Hormones including adrenaline, cortisol and norepinephrine surge through your body and prepare you for action, diverting blood from your brain to your muscles and pausing bodily functions such as digestion so that you are entirely focused on the emerging threat.

Your heart thuds, your breathing quickens, your muscles tense, you lose sight of the bigger picture. In short, you feel stressed.

Humans evolved to react in this way long ago, when we were living as hunter-gatherers.

Back then the threat might have come from a wild animal or an approaching enemy tribe.

Now the triggers can be very different.

A series of emails and texts pinging in quick succession, pulling your attention in multiple directions at once.

The traffic lights switching to red when you’re already running late.

Zoom saying it needs to restart for ‘essential updates’ when you’re trying to join a work call. 

It is important to be able to enter this state of ‘fight or flight’ – without it, the human race wouldn’t have lasted long on this planet – but it becomes a problem when it is triggered too easily and often.

This month is Stress Awareness Month, which aims to help people spot the signs of stress and understand the risks of it becoming a chronic condition.

Living with stress can eventually have serious implications for our physical and mental health. Chronic stress is linked to cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and stroke, and may heighten the risk of cancer.

A Harvard research study in 2022 examining its cumulative effect over time, termed the ‘allostatic load’, found that people with high allostatic loads were 2.4 times more likely to die from cancer (see www.health.harvard.edu/cancer/prolonged-stress-may-increase-the-risk-of-death-from-cancer). 

“The connection between stress and cancer could be related to the body’s exposure to cortisol, the stress hormone,” according to Harvard Health Publishing, associated with the university’s medical school.

“The body releases cortisol during stressful events, but levels usually decrease once the threat has passed. However, exposure to ongoing stressors can keep cortisol levels consistently high, which can wear down the body on a cellular level, according to the research team.”

Stress also heightens the likelihood of mental breakdown and suicide. It is clear that if left unmanaged, it can prove a serious issue, even fatal. So how can we spot the signs of it becoming a problem, and what can we do? 

Sonja Chilvers, chief operating officer at Norfolk and Waveney Mind, says: “Stress manifests itself differently in every individual. It often brings out our weaknesses and susceptibilities, so in some people this might be that they become short-tempered, or for others that they develop physical conditions such as chest pains, indigestion and heartburn, or skin flare-ups such eczema. But there are general signs to look out for, in terms of our cognition, emotions, physical health and behaviour.”

These can include:

  1. Cognition: poor judgement, trouble concentrating, self-doubt, brain fog, starting many more tasks than you finish.
  2. Emotions: depression, irritability, anxiety, cynicism, feeling overwhelmed. 
  3. Physical health: chest pain, heightened heartbeat, muscular tension pains, frequent colds, high blood pressure.
  4. Behaviour: self-isolation, sleep problems, increased intake of alcohol, caffeine or cigarettes.

And what can we do to get our stress levels back under control? Regular exercise and aiming to walk 10,000 steps a day are a good start for most people. Norfolk and Waveney Mind’s ‘Ten Million Steps’ fundraising challenge for May would be a great way to do this – email fundraising@norfolkandwaveneymind.org.uk for more info. Sonja also suggests:

  1. “Break down tasks to a ‘to do list’ with priorities.”
  2. “Make time for yourself. Mornings or nights can be the worst so be kind to yourself and try to do something nice – time out with someone important to you or go for a walk or cuddle up with a pet.”
  3. “Breathing or mindfulness exercises or talking to someone to slow the irrational thoughts down.”
  4.  “Drink water, look into ‘food for mood’ options and improve your diet if possible.”
  5.  “Have time for yourself when you need but ensure you spend time with friends or family, and please keep talking. You are not alone.”

Spending time engaging with nature can also help reduce stress and improve wellbeing. During Stress Awareness Month, Norfolk and Waveney Mind are encouraging you to ‘Step outside and unwind your mind’ – for more advice on how to de-stress and listings of local events and activities, see https://www.norfolkandwaveneymind.org.uk/stress-awareness-month

For resources and information about Norfolk and Waveney Mind’s services, visit norfolkandwaveneymind.org.uk or call 03003305488. For urgent mental health support, call NHS 111 option 2.