Stress Won't Make You Sick

by: Joan Ivanka

Imagine a situation in which your fight or flight response is triggered. Let’s say you’re seriously scared of bugs and a big one just falls on your hand in the middle of a conversation. 

Your adrenaline would spike, and your heart would begin to race. You might scream and try to shake it off, or you might tense up and pray it falls off by itself. In any case, the moment you saw the bug land on you, your brain released the hormone cortisol, signaling the body to take immediate action - fight, flee, or freeze. In other words, the cortisol hormone prepares your body to act quickly in response to threats. This is why it is called the fear/stress hormone.

There are times when stress can be helpful. It gives you a burst of energy when you need it to get things done. But, like with all good things, there is such a thing as too much. We've all at least heard one doctor say "stress makes you sick." And it is usually true. In fact, stress has been linked to several diseases, including cancer, lung disease, cirrhosis of the liver, and several mental illnesses.

According to University of Wisconsin researchers, extreme stress raises mortality rates by 43 percent. However, this was only true for those who also believed that stress is bad for your health. People who had the same levels of stress but did not believe stress was harmful were no more likely to die. Actually, their risk was the lowest of any group examined.

“When you change your mind about stress, you can change your body’s response to stress.” - Kelly McGonigal Ph.D., Health Psychologist

Science says you can live healthier by reframing your beliefs about your own stress responses. Try this: if you feel like you're about to crack under the pressure, remind yourself that your racing heart and rapid breathing are just your body trying to get more oxygen into you and that your sweaty hands are just your body trying to cool you down so that you're in peak condition to take on the challenge.

This is precisely how participants in a Harvard study were taught to think – that their stress responses were helpful for their performance. The findings showed that the participants were less anxious and instead, more confident. More importantly, as their heart rate went up, their blood vessels stayed relaxed. In a typical stress response, your blood vessels would constrict, which is why stress is often linked to cardiovascular disease.

Stress management is an important skill to learn. Because life will not stop throwing boulders at you just because you have convinced yourself that you are incapable of handling them. Your body knows you can - the pounding heart and shaky hands are the same in moments of fear and courage - but simply changing your beliefs about your stress responses could make a big difference.