What is the Stress Response Cycle?
The stress response cycle is a biological cycle in our bodies that has a beginning, middle and end. It starts with a trigger, which leads to an internal appraisal and physiological response, and ends with coping with the stress.
The stress response system evolved as a survival mechanism, enabling people to react quickly to life-threatening situations. In these situations, the stress cycle was “completed”, or finished, once the person had escaped the threat and returned to safety.
However, the world has changed a lot since then and unfortunately the brain cannot distinguish between a threat that’s real and a threat that is imagined. This means that the body can sometimes react to non-life threatening situations, like bad traffic, finances and work deadlines. In these situations though, there is no natural end to the cycle, because there is no clear return to safety after the trigger. When we don’t “complete” our stress cycle to close it and let our bodies know that we have are ‘safe’ from the threat, we can remain in a state of high alert, and stress.
In order for the stress cycle to be completed, we need to let our bodies know that we are no longer threatened or in danger. Our bodies and the nervous system need to return to a balanced state – the Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS), also known as the rest and digest system needs to be activated. When this happens the body (and the mind) will calm down.
How can you complete the stress cycle?
Here are some things you can do to complete the stress cycle:
- Move – running makes your body feel you have escaped. You can also try dancing, swimming, hiking, pilates, playing a sport or lifting weights.
- Try PMR (Progressive Muscle Relaxation) – tightening and then relaxing the muscles in the body will help to release tension and promote relaxation.
- Hug Someone – a 20 second hug with someone you love lets your body return to safety (instead of panic). The 20 second hug helps to activate the release of a chemical called “oxytocin”, also known as the love or cuddle hormone. You can also try giving yourself some physical affection by embracing in a self-hug, or engaging in ‘Havening‘ techniques.
- Get a Good Nights Sleep – a full nights sleep (7-9 hours) is really important for helping us to process stress. It also helps to maintain proper brain function and health.
- Be Creative – doing something creative, such as drawing, writing, knitting, gardening, or cooking, can help your body recover from a stressful event and boost energy levels. The key is to try something that you enjoy.
- Deep Breathing – slow, deep breathing can help your body regulate its stress response. It will switch of the FFF, stress response system, and turn on the rest and digest system. Deep breathing for stress is best when the exhalation is long and slow and goes all the way to the end of the breath so your belly contracts. For example:
7/11 Breathing: Breathing in for the count of 7 and out for the count of 11. - Laughing – When we laugh, we use an ancient evolutionary system that evolved to make and maintain social bonds and regulate emotions. When using laughing to complete the stress cycle, it needs to be really big, belly laughs.
- Positive Social Interactions – connecting with other people tells our bodies that we are physically safe. Even moments of connection that may seem small do have a positive effect (e.g. saying hello to someone you walk past or telling the barrista you like her jumper).
- Crying – crying helps to flush out the stress hormones from the body. It causes the release of hormones that help to physically calm our nervous system. Crying activates the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). The PNS helps your body rest and digest.
How do you know if you have completed the stress response cycle?
You might experience a shift in mood or mental state or physical tension. For some people this be easier to notice than others. Some people just know intuitively that they feel different after a big cry or a run.
What if you don’t feel the difference?
If you are struggling to notice the shift, it may be because you have built up a lot of stress from many different events, in which case it may take some more self-care. If you are worried that it is more than stress, you can seek support from a therapist or healthcare professional.
Other Support
To find out more about managing and preventing stress you can access some other resources below: