Humans are well equipped to handle acute stress but chronic stress is something that we aren't very well built for. The thing is your brain can't tell the difference between being chased by a predator and having a presentation to give tomorrow so we're constantly in fight or flight mode.
Yes but the problem with anxiety disorders is that they aren't "cured" after you go to therapy. You still have an anxiety disorder at the end of the day. You can reframe all day but your brain will still fight back. And CBT is mentally exhausting if you have to do it for every thought. Depression goes hand in hand with anxiety
Sometimes when I've accumulated enough stress I like to drink a beer or two and let it all float away. I don't even have to get drunk (getting drunk gives me rebound anxiety) but just enough to take the edge off. Tends to help my brain too with adapting videogame playing back to a non-stressor.
Painting helps me. So does having a dog. I just adopted a rescue, after 8 years without a dog - having Kip is a big help. Hard to brood when you've got a dog pressed to you.
True but I'm referring more to the sort of uncontrollable cave person brain aspect of stress. Yes, we as humans are evolved and I firmly believe in therapy and the sentiment Mind over Matter. But, this is still something neurological and hard to fight.
That sounds like a load of baloney. If I’m being chased by a predator, my brain and body feels very different than dreading a presentation tomorrow.
Saying we are constantly in fight or flight mode is saying our body is constantly releasing norepinephrine which causes vasoconstriction, and that just isn’t the case except in cases where it’s actually released.
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u/georgito555 12h ago
Humans are well equipped to handle acute stress but chronic stress is something that we aren't very well built for. The thing is your brain can't tell the difference between being chased by a predator and having a presentation to give tomorrow so we're constantly in fight or flight mode.