Stress Hurts Your Brain

Did you know that your brain can process 720 possibilities all at once?  EXCEPT when stressed…

We all know that stress is bad.  But did you know that when you’re not stressed, your brain can process 720 possibilities all at once?  That’s like a super, high-functioning computer!  That puts you in the position to be effective, efficient, creative, and brilliant all at the same time.  You probably remember a great brainstorming session when you came up with solutions to problems or innovative ideas.

But did you know that when you’re stressed, your rational brain becomes an emotional brain that releases stress hormones (cortisol, adrenaline and norepinephrine).  It does that to simplify the situation so you can focus on your safety, because your brain perceives stress as a signal about your wellbeing.  So stress flushes out all of those wonderful creative possibilities (remember, the 720 possibilities) so it can protect you.  So your 720 shrinks down to only 120; and then the tail spin here leads to down to just 24.  Stress can cause you to lose 96% of your brain’s positive processing power.

The good news is that you can get your 720 possibilities back by doing 3 simple steps.  Try them, it works for me!

Step 1: Be grateful
Whatever the situation is, look for the bright side.  Those who wallow in pity just keep increasing their stress. Once you embrace something positive, if flushes out the stress hormones.  You’ll find that positive thoughts and solutions keep adding more dopamine in your brain so you can make good decisions.

Step 2:  Be forthcoming
When you realize that there is a problem, tell others about your emotional state.  By recognizing that you are stressed and sharing with others, it helps you actually reduce the stress.  That big ugly monster in the room starts to not look so big or ugly anymore.  Don’t bottle your stress!

Step 3:  Fill your lungs
When you hear bad news, your knee-jerk response is to hold your breath, and then breathe fast, shallow breaths. This signals your limbic system that there is an eminent threat so it focuses all of your brain power on saving your life. That’s good if a lion is chasing you and you need your adrenaline to make you run faster than you’ve ever run before, but if you’re NOT being chased by a lion, try just filling your lungs with slow and deep breathing from your diaphragm.  This will tell your limbic system that the threat is gone and your brain can once again go back to high-functioning thinking.

So stop sweating the small stuff and be positive.  That happy place will actually beget more happy thoughts and productive behaviors. 

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