From a medical perspective, stress is the activation of the Sympathetic Nervous System, commonly known as the “Fight-or-Flight” response.
1.The Trigger : When your mind/brain perceives a deadline as a “tiger,” your brain’s hypothalamus triggers the adrenal glands- primarily Adrenaline (which spikes your heart rate) & Cortisol (the stress hormone).
2.The Physical Impact : Adrenaline increases your heart rate and elevates blood pressure. Cortisol, the primary stress hormone, is a double-edged sword. In short bursts, it helps you to run or to survive from a situation, but chronically that increases – inflammation, high sugars (glucose) in the bloodstream, high Blood Pressure too.
3.The Mental Impact: Chronic high cortisol levels “hijack” the prefrontal cortex—the part of the brain responsible for logic—leaving the amygdala (the fear center) in charge. This leaves you anxious, irritable, reactive & sometimes in brain fog.
To fix this, we need to switch from the “Sympathetic” (Stress) mode to the “Parasympathetic” (Rest and Digest) mode. Here is your 15-minute reset button.
5 Yoga Poses to Reset Yourself :