How our brain reacts to stress
Under stress, our brain releases hormones that allow our body to enter into extreme performance. But these hormones can also cause our body and brain in a state of imbalance.
Cortisol, one of these hormones, promotes our so-called survivor mode, which is the mode deployed by our body to protect us from perceived danger. This natural mechanism is designed to protect us from perceived danger by activating a key survival mode: : fleeing from an enemy, hiding, or fighting. These biological responses, which have ensured our survival as a species, are perfectly adapted to specific situations.
But what happens when our cortisol levels remain elevated for a prolonged period?
Understanding Chronic Stress
When cortisol is continuously released, our brain adjusts accordingly, but not always to our advantage. It focuses excessively on a specific situation—a specific person, place, or event—and activates the sympathetic nervous system. This system, originally designed to help us detect and prepare for danger, puts our minds into a loop of heightened vigilance, anticipating risks, wanting to control the external environment, and withdrawing into itself. It becomes biologically prone to to flee or fight instead of operating in a smooth and integrated manner.
In this state, it becomes difficult to step back. Our brain, instead of its different parts collaborating harmoniously, begins to act in a disordered manner. This imbalance can deprive us of our natural resources of creativity, calm reflection, and intuition.
A split brain: the consequence of constant stress
In this state, our brain stops functioning as a unified system. It becomes more reactive than rational, focusing on immediate threats and neglecting other aspects of our lives. This mental and emotional overload can create feelings of confusion, frustration, and exhaustion. Instead of leveraging its full capabilities, our brain acts in a fragmented manner, often against its own best interests.
Rebalance body and mind
There are simple and effective ways to escape this state of tension. Gentle practices like meditation, cardiac coherence breathing, or even conscious pauses throughout the day can reactivate the parasympathetic system, often called the "rest and recovery system." Calming the body, soothing the mind, and restoring a sense of inner harmony are actions to be carried out consciously.
To regain our initial state of cerebral coherence, we must overcome our memory of who we are, of who we think we are. We must go beyond our analytical mind about who we think we are, how we have constructed ourselves, to reinvent ourselves based on who we want to be.
Our personality is built on how we think, how we act, and how we feel.
By learning to release this stress loop, it becomes possible to find a natural balance, in which our body and brain work together again to support us, and not to overload us.
