Are you addicted to stress?

Do you think about your problems as soon as you step out of bed in the morning? Do you take on more work even when your to-do list seems never ending? Do you have an issue just sitting and doing nothing at all? Then crazy as it may sound, there is a chance you are addicted to stress.

As humans, we are chemical creatures. If youwake up in the morning, step out of bed and the first thing you do is think about all of the potential problems for that day or the week ahead, you initiate a flood of chemicals into your system, primarily adrenaline, noradrenaline and cortisol.

Cortisol is the bodies “fight or flight” hormone and it has a simple job: to get you out of a jam. If a tiger is about to charge you, cortisol raises your blood sugar, heart rate, blood pressure, sending fresh blood to your muscles so you can either pick up a club and fight the tiger or run like crazy up the nearest tree.

Only problem is cortisol can become addictive. 

If you wake up in the morning and the first thing you do is think about your problems, which triggers a rush of cortisol into your system and you feel stressed, and then you repeat this same cycle day after day, then guess what, the chemical response and associated feeling become your way of being.

The stress response can become so familiar that you seek more and more stress, such as taking on more than you can manage, overworking, or constantly ruminating on problems.

Once you become accustomed to a higher degree of stress, you want to feel that way all the time. The brain seeks out the same chemical cocktail that gives you a heightened state and it requires even higher amounts of stress in order to maintain the same stress level. 

For many people cortisol can be as addictive as crack.

The problem is that as humans we weren’t meant to have cortisol in our systems 24/7. This addiction to the chemical cocktail of stress is a dangerous and slippery slope. Studies have shown that stress over a long period of time increases an individual’s risk of developing heart disease, cancer, depression and can result in chronic pain, digestive issues such as IBS or heartburn, acne, migraines, low energy levels, sleeping disorders, weakened immune system, appetite and weight issues – the list goes on.

So what do you do if you think you’re addicted to stress?

Slow down 

The first step is to slow down. Start paying attention to your thoughts. Become conscious of how you usually start your day. What thoughts do you have as you get out of bed? What are the associated emotions? What thought patterns repeat themselves as you go through your day?

Create a morning ritual

Try taking 5 minutes in the morning to be present and shut off your analytical mind. Try a meditation, journaling or yoga. Even a few deep breaths from the belly with feet grounded on the floor if that’s all the time you have. This will help you become present and separate yourself from the familiar chemical rush.

Take notes

Have a think about what your relationship to stress looks like. What’s your story about stressful situations? What behaviours show up in you? Spend a few minutes a day noting down what you notice.

Who do you want to be?

Have a think about who you want to be. How do you want to react in stressful situations? How do you want to behave? Do you have a role model that you aspire to be like? 

Create a mantra

What would be a new phrase you could tell yourself when you find yourself spiralling into your familiar behaviour or thought patterns when it comes to stress. Think of a few words you can tell yourself to bring yourself back to the present moment and deescalate the situation.