Managing Stress (Cortisol)

At one point in my life I had a unique opportunity to be a foster parent for some young extended family members which required some training. This training gave me a new skill that will be with me for the rest of my life which is “how to manage stress“.

The way the instructors explained stress was that on a practical level…stress is a chemical called cortisol and that while cortisol has many important functions in the body, it must leave the body at some point. According to the instructors, the only way that cortisol leaves the body is through heavy physical activity.

The instructors also explained that the body has a capacity to manage a “working amount” of cortisol similar to a glass with various amounts of liquid in it, but if the “glass” is too full (from too much stress without enough physical exertion to excrete it) then the person suffers the effects of too much stress. These effects may be physical or mental, short term and/or long term.

Learning this has helped me deal with difficult situations without losing my mind (in my own opinion of course) and be a more effective person (also in my own opinion).