Most of us know what stress feels like. This state of hyperarousal involves physiological mechanisms that are known as the stress or fight-or flight response, a set of physiological changes that occuring stressful situations and that prepare the stressed organism either to fight or to flee. It can be head pain, muscle tightness, chest discomfort, changes in sleep.

“Every stress leaves an indelible scar, and the organism pays for its survival after a stressful situation by becoming a little older.”
Hans Selye, The Father of Stress

Hans Selye,MD introduced the term “stress” in the 1930’s and well into the 1970’s, Selye studied both animal models of stress and extrapolated these findings to human models. His theory of chronic stress suggests that the aging process is accelerated whenever the sympathetic nervous system ramps up that can lead to cardiovascular disease.

According to Janice Kiecolt-Glasser at the Institute for Behavioral Medicine at Ohio State University’s College of Medicine, people underestimate the physical and cognitive impact of stress. Kiecolt-Glaser says it is not just the big stressors that matter but the small ones too, that can add up to big physical trouble. When you experience sudden stress the brain registers it as a “threat.”

The fight/flight mechanism, that keeps us on guard, plays a primary role on how people feel after episodes of high stress. When you experience stress the brain instantly releases hormones like cortisol, epinephrine and norepinepherine that produce significant physical changes in the body while preparing to fight or flee.

Feelings of frustration, lack of focus, chronic fatigue, autoimmune changes, anxiety, and even depression can result from an over load of stress hormones. Even the reliance social media stimuli can come back and bite like an unfed addiction.  For example, each time information about the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing was released, thousands of people began filtering a barrage of data generated in the media and privately. Some of this is reliable and accurate and some is distorted and confabulated and both sides seem to believe what they are saying.

This is something each of us needs to do. It is important to get the news you trust from sources that are trustworthy. And now with the AI invasion taking place across all internet platforms it is hard to believe what you are seeing, let alone understand and process the daily news in real time.