The 3 stages of stress
When you are exposed to any kind of stress, whether it be positive or negative, your body reacts and experiences physiological changes. The process your body goes through during this stress response is known as General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS). It has three main stages: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion. Understanding the different stages of the body’s stress response and how it is triggered is important for helping you balance your stress levels and avoid burnout.
The alarm stage (high cortisol)
The alarm stage is the body’s initial response to stress. It is also known as the fight or flight response and is an automatic reaction to events we perceive as stressful. The alarm stage is a natural mechanism that is designed to protect the body from danger. When we feel under threat, the sympathetic nervous system is activated for protection. The brain triggers the adrenal glands to release certain hormones such as adrenaline (which increases energy) and cortisol (the stress hormone). This causes many physical symptoms such as increased heart rate, blood pressure, pulse and sweating.
The adaptive/ resistance stage (normal cortisol)
Following the alarm stage, the body attempts to repair itself. While the sympathetic nervous system is responsible for turning on the fight or flight response, the parasympathetic nervous system turns it off. It activates the rest and digest response that decreases heart rate and restores the body to a calm state. If the situation is not resolved or if your stress reactions are triggered too often, the body remains on high alert. As a result, the body eventually adapts to the higher stress levels and builds up a resistance to coexist with constant stressors.
The exhaustion stage (low cortisol)
The final stage occurs when the body continues to function in a state of high stress and never fully returns to its pre-stress state. Your emergency resources become depleted and the body no longer has the strength to fight stress. It results in burnout and exhaustion as the body is unable to cope on such high alert. Chronic stress that persists like this can lead to many health problems including:
Mood issues, such as frustration, anger and depression
Low energy and sleep problems
Loss of concentration
Increased blood pressure and heart rate
Higher cholesterol
Increased fat storage and disrupted hunger cues
Aches and pains in the joints and muscles
Stomach cramps, reflux and nausea
Loss of libido and lower sperm production in men
Absent or irregular menstrual cycles
The ability to go from fight or flight to rest and digest is essential for our wellbeing. It allows the body to repair and relax. Unfortunately, in today’s fast paced society, this switch may not occur as quickly as it should. As we strive to keep up with the world’s technological advancements, nowadays our sympathetic nervous system is activated by much smaller stimuli, such as our to-do list and work tasks. This makes it harder for our body to distinguish the threat of real danger. If the body is constantly receiving stress signals on a daily basis, it will remain on high alert and burn out over time. While it’s much easier said than done, one way to overcome this is to relax. When you relax, it activates the parasympathetic nervous system and helps you handle stress better, calm the mind and break negative thought cycles. It’s also vital to understand the stressors that affect you so you can implement coping mechanisms for stress and find more ways of relaxing.
To learn more about stress and how to deal with stressful situations, try our Stress Fundamentals course.