Everyone knows what it’s like to experience stress. And most people would agree that it usually isn’t very pleasant. Not surprisingly, our stress now supports a growth industry, which markets stress reduction workshops and all manner of consumables – from relaxation tapes to seat covers that massage. But there are still many people who aren’t clear about what stress is, or what it might be doing to them. And stress is not always obvious; it can creep up on you over time so that it is just taken for granted. People who have been under stress for a long time, often have what is called a “high stress recognition threshold,” so that they are largely unaware of it until it causes them to crash. (Ghasemi et al., 2024; Shchaslyvyi et al., 2024).
The “stress response” has its origins in our primitive past – when our ancestors frequently faced dangerous predators or enemies. It provided quick bursts of energy, strength and alertness, needed to stand and fight – or run away. Still “wired” into our brains today, it involves a complex array of chemical reactions and changes in body function. Trouble is, because the mundane aggravations of daily life can also activate the stress response, we experience the same surge of body chemicals and changes in body function, actually designed for much less frequent major threats. Stressed too frequently, or for prolonged periods, our bodies take a terrible pounding. (Ghasemi et al., 2024; Shchaslyvyi et al., 2024).
This biochemical onslaught can compromise our immune system, making us vulnerable to infection and disease – including cancer (Niu et al., 2025; Galicia Pacheco et al., 2025). Hormones unleashed by stress can damage the digestive tract and lungs (Leigh et al., 2023; Shchaslyvyi et al., 2024); they can also weaken the heart, leading to stroke and heart disease (Raggi, 2026; Tsai et al., 2024). Prolonged stress can eat away at every body system like an internal predator (Alotiby, 2024; Shchaslyvyi et al., 2024). Though it can protect us, it can also turn on us.
Recent research indicates that some people are more prone to stress than others. Losing a parent, being traumatized, or in some other way being exposed to a high level of stress in childhood, may rewire the brain circuitry, making it much more difficult to deal with everyday stress in later life. But whatever our individual tolerance for stress, it can – and needs to be managed. (Filetti et al., 2023).
Here are some ideas:
- Learn to become aware of tension in your body – and respond to it quickly with a relaxation technique. The more you ignore it, the harder it will be to bring under control. Relaxation switches off the stress response. (Ghasemi et al., 2024).
- Improve your management of stress by practicing relaxation several times a day – even if you’re not stressed.
- Learn to control your thoughts. Discipline yourself to think rationally about challenges and problems, and be careful not allow yourself to go over and over particular thoughts and experiences so that they dominate your emotion and mental state. Avoid catastrophising – it generates a lot of unnecessary stress. Instead, focus on fixing the problem – which you’ll have to do anyway.
- Learn to say “no” when you need to – and mean it.
- Exercise regularly: it’s important for burning off stress hormones.
- Reduce or eliminate caffeine, keep alcohol to a minimum, and improve your diet.
- Learn about stress reduction techniques. One size doesn’t fit all. Discover techniques that work for you.
- Pay lots of attention to improving your sleep.
- If you haven’t had a complete medical check-up lately, do yourself a favour and make an appointment with your doctor.
References
Alotiby, A. (2024). Immunology of stress: A review article. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 13(21), 6394. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm13216394
Galicia Pacheco, S. I., Petrova, D., Garrido, D., Catena, A., Madrid Pérez-Esparza, B., Torralba, C., Ruiz-Vozmediano, J., García-Pérez, J., Sánchez, M. J., & Garcia-Retamero, R. (2025). The relationship between psychological stress and cancer incidence: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Health Psychology Review, 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1080/17437199.2025.2590491
Ghasemi, F., Beversdorf, D. Q., & Herman, K. C. (2024). Stress and stress responses: A narrative literature review from physiological mechanisms to intervention approaches. Journal of Pacific Rim Psychology, 18, 18344909241289222. https://doi.org/10.1177/18344909241289222
Leigh, S.-J., Uhlig, F., Wilmes, L., Sanchez-Diaz, P., Gheorghe, C. E., Goodson, M. S., Kelley-Loughnane, N., Hyland, N. P., Cryan, J. F., & Clarke, G. (2023). The impact of acute and chronic stress on gastrointestinal physiology and function: A microbiota-gut-brain axis perspective. The Journal of Physiology, 601(20), 4491–4538. https://doi.org/10.1113/JP281951
Madison, A. A., & Bailey, M. T. (2024). Stressed to the Core: Inflammation and intestinal permeability link stress-related gut microbiota shifts to mental health outcomes. Biological Psychiatry, 95(4), 339–347. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2023.10.014
Niu, X., Wu, T., Zeng, L., Wang, F., Lv, W., Zhang, L., & Zhou, F. (2025). Chronic stress in cancer development and progression. Science Bulletin (Beijing), 70(22), 3885–3907. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scib.2025.09.034
Raggi, P. (2026). Mental stress as a trigger of cardiovascular events: A narrative review. European Journal of Clinical Investigation, 56(1), e70128. https://doi.org/10.1111/eci.70128
Shchaslyvyi, A. Y., Antonenko, S. V., & Telegeev, G. D. (2024). Comprehensive review of chronic stress pathways and the efficacy of behavioral stress reduction programs in managing diseases. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21(8), 1077. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21081077
Tsai, S.-Y., Hsu, J.-Y., Lin, C.-H., Kuo, Y.-C., Chen, C.-H., Chen, H.-Y., Liu, S.-J., & Chien, K.-L. (2024). Association of stress hormones and the risk of cardiovascular diseases: Systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Cardiology Cardiovascular Risk and Prevention, 23, 200305. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcrp.2024.200305
Filetti, V., Sturge-Apple, M. L., Davies, P. T., & Suor, J. H. (2023). Development of stress reactivity and regulation in children and adolescents: A neurobiological perspective. Developmental Review, 70, 101103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2023.101103