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General Adaptation Syndrome or GAS as it is often called is a term used to determine your body’s reaction to stress. Good stress, that nervous excitement you can get, has been proven to be good for you, but bad stress, that constant day-in-day-out stress isn’t, it taxes your body significantly, particularly your adrenal glands. In this episode, Jen explains the three stages of GAS – the alarm reaction, resistance stage and exhaustion stage, and shares the risks to your health when you stay months or years in the amped-up flight or fright zone.

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SHOWNOTES

Dr Hans Selye proved that two different types of stress influence