Believe it or not, stress is a natural part of our lives. Humans evolved to react quickly to dangerous or unknown situations. The issue appears when the stress ceases to be momentary and lasts for a long time.
Our brain is adapted to face short moments of stress where all bodily functions are sharpened to choose a solution to a problem. However, the brain is not prepared to deal with chronic stress, and if it is not controlled, it can cause various digestive diseases, memory loss, and less control of our body, among other things.
Brain plasticity
When we do an activity for a long time, our brain quickly adapts, so this new activity becomes easier. The same thing happens when we have chronic stress. In this case, this organ adapts to keep you on alert all the time.
All this translates into the deterioration of the hippocampus (area in charge of memory) and the increase of the amygdala (area in charge of emotions and reactions). If this occurs, you may be more prone to mental illness or neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's or Alzheimer's.
How to avoid chronic stress?
If you suffer from this problem, you must start making small changes in your routine. So if you want to avoid chronic stress and its consequences, you can try this:
- Recognizes that there are things that can't be controlled: we live in such a fast-paced world that sometimes we forget that there are situations that we cannot avoid and are a natural part of life.
- Do something you enjoy: from time to time, do activities you like and relax. Creating this habit will help you control your thoughts, and stress will decrease.
- Get enough sleep: People underestimate the importance of getting a good night's sleep every day. This simple action will help you feel better and start your day more relaxed.
