You Can Beat Stress In Today's World - Here's How

Summary

This video script delves into the evolutionary design of our stress system, meant for short-term life-or-death situations, and contrasts it with the chronic stressors of modern life. It explains how our bodies are not equipped to handle the long-term stress of everyday tasks like paying bills or job hunting. The script suggests a solution: engaging in vigorous physical exercise to activate the body's natural stress relief mechanisms, which can help break the cycle of avoidance and procrastination. By understanding and leveraging our stress system's built-in 'off switch,' viewers can better manage their stress and improve their overall well-being.

Takeaways

• 🐯 The human stress system evolved for short-term, life-or-death situations, like encountering a predator in the wild.
• 🏡 In modern society, we face chronic stressors that are not life-threatening, such as financial or relationship issues, which our stress system isn't optimized to handle.
• 🔄 The stress response involves the release of hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, preparing the body for immediate action, but in today's world, this response is often inappropriately activated.
• 🔁 Chronic stress can lead to a cycle of avoidance and procrastination, causing problems to accumulate and stress to intensify.
• 🏃 Vigorous exercise can help 'short circuit' the stress response by activating the body's natural mechanisms to reduce stress, such as the release of endorphins.
• 🚫 Avoidance behaviors are often triggered by stress, but engaging in physical activity can reduce the desire for such behaviors and help focus on tasks.
• 💪 The harder and more intense the exercise, the more it can stress the body, leading to a greater release of endorphins and a stronger stress reduction effect.
• 🧠 Physical exertion can help 'turn off' the stress system by engaging the parasympathetic nervous system and reducing the production of stress hormones.
• 🔄 The natural stress response includes a built-in 'off switch' that is activated by physical activity, which is often missing in our modern, mentally stressful lives.
• 🌟 By understanding and utilizing the body's stress response mechanisms, individuals can better manage stress and improve their overall mental health.

Q & A

What is the original purpose of the human stress system?

The human stress system was originally designed for short-term life or death situations, such as reacting to immediate threats like encountering a tiger in the jungle.

How do modern stressors differ from the stressors our stress system was designed for?

Modern stressors are more chronic and long-term, such as financial worries or job searches, and are not the immediate, severe threats our stress system evolved to handle.

What happens in the body when we face a life or death situation like being chased by a tiger?

In life or death situations, the body releases stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, increases heart rate and blood pressure, and activates the fight or flight response.

How does the body naturally compensate for high stress situations?

The body compensates for high stress through mechanisms like the carotid baroreceptors, which detect increased blood pressure and trigger a response to slow the heart rate and lower blood pressure.

Why doesn't our modern stress response trigger the same natural de-stressing mechanisms?

Modern stress often lacks the physical component that would normally trigger the release of endorphins and the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system, which help to naturally de-stress the body.

What is the recommended exercise strategy to effectively shut off the stress system according to the script?

The script suggests engaging in the most vigorous exercise one can tolerate for as short a time period as possible, similar to running as if being chased by a threat.

How does the intensity of exercise relate to the body's stress response?

The greater the intensity of the exercise, the more the body has to compensate by releasing more endorphins and calming mechanisms once the stressor (exercise) ends.

What is the benefit of vigorous exercise in reducing stress according to the video?

Vigorous exercise can help shut off the stress system by recruiting the endorphin system and parasympathetic nervous system, reducing cravings for distraction and avoidance.

How does completing a mental task affect the stress system differently than physical exercise?

Completing a mental task provides relief but doesn't fully engage the body's stress-shutting mechanisms like endorphin release and parasympathetic activation, which is why we might still feel stressed afterward.

What is the role of endorphins in the stress response as described in the script?

Endorphins play a crucial role in the body's natural stress-shutting mechanisms by helping to relax the body and reduce stress once a threat or stressor is removed.

Outlines

00:00

🐅 Understanding Stress: Origins and Modern Misuse

The paragraph explains the evolutionary purpose of the stress system, which is designed to handle short-term, life-or-death situations as seen in the animal kingdom. It contrasts this with the chronic, long-term stressors faced in modern society, such as financial and relationship worries, which are not suited to the body's stress response. The stress system, meant for immediate threats like encountering a tiger, is inappropriately activated by everyday tasks, leading to a cycle of stress without the physical exertion that would normally trigger the body's natural stress relief mechanisms. The speaker introduces the concept of 'short circuiting' this cycle through understanding and managing stress.

