What is Healthy and Unhealthy Stress?

What is stress, and how does it occur? Is stress only ever harmful? How does one’s faith impact stress? This article will focus on the biological, psychological, social, and spiritual components of stress. Awareness of stress is imperative, especially in a time when society feels more stressful than ever.

Biological Stress

The brain has a direct involvement in how stress is experienced and how it becomes more intense in certain situations than others. Cortisol, a stress hormone, is the primary influence in a stressful situation. The release of cortisol from the brain indicates that our attention and body need to become focused on a specific thing, event, or person(s).

In addition to cortisol, other hormones such as adrenaline and endorphins are also simultaneously released if the stressful event/situation suggests we may be in physical danger. This process comes from several parts of the brain, including the thalamus (brain relay station), the hypothalamus (primary function is to maintain balance), the amygdala (the emotional regulator), and the autonomic nervous system (state of activation and relaxation).

All these parts of the brain are used to initiate, control, and influence our fight-or-flight response to stressful situations. This can be seen in situations where there is a genuine physical threat (i.e., someone directly confronting you in public) or loud noises around you, but you have no direct interaction with them. In addition, too much cortisol in the body can cause difficulty losing weight and/or cause weight gain.

Ever notice when you are stressed and all you feel like having is some type of comfort food? That is because the chronic or long-term release of cortisol impacts your appetite regulation system (i.e., “…excess cortisol stimulates hunger-inducing hormones like ghrelin and reduces the brain’s sensitivity to satiety signals like leptin”) (Spencer, S.J. 2019).

Situational or Psychological Stress

Are certain amounts of stress normal, or is all stress bad? According to the World Health Organization (WHO), stress can be a good thing if it is used effectively. For example, say you’re a student in school, and you’re preparing for an exam. A certain amount of stress can be used as a motivator to maintain concentration and do well on the exam.

However, if you do not study enough and know you are not well prepared for the exam, you will stress even more and have a higher chance of losing any retained information (i.e., test anxiety). Most people nonchalantly say “I have anxiety” but don’t always recognize the significance of such a simple statement.

While there is a normal level of stress or nervousness for new things, transitions, or unexpected changes, anxiety has a more profound impact on people’s lives. Anxiety disorders are caused when the stress is so overwhelming that it cannot be controlled. In addition, anxiety typically impacts the person’s life in more ways than one.

According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), the U.S. general population is diagnosed with roughly 19% (APA, 2022). This translates to about 19% of the population in the United States living with overwhelming amounts of stress that prevent them from doing their jobs, going to school, managing money, or even having interpersonal/intimate relationships.

Now let’s look even further into the negative impacts stress can have on oneself if not properly monitored and/or managed. Overwhelming amounts of stress can have both cognitive and behavioral impacts on a person. For example, when we are too stressed, we tend to forget things more, have difficulty retaining new information, or have difficulty recalling information.

As one could imagine, this would not only cause more stress but could also create other issues such as poor eating habits, depression, isolation, and even panic attacks. In addition, too much stress can affect your ability to control your impulses and avoid overreacting. Have you ever noticed you were having a rough day, maybe at work, at school, or even something with your kids, and you just feel overwhelmed?

Now imagine some small inconvenience – nothing you would normally afford much attention to sets you off! Maybe that frustration gets taken out on a spouse, a kid, a pet, a friend, a family member, etc. Learning to balance your stress in your daily life can help prevent these negative aspects of stress.

Spiritual Impacts from Stress

How is stress impacting your spiritual walk in your faith? Do you feel like you are closer to God when you are more stressed? Some people feel they are closer because they will naturally lean more toward God in order to find comfort during uncertain times. However, how does stress impact your ability to distinguish between God’s voice and the voice of the enemy?

The Bible says in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.” The enemy does not come into your life in full force when you are doing well. He comes into your life when you are low and begin to have doubts.

Have you ever noticed that people will often say, “Well, if God is almighty and all-powerful, then why does (fill in the blank) happen?” The enemy wants you to not put your faith in God or believe that you need God. The enemy will try to lead you in ways that not only keep you focused on him and not on God but maintain an elevated level of stress, which will naturally exhaust you even further.

What are some ways stress may be impacting your spirituality? How often do you read the Bible? Or when you do read the Bible, what are you getting from it? Do the words resonate with you, or are they just words? Do you pray, and are your prayers meaningful? I’m not talking about praying over dinner; I mean really praying with conviction and belief that God hears your prayers and will answer them.

Do you listen to worship music regularly? Not just listening to the cool Forrest Frank songs, but really letting your body, mind, and soul connect with the words and even at times cause an emotional reaction (i.e., crying). When you are too stressed, you do fewer of the good spiritual things that strengthen your faith and give in to worldly temptations, which only cause even more, you guessed it – stress!

How do you remedy excessive stress?

There are several effective methods for mitigating excessive stress. First, take an honest assessment of yourself and see if you are feeling joy in your day-to-day life. Do you feel present most days at work, school, home, social events, etc.? Do they seem to connect genuinely with the relationships you have, or do they seem only surface-level? Do you just feel like you are on autopilot and almost seem numb to more stress being added to your pile?

After taking that honest assessment, what do you think you are doing right, and what do you think you are doing wrong? Ask people you trust to provide constructive criticism on how they see you handling stressful situations. Sometimes, we think we know what we are doing and that we know ourselves better, so we become guarded to external opinions.

However, if you only rely on your self-assessment, you leave room for error. Finally, make necessary adjustments to better reduce stress and improve your overall quality of life. Although the world seems to be in a stressful state most of the time these days, it is possible to find balance. Take things one step at a time and celebrate each of your daily accomplishments.

For example, you can go for a walk with no distractions, stay more hydrated and eat better, get more sleep, live with fewer distractions (e.g., screen time, social media, etc.), or even avoid being around groups of people that do not add value to your life but who detract from your overall sense of peace and balance.

When you feel like you are becoming too stressed, in the moment, take some deep breaths, close your eyes, and just imagine being in a place that brings you peace. These are effective methods of reducing harmful stress and allowing yourself to process good stress in a productive way.