What is Stress? Burnout Series Post 3

According to Anxiety UK, the word ‘Stress' is usually used to describe the feelings that people experience when the demands made on them are greater than their ability to cope. At such times people can often feel overloaded, under tremendous pressure and very tense or emotional. Stress affects everyone, young and old and is a completely normal reaction that all human beings will experience from time to time when faced with situations in which they feel under pressure.

Stress can be looked at in terms of external and internal stressors. External stressors are sources of stress that we are aware of around us, these can include traumas, life experiences or simply daily hassles. Internal stressors are the sources of stress that are inside us and are often the most common sources of stress. They are the thoughts and feelings that pop into your head and cause you to feel unease, these can include unrealistic expectations, uncertainties, low self esteem and apprehensions.

Kerzner 2009 said - Stress manifests as feeling tired, depressed, exhausted, burned out, feeling unhappy, trapped, worthless, resentful and disillusioned about people, feeling hopeless, rejected or anxious. So, what does stress do to our nervous system? According to yoga teacher Sally Parkes, in her wonderful book Yoga Anatomy, “The breath, when controlled is our bridge between the conscious and unconscious self.” "To understand the effects of the breath on the mind and the body, we need to understand the Nervous System. The nervous system is a complex network of nerves and cells that carry messages to and from the brain and spinal cord to various parts of the body. The nervous system includes both the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. The central nervous system is made up of brain and spinal cord and the peripheral nervous system is made up of the somatic and the autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system has two divisions; The Sympathetic nervous system and the Parasympathetic nervous system. In Eastern Philosophy terms we can think of the Sympathetic Nervous System as our Yang energy and the Parasympathetic Nervous System as our Yin energy. The SNS is also known as our ‘Flight or Flight System’ and helps us to mobilise energy by: • Releasing adrenaline • Increasing the rate of the breath so it becomes more rapid • Increasing our heart rate and blood pressure • Increasing blood flow to the skeletal muscles In small doses, stimulation of the SNS is essential to our wellbeing, but when it goes in to overdrive the mind and body suffer. This can result in: • Increased release of cortisol (stress hormone) • Increased blood pressure • Interrupted sleep patterns • Lack of appetite • Anxiety • Heart Palpitations The PNS is also known as our ‘Rest and Digest System’ and helps us to calm down by: • Decreasing heart rate and blood pressure • Decreasing the rate of the breath so it becomes slower • Creating a more even blood flow to all areas of the body • Releasing serotonin A balanced SNS is essential to our wellbeing, and the PNS allows us to recover from the stimulus of the SNS. When we consider how stimulating our lives are, with the digital age encouraging us to ‘just keep going’, it could be suggested that our yoga practice should focus primarily on stimulating the PNS. However overstimulation can result in: • Lethargy and fatigue • An over stimulated appetite • Slow digestion • Stiffness in the joints Homoeostasis is a dynamic balance between the autonomic branches, a fluid flexibility between both the SNS and PNS. This can be achieved through a balanced practice of Asana and Pranayama”. Sally Parkes, The Students guide of Yoga Anatomy. When the sympathetic nervous system is in overdrive, the body is in stress mode. So what are the effects of stress on the body? We have all encountered stress. It is a natural physical and mental reaction to both good and bad experiences that can be beneficial to your health and safety. Your body responds to stress by releasing hormones and increasing the heart and breathing rates. The brain gets more oxygen, giving you an edge in responding to a problem. In the short term, stress CAN help to cope with tough situations. Stress can be triggered by the pressures of everyday responsibilities at work and at home. As you might expect, prolonged illness, negative life events like losing your job, getting divorced or the death of a loved one inevitably cause stress. Traumatic stress, bought on by war, disaster, or a violent attack, can keep your body's stress levels elevated far longer than is necessary for survival and Chronic stress can cause a variety of symptoms and can affect your overall health and well-being. When does stress become burnout? In many situations, stress can have huge benefits, Burnout however has not got much good to be said about it! There are many similarities between Stress and Burnout, but there are also clear differences. Stress is seen as over engagement, burnout by disengagement. When stressed our emotions are over active, but in burnout they are blunted. Stress stimulates urgency, whereas burnout produces feelings of helplessness or hopelessness. We may experience a loss of energy when stressed, but more of a loss of motivation when burned out. Stress leads to anxiety disorders, burnout leads to depression. When stressed the primary damage is physical, whereas when burned out the primary damage is emotional.