05:01

🏃‍♂️ Physical Exercise as a Stress Antidote

This paragraph delves into how physical activity can mimic the body's natural stress relief response. It discusses the role of endorphins and the parasympathetic nervous system in reducing stress after intense physical exertion, which is a contrast to the lack of such relief in response to chronic stress. The speaker suggests that engaging in vigorous exercise, even for a short duration, can effectively 'trick' the body into activating its stress relief systems, leading to a decrease in stress hormones and avoidance behaviors. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of high-intensity, short-duration exercise for stress management and how it can improve focus and productivity in tackling the sources of stress.

Keywords

💡Stress System

The stress system refers to the body's physiological response to stress, involving hormones and the nervous system. In the video, it is described as being designed for short-term, life-or-death situations, like encountering a tiger in the jungle. The stress system triggers the release of cortisol and adrenaline, preparing the body for fight or flight. However, in modern society, this system is often inappropriately activated by non-life-threatening challenges, leading to chronic stress.

💡Life or Death Situations

These are circumstances that pose an immediate threat to survival, such as facing a predator. The video explains that the stress system evolved to handle such situations, where a quick, intense response is necessary. Examples from the animal kingdom, like deer or mice, illustrate how their stress systems are geared towards immediate and severe threats.

💡Chronic Stress

Chronic stress is a long-term state of stress that can result from ongoing or repeated stressors. The video contrasts this with the stress system's intended purpose, which is to deal with short-term, acute threats. Chronic stress is often caused by modern life challenges like financial worries, job searches, and relationship issues, which the body's stress system is not optimally designed to handle.

💡Avoidance Behaviors

Avoidance behaviors are actions taken to evade or delay dealing with a stressful situation. The video describes how people might engage in such behaviors when feeling overwhelmed, like distracting oneself to temporarily alleviate stress. However, these behaviors do not address the root causes of stress, leading to a cycle of increased stress and avoidance.

💡Endorphins

Endorphins are natural chemicals produced by the body that act as pain and stress relievers. The video explains that during physical exertion, like running from a threat, the body releases endorphins, which help to relax and de-stress. This is part of the body's built-in mechanism to counteract the stress response, which is less activated in modern, non-physical stress scenarios.

💡Parasympathetic Nervous System

The parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for promoting the body's 'rest and digest' functions. It plays a role in the body's natural stress relief by helping to calm down after a stressful event. The video suggests that engaging in vigorous exercise can activate this system, contributing to stress reduction.

💡Cortisol

Cortisol is a hormone that plays a key role in the body's stress response. It is released during stressful situations to provide a burst of energy. The video discusses how cortisol is inappropriately activated in modern life for non-physical stressors, contributing to chronic stress without the accompanying physical exertion that would normally trigger its reduction.

💡Carotid Baroreceptors

Carotid baroreceptors are blood pressure sensors located in the neck. The video explains their role in detecting changes in blood pressure during stress, such as when running from a threat. These receptors help regulate blood pressure and heart rate, contributing to the body's natural stress response and recovery.

💡Exercise

Exercise is discussed in the video as a method to artificially activate the body's stress relief mechanisms. It suggests that engaging in vigorous, short-duration exercise can mimic the physical exertion needed to trigger the release of endorphins and activate the parasympathetic nervous system, effectively 'tricking' the body into shutting off the stress response.

💡CRF (Corticotropin-Releasing Factor)

CRF, or corticotropin-releasing factor, is a hormone that stimulates the release of cortisol. The video explains that when the body is stressed, CRF production increases. However, the video also highlights that engaging in vigorous exercise can help shut off CRF production, leading to a decrease in stress and avoidance behaviors.

Highlights

Stress is designed for life or death situations, not for everyday tasks like opening emails.

Our stress system evolved for short-term, immediate threats, like facing a tiger in the jungle.

Modern stress is often chronic and long-term, unlike the short-term stress our bodies are designed for.

The stress response in today's world is often inappropriately activated due to a lack of physical threats.

Avoidance behaviors are common when we feel overwhelmed by stress, but they don't solve the underlying problems.

The body has a natural mechanism to compensate and reduce stress through physical activity and the release of endorphins.

Carotid baroreceptors in the neck play a crucial role in detecting blood pressure changes and triggering a stress response.

