How does chronic stress affect the body?
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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So, Norman, what is your go-to when you need to de-stress and decompress?
I walk outside and scream. No. Sometimes I feel like doing that. It's true. You've got to have something that you do that. So, for me, it's exercise. I just... go into exercise mode and do something you know that really gets my sweat going and and i'm forced to think about that and nothing else so it's a distraction it's almost like mindfulness where you're doing something that you've just got to focus on make your body scream so loudly that your brain can't hear anything else yeah and stop listening to podcasts in my head when i'm doing it so that my head is clear no podcast you heard it here on what's that rash the show that answers the health questions it's simply everyone's asking
Well, today's question, Norman, comes from Daniel. He's asking about stress, but he's asking about chronic stress. Daniel says, I love the show. I was wondering if you could do an episode on physiological reactions to stress. I deal with chronic stress in my life due to ASD, autism spectrum disorder. Daniel says, I was hoping you could tell us why these things pop up, as in health conditions, what things stress is likely to cause, and what are the best ways to reduce stress or maintain healthy stress levels? So yes, let's talk stress today.
Yeah, let's talk.
So when I think about people talking about feeling stressed, it's like, oh, I'm so stressed. Work is busy. I'm a parent. I'm trying to sort age care for my own parents, etc. The sort of like busy life that we lead. But that is quite distinct from chronic stress. And the way it shows up in our body is pretty different.
Yeah.
It is. And we have this idea that stress is bad. But we need stress in our lives. We need stress to perform. We need stress to get us going. And you can't avoid it. So what we're talking about here is your response to stress. And some people are addicted to it. You'll go on the Big Dipper at the fun fair because you just like that feeling of acute stress.
Could we say people also do things like write books and do documentaries and multiple podcasts and they like that too?
I can't imagine who you're talking about there, but hypothetically, yes, indeed. But the issue with stress is always how you respond to it and whether it's productive or not or whether it gets in the way of life.
Okay, well, if we talk about acute stress, the idea of going on a roller coaster, which honestly sounds quite fun, what is happening in my body? I hate them. Oh, really?
I'll tell you a story. I put it down to a childhood experience. My father, who was not the most attentive of fathers, he was a lovely person, but he wasn't the most attentive of fathers, he wasn't used to kids. He took me to a fun fair and he knew this guy there who ran this ride and he thought, I was four years old, and he thought this was going to be the best ride And it was one of these incredibly fast up and down things. And he put me on it by myself because there's no way he'd go on it. And I was completely terrified. And he thought I was waving at him in joy as I went by rather than in total fear.
You were four. There wasn't like a penguin saying you must be at least this tall to get on this ride or something like that.
Totally ignored. And as a result, I've never gone on one of these rides ever again in my whole life.
Wow. So you're telling me about your childhood trauma. We really are getting to the heart of it today.
We are. So that sort of stress, I don't like.
Okay. Let's unpack it though. Tiny Norman, four-year-old you on a rollercoaster, my heart is breaking.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–5:06
2
What question about chronic stress prompted this episode?
5:06–13:02
3
How does acute stress (like a roller coaster) affect hormones and the body?
13:02–21:32
4
How does locus of control influence our stress response and fear?
21:32–21:56