How Your Mind and Body Respond to Stress

Hi, it’s David on the blog today, and I’d like to explain how your mind and body respond to stress. Our bodies and minds respond to stress in unique ways, influenced by our past experiences, biology, environment, and support systems. In this blog, I want to explore what stress actually does to us, why it can feel so overwhelming, and how to build systems and tools that help.

How Stress Can Affect You

Stress affects everyone differently – every experience is unique. Your genes can make you more prone to anxiety, depression, or challenges, like managing your emotions. You may have faced situations that kept you on high alert, which can make you more sensitive to stress.

These factors, along with the perceived intensity of a stressor and your past experiences, shape your experience of stress. The support you have, how long you’ve been under pressure, your financial resources, and how many stressors you’re juggling at once influence how stress affects you compared with others.

Stress is your body’s reaction to demands and pressures that exceed what you can comfortably handle. These stressors can be physical, emotional, or psychological. Examples include:

Challenges at work, like pressures, deadlines, interpersonal conflict
Financial responsibilities or difficulties
Cultural and social expectations
Relationship challenges
Health concerns
Major life events, such as changing jobs, marriage, childbirth, transferring schools
External stressors, like social media, global events, natural disasters, or the news

The Consequences of Chronic Stress

Short-term, acute stressors – like a knock at the door in the middle of the night – often raise your heart rate, increase your breathing, dilate your pupils, send blood to your muscles, and slow digestion. This is your body’s fight-or-flight response. These stressors usually come and go without lasting consequences.

Chronic stress is different. It’s ongoing, and over time it has a cumulative effect. Left unchecked, chronic stress can lead to a wide range of problems. These may include anxiety, depression, trouble sleeping, fatigue or even serious health concerns such as high blood pressure, heart disease, heart attack, stroke, or a weakened immune system.

Even before these problems become obvious, chronic stress can make your life much more challenging by affecting your cortisol levels (stress hormones) and your amygdala. High levels of stress hormones in your brain can weaken your executive functioning – the mental skills you use to manage your daily life. These include:

Working memory – keeping track of information in your mind.
Self-monitoring – recognizing what you’re doing in the moment.
Planning and prioritizing – deciding what tasks to tackle first.
Getting started on projects – overcoming procrastination.
Staying organized – keeping your tasks and space in order.
Impulse control – thinking before you act.
Managing your emotions – handling stress, frustration, and shifting moods.
Working toward goals – staying motivated and focused.
Adapting to unexpected changes – adjusting when things don’t go as planned.

Ways to Cope with Stress

There are countless ways you can cope with stress. Let’s focus on mindfulness and grounding techniques, cognitive strategies, and lifestyle elements.

Mindfulness and grounding techniques:

Mindfulness and guided meditation – focus on the present to calm your mind.
Relax your body – using progressive muscle relaxation. (Alberta Health Services)
Use box breathing (Alberta Health Services) – inhale, hold, exhale, pause. Repeat.
5-4-3-2-1 Method (National Health Service – UK) – a grounding technique – notice five things you see, four you touch, three you hear, two you smell, and one you taste.

Cognitive strategies:

Reframe negative thoughts – challenge unhelpful thinking. (Alberta Health Services)
Practice gratitude and positive thinking – notice what’s going well (e.g., gratitude journal)
Identify and correct cognitive distortions – challenge biased or exaggerated thinking. (National Health Service – UK)
Set boundaries and say no – protect your time, energy, and peace.

Lifestyle habits:

Move your body regularly – exercise reduces stress naturally.
Make time for your passions – do things you love.
Limit caffeine and alcohol – these can increase stress.
Prioritize good sleep – create a sleep hygiene routine.
Connect with friends and family – maintain supportive relationships.
Seek professional support when needed – therapists can guide you through stress.
Express your emotions – write, talk, or create to process feelings.
Engage with your community – volunteering or group activities can boost your well-being

Preventing Stress

You might be surprised at how much control you have over the stress in your life. There’s only so much you can do in a day or a week – even when it comes to the things you really want to do. Sometimes, trying to do everything you want leaves you exhausted, overwhelmed, and stressed, which isn’t the life you were hoping to create.

Doing less can be powerful. By freeing up time and energy for rest and recovery, you can reduce stress significantly. Before committing to social events, new projects at work, or other obligations, check in with yourself. Take inventory of your time and energy – deciding what to take on intentionally can make a big difference.

Watch out for “shoulds.” These are tasks or engagements you feel pressure to do, either from yourself or from others. When you don’t have the time or energy to tackle them, “shoulds” can become a major source of stress. The first step is noticing when you’re doing something because you should, not because you want to. Self-reflection and learning to set boundaries can help relieve the pressure these “shoulds” create. Vlady touches on reframing “shoulds” in his blog: 4 Ways a Nonjudgmental Mindset Improves Your Mental Health.

Stress Support & Resources

If you’re looking for support while navigating stress, anxiety, or other challenges, feel free to reach out to Dóchas at 780-446-0300 or info@dochaspsych.com. Book an in-person (Spruce Grove) or virtual (across Alberta) appointment with one of our therapists here. Book a FREE 15-minute meet & greet with David here.

Here are some more resources for stress that I find helpful:

The Dóchas Lifejacket App
UCLA Mindfulness App (iTunes / Google Play)
Reframing Unhelpful Thoughts (National Health Service – UK)

References

Koolhaas, J. M., Bartolomucci, A., Buwalda, B., de Boer, S. F., Flügge, G., Korte, S. M., Meerlo, P., Murison, R., Olivier, B., Palanza, P., Richter-Levin, G., Sgoifo, A., Steimer, T., Stiedl, O., van Dijk, G., Wöhr, M., & Fuchs, E. (2011). Stress revisited: A critical evaluation of the stress concept. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 35(5), 1291–1301. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2011.02.003

Masento, N. A., Golightly, M., Field, D. T., Butler, L. T., & van Reekum, C. M. (2014). Effects of hydration status on cognitive performance and mood. British Journal of Nutrition, 111(10), 1841–1852. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0007114513004455

Shokrpour, N., Sheidaie, S., Amirkhani, M., Bazrafkan, L., & Modreki, A. (2021). Effect of positive thinking training on stress, anxiety, depression, and quality of life among hemodialysis patients. Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 10(1), 225. https://doi.org/10.4103/jehp.jehp_1120_20

About Dóchas Psychological

Dóchas Psychological Services is a well-established and trusted therapy clinic located in Spruce Grove, Alberta. At Dóchas we value the idea that everyone deserves a safe space. Through connection and education, our team works hard to build a trustworthy relationship with each of our clients. It is our goal to create a community for our clients to feel like they belong.

Disclaimer

Information provided through Dóchas Psychological Services blogs or vlogs is meant for educational purposes only. They are NOT medical or mental health advice. You can read more about our disclaimer here.