In the natural world, stress is followed by physical activity that helps to shut off the stress system.

Vigorous exercise can be an effective way to trigger the body's stress-shutting mechanisms.

Exercising at 90-100% of your capacity can significantly reduce stress by activating the body's compensatory mechanisms.

People who are not in shape can experience greater stress reduction from vigorous exercise than those who are regularly active.

Shutting off the stress system reduces cravings for avoidance and distraction, making it easier to tackle stress-inducing tasks.

Completing a mental task can provide temporary relief but doesn't fully engage the body's stress-shutting mechanisms.

To master stress, one must engage the stress system in a way that activates its built-in off switch.

The stress system is designed for physical survival, and understanding this can help us manage stress more effectively.

The video offers practical advice on how to use exercise to manage stress and improve mental health.

Transcripts

today we're going to show you how to

teach your body that stress is designed

for life or death situations and not

doing simple stuff like opening emails

[Music]

so let's start by understanding what our

stress system was designed for so if you

look at the animal kingdom through which

we evolve like our stress system is

designed for short term life or death

situations so if we're like human beings

in a jungle and we see a tiger that's

what our stress system is designed for

you can look at things like deer or

Impala or even mice or snakes and all of

these organisms have stress systems and

they're designed for sort of immediate

and severe threats the problem if you

call it a problem it's kind of not

really a problem right I think it's a

win for the human race most of the time

in society today we're not faced with

life or death situations right like

we're not we're pretty secure like we've

got a place to sleep hopefully we have

food and stuff like that and so what we

tend to see is that our stress system is

inappropriately activated the kinds of

stress that we deal with today are more

long-term so on the first of the month

I'm already thinking about how am I

going to pay my rent at the end of the

month how am I going to find a job how

am I going to find a partner what's

going to happen with climate change

what's going to happen with inflation so

the stressors that we face today are

more chronic and long-term and the

problem is that our body has one system

to deal with stress and that system is

designed for short-term stress so in a

weird way our body inappropriately

activates our stress system to deal with

these problems and this creates an even

bigger issue so if you're stressed out

you're probably sort of in this cycle of

like okay I'm feeling stressed I'm

feeling overwhelmed let me engage in

avoidance behaviors to make the stress

go away so I'm going to distract myself

or things like that and then as I

distract myself and engage in avoidance

the problems that are causing me stress

don't actually go away and so as those

problems build up and build up and build

up I start to feel even more overwhelmed

and more stressed out and so the

problems tend to pile up and then

eventually you cross this very important

threshold where your stress

outweighs your feeling of overwhelming

and then like at the last second you

procrastinate to the last minute and

then in a burst of stress driven

activity you do something about your

problem if you're ready to take the next

step on your mental health Journey check

out Dr K's guide it's an immersive

resource that distills over 20 years of

my experience laid out in a way that is

tailored to your needs so if you're

ready to better understand your mind and

take control of it check out the link in

the description below but your

performance in that point isn't very

good right you're kind of exhausted

you're sort of stressed out you're doing

everything all at once everything is

rushed and then you end up kind of doing

a crappy job anyway and then you beat

yourself up and then the cycle just

repeats itself so today we're going to

teach y'all how to Short Circuit that

entire process how to really understand

how stress works so that you can

optimally solve your problems so let's

start by understanding how our body

keeps stress in check so normally let's

say I'm walking through the jungle and I

see a tiger I start to run there's a

burst of crh and then ACTH and then that

leads to cortisol adrenaline gets

activated as all these systems get

activated I also have a physical

component so since I'm running my heart

starts beating really fast my blood

pressure increases and then something

really really interesting happens as all

of these things activate and I start

running away what I actually my body

detects all of these things so there are

these things called your carotid

baroreceptors which are blood pressure

sensors in your neck and this is kind of

interesting you know in like in movies

and stuff when there's like a ninja and

they like choke someone out they're not

actually cutting off their oxygen flow

what they're actually doing is squeezing

on both sides of your carotid Barrel

receptors and this is what's really

interesting when they squeeze on both

sides of the Carotid Barrel receptors

our body thinks oh my God the blood

pressure is way too high our blood

pressure is huge right because you're

squeezing on those parts so it increases

the pressure and as we increase the

pressure there it actually causes our

heart rate to slow down and our blood

pressure to drop which causes people to

