.

The chemicals can be important in dangerous situations, as they help the body to be ready to engage in either ‘fight or flight’. When adrenaline and cortisol flood your body, your heart beats faster, and more blood is sent to muscles and important organs. You feel energized, and experience heightened awareness, allowing you to respond adequately to the situation. After the stress-inducing event has finished, your body should then relax.

This coordination of biological responses in response to a situation is called ‘allostasis’.

Allostatic systems that promote adaptation to stressful experiences are most useful when they are rapidly deployed, then terminated immediately after. However, if these systems remain active for extended periods of time, they can undermine mental and physical health.

The brain is the key organ for directing stress responses. It processes external inputs from your environment and physical inputs from your body. It also uses memory systems to gain input. Your brain determines what you will experience as stressful and determines how the body can best cope with the experience. For example, some people may feel energized and aware prior to a public speaking engagement, while others may break out into a cold sweat, have clammy hands, and find themselves short of breath. Each person is responding differently to the same stressor event. Either way, the brain changes functionally and structurally as a result of the experience.

is stress always bad?

Stress has recently been called a worldwide epidemic, by some doctors and researchers. Some believe that the brain, when overwhelmed, can get locked into a chronic state of stress, which can lead to a significant number of health problems. The body’s response to stress is mostly perfect in the short term, as it is meant to help you deal with the situation immediately. But if the stress-inducing factor lasts long term, it can cause significant damage. When cortisol is released and travels to the brain, it binds to the receptors in the brain and causes neurons to admit more calcium through channels in the membrane. This helps the brain cope with what might be a life-threatening situation. However, if this reaction goes on too long, neurons can become overloaded with calcium, fire too frequently, and die.

Basically, the neurons become ‘excited to death’. Chronic stress decreases gray matter volume as the neurons die off.

Evidence shows us that chronic stress can have significant impacts on the hippocampus region of the brain, thereby affecting memory. That might explain why high, prolonged stress can have effects that mimic early dementia. High stress levels can contribute to frustration, poor sleep, reduced creativity, and poor sleep. Our brains are also wired to discount factual information and rely on emotions in periods of stress. Additionally, when cortisol and adrenaline are released, the body temporarily suppresses part of the immune system, which can increase your susceptibility to pathogens and other foreign invaders. That could explain why many people become ill after experiencing a stressful event.

For a great 4 minute video that provides an overview of stress and your brain, check out this Ted Ed Lesson:

So that all seems pretty bleak, right? Stress is ruining your brain! Shrinking it! DOOM AND GLOOM! But is stress ALWAYS a bad thing? As it turns out, no! Our brains are amazing things and the stress response does actually have some benefits. Remember, we’re not talking about chronic, prolonged periods of stress, of course. But stressful events can actually help us. Take, for example, a study done on people in their 70s, experiencing the beginnings of memory failure. Two years later, follow-up tests revealed a steep decline in memory, except for one group of participants - those who experienced one or more stressful events during the study period. The researchers concluded that while severe stress does cause memory impairment, moderate stress actually helps to preserve cognitive function. A sedentary, predictable life does not challenge a brain, but moderate amounts of stress can generate more neurotransmitters, essentially ‘shaking’ the brain out of its routine.

Stress can prime our bodies and help us meet challenging times. Check out this 14 minute video about making stress your friend!

So How Do We Manage?

Of course, stress is a part of life. And sometimes, especially now, it is almost impossible to avoid stress entirely. But we can manage it! This week in class, we’ll be talking about some more specific ways we manage stress, but much of the advice can be summed up in three simple points:

Alter the situation
Avoid the situation
Accept the situation

The major key is to be proactive about stress, accepting that it is an inevitable part of life, but we can use it to channel our energy into a situation when needed. Handling stress in as healthy and positive manner as possible can be a significant factor for brain health and overall happy life! And just remember, the words of Dr. Seuss:

“Out there things can happen, and frequently do,

To people as brainy and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen, don’t worry, don’t stew.

Just go right along and you’ll start happening too!”

works cited

https://thriveglobal.com/stories/10-most-effective-stress-relief-songs-in-the-world/

Barker, L. (May 9, 2017). Moderate pressure actually is a key to problem solving, says psychologist Ian Robertson. The San Diego Union-Tribune: Health.

Georgetown University Medical Center. (January 24, 2017). Mindfulness meditation training lowers biomarkers of stress response in anxiety disorder. Georgetown University. https://gumc.georgetown.edu/news/mindfulness-meditation-training-lowers-biomarkers-of-stress-response-in-anxiety-disorder

Healthline. (n.d.). Everything you need to know about stress. Healthline. [Online newsletter]. Retrieved from: https://www.healthline.com/health/stress

McEwen, B. S., & Gianaros, P. J. (2011). Stress- and allostasis-induced brain plasticity. Annual Review of Medicine, 62: 431-445. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4251716/

Mellin, L. (August 17, 2018). 4 ways to train your brain to feel better. Daily Good. [Online newsletter]. Retrieved from: http://www.dailygood.org/story/2074/4-ways-to-train-your-brain-to-feel-better-laurel-mellin/

Posit Science. (n.d.). Session 34: Mindfulness meditation for adults & teens with ADHD handout. [Not available—teaching materials].

Posit Science. (2018). Crafting for cognitive calm. Brain Fitness News: October 2018. [Newsletter]. Article retrieved from: https://www.sciencealert.com/modern-life-is-brutal-here-s-why-craft-is-so-good-for-our-health

Stanford University. (August 14, 1996). New studies of human brains show stress may shrink neurons. Stanford News Service: Stanford University. [News release]. Retrieved from: https://news.stanford.edu/pr/96/960814shrnkgbrain.html

stressed out!

is stress always bad?

So How Do We Manage?

further reading

works cited