There is such a thing as good stress
September 22, 2022 4:04 pmStress has a terrible reputation these days. If you are stressed you will feel under intense mental and emotional pressure, like you are unable to cope. Your breathing speeds up and becomes shallower, your hormones surge and you tap into the sympathetic nervous system. This is your flight or fight mode – which is okay in short doses but definitely not for extended periods.
Long term stress will have a negative effect on your sleep, confidence and motivation and it is now closely connected with a range of auto-immune illnesses, where your immune system turns in on itself and attacks healthy cells. So it’s dreadful reputation is well deserved.
However, hormesis is how short bursts of stress, from exposure to elements that can be toxic or harmful at higher doses can be beneficial to your overall health and wellbeing. Hormesis can trigger a variety of cellular processes that help you build stress resilience, repair damaged cells and DNA, produce new mitochondria and eliminate toxins.
Hormesis is an underlying factor in many of the health benefits associated with cold water immersion, heat exposure, intermittent fasting and high intensity interval training. It is a key pillar in achieving optimal health and wellbeing, pushing your body outside of its comfort zone and helping you adapt to psychological stressors like depression and anxiety.
There is such a thing as good stress. To find out more… join executive coach and founder of Dive to Thrive, Adam Bryan talking to leading surgeon, Mr Matthew James at midday on 28 September on Instagram Live, dive.thrive.
Categorised in: Adventures, Health & wellness, Well-being