Mastering the Stress Cycle

Our body's response to stressful situations is a huge contributor to burnout. But luckily, we have a built-in stress cycle that helps the body process the stress and return to a naturally calm (or low-stress) place. That is, of course, assuming we go through it completely.

Your body's natural stress processing cycle

This diagram shows the natural stress cycle. It assumes that you start in a NEUTRAL, relaxed, or regular state and then an EXTERNAL EVENT happens in the environment. You perceive a threat (whether real or otherwise), and that threat triggers a BELIEF in your head. The belief then causes an ACTIVATION (a release of chemicals and hormones and all kinds of stuff into your body) and your body reacts. If you successfully process that stressful reaction in the END phase, you'll return your body back to neutral.

That's all pretty hypothetical, so let's get a little more concrete. Imagine you're hiking in the mountains (in neutral), when a bear stumbles out of the bushes. YIKES!

If you're like me, you see the bear and you have some beliefs, among them, perhaps, “I’m gonna die!”  That belief floods your system with adrenaline, and you either punch the bear in the nose (fight), scream and run for a ranger (flight), or you play dead and hope that it buys your performance (freeze).

If you don't actually die and the bear leaves, you run back to the safety of your car, and you tell the story to others, or laugh/cry, or somehow process and burn off the energy that was part of this near-bear experience.

And after a while, you return to a neutral and normal state.

This is all well and good, but when was the last time you ran into a bear?

So let's look at something we can see more easily in modern life: a train delay. Imagine you're on the train and it stops. An announcement is made that the train is being held in the station, and the belief comes in: “I'm gonna be fired.”  “I'm gonna miss my interview.”  “The client's gonna be mad.”  “I'm gonna get embarrassed.” “Something bad is going to happen.”

If we don't interrogate or challenge those thoughts, then we'll have our activation, and all the hormones and chemicals will flood our systems. If we do not burn those chemicals (by using some of the tips below), then we're going to cause wear and tear on our body systems, which will give us an increased sensitivity to stress. So when the next external event comes along (a pile of work on your desk, a screaming toddler, a sick parent, that jerk who always takes credit for your work), we'll be less capable of processing it, and the cycle will lead us to burnout.

Immediate-Term Solution

So there are two keys to managing the stress cycle. The first one works in the moment, and that is the process of interrupting and challenging the belief when you perceive it.  Imagine how differently you would respond if, when you saw the bear, you thought, "Hey, cutie! Come for a walk with me!"

When we can interrogate the thought and replace it with something that causes less adrenaline -- "Sure, I'll get yelled at but will they really fire me?" or "Clients are late sometimes, too" -- then there's less we need to process out of the system.

This worksheet can help you identify the activating events you encounter in the course of a day, the beliefs they bring up, and the consequences you experience as a result. Then there's also a space for you to interrogate the belief and see if you can't replace it with something less stressful.

Long-Term Solution

The solution that works on a longer-term basis is making sure you complete the stress cycle by focusing on that end phase, that return to safety. What do you need to do to let your body know that you're in a safe place again? Here are some suggestions from the experts:

• Physical Activity - The most efficient way to complete the stress cycle, this can be intense things like going to the gym or for a run, or simply shaking out your body or doing a handful of jumping jacks. The goal is to burn off adrenaline and other chemicals.

• Breathing - To regulate your system, you can do deep breathing, alternate nostril breathing, meditative breathing, or anything that works for you.

• Positive Social Interaction - This is connecting with others in a positive way, whether that's an upbeat conversation with your barista or a good, long talk with your best friend.

• Laughter - Deep belly laughter helps reinforce social bonds and regulates emotion, so it's best to laugh with others, but a good snort over an online video can be rewarding, too.

• Affection - This takes connecting to a deeper level. It's connecting in a more intimate, sometimes physical way, like hugging until you're relaxed (or at least 20 seconds).

• Creative Self-Expression - Creative work can help process strong emotions when speaking isn’t the answer. But fine arts aren't the only creative self-expression you can use. If baking is your superpower, bake! If you're an awesome organizer, go tackle a drawer!

• Cry - A good, old cry helps release the stress hormones that are part of the stress reaction. If the stressful situation doesn't naturally make you feel like crying, cuddle up with a tearjerker or watch that one episode of Britain's Got Talent where the dad sings about his daughters.

Join us next week on Wednesday, May 14th at 12:30 ET for more tips and tools for preventing and overcoming burnout!