pass out in the movies but if we sort of

stop and think about that what we

actually discover is this is the natural

way that our body compensates with a

high stress situation when our blood

pressure goes up and our heart rate goes

up our body recruits other things to

slow our heart rate down to decrease our

blood pressure and to stop the

production of cortisol now the problem

in today's world is that when we feel

stressed out there is not that physical

component right so we get cortisol

release but we don't actually increase

our heart rate we don't increase our

blood pressure we don't start

hyperventilating because we're not

physically running away from it

everything the other thing that happens

when we physically run away from things

is that we release endorphins and

endorphins will help us literally relax

so basically what happens in the natural

world and through millions of years of

evolution is any time my body gets

stressed it automatically starts Parts

the circuitry to de-stress endorphins

parasympathetic nervous system

activation and you'll kind of understand

this if you go for a very brisk run like

if you exercise a lot what does your

body want to do afterward it wants to do

absolutely nothing I'm going to sit down

I need to relax you don't feel like

doing anything you're not even mentally

stressed you're just kind of vegging out

and so this is the really interesting

thing our stress system today does not

recruit any of those things because we

feel this chronic stress with no

homeostatic activation there's no

balancing of the stress response in

today's world so interestingly enough if

we want to actually de-stress what we

need to do is recruit those systems so

if you're feeling super stressed out

about something what you need to do is

the most vigorous exercise you can do

for as short of a time period is you can

kind of tolerate so we're not talking

about 20 minutes a day we're not talking

about wake up every day and exercise

what we're talking about is literally if

you are feeling stressed out try to run

as if something a monster is chasing you

and your life depends on it run as hard

as you can for a short of a time period

as you can like you don't have to run

for a long time you could literally do a

dead ass Sprint for like 90 seconds and

if you you feel absolutely exhausted and

you can't run 91 seconds then you're

doing it right now this is the really

interesting thing a lot of people may

say does this mean that I need to

exercise no so this is what's really

cool so if you run it 50 of Your

Capacity you do not shut off your stress

system if you run it 70 of Your Capacity

you shut off your stress system more if

you run it 90 or 100 of your capacity

that recruits the greatest shut off of

your stress system so think about it

very simply right so the more the harder

you exercise and the more difficult your

exercise is the more that it stresses

your body the more that it stresses your

body the more that your body has to

compensate as soon as the stress ends to

even release more and more endorphins

and calm you down even more so the

beautiful thing about this technique is

that if you are not in shape if you are

not used to exercising you will actually

get a greater stress reduction than some

someone who is in shape and the really

cool thing about that is that once we

shut off our stress system then

something beautiful happens once we're

no longer stressed out and our CRA a CRF

level drops then you will stop engaging

in avoidance behaviors your cravings for

avoidance will literally go shut down or

decrease because our body is using

endorphins to shut off CRF production

once we shut off CRF production our

desire for Cravings distraction and

avoidance actually decreases which then

allows you makes it more easier to

actually do the task that is stressing

you out in the first place so if you're

in a situation where the thought of

opening up your email triggers a stress

response or sending a message to someone

or needing to cancel social plans if

you're stressed out about that engage in

as vigorous exercises you can for as

long as you can it doesn't have to be

long and then you'll start to slow down

you'll start to stop avoiding things and

and then you'll actually be able to

focus on the task at hand and do

something about it and the Beautiful

Thing is as you do things about it your

overall Global stress will start to get

better because you have fewer things to

be stressed out about so the problem in

today's society is that our stress

system gets inappropriately activated by

mental tasks but our stress system is

actually designed for physical survival

and the beautiful thing is that the

stress system has a built-in off switch

the problem is the stresses that we feel

deal with today don't actually shut off

the off switch even if you think about

completing the task what does that do to

your stress level it's sort of a relief

but you don't actually feel fully

relaxed afterward and why is that it's

because when you complete the mental

task you're not recruiting the endorphin

system you're not recruiting your

parasympathetic nervous system you're

not actually shutting off CRF production

so as soon as we're done with our task

what do we go back into we give in the

Cravings so if you want to master your

stress in today's society you've got to

recruit your stress system in the right

way so hopefully this is helpful give

this a shot and kind of let us know does

this work for you not work for you we'd

love to hear from you so go ahead and

comment like or subscribe

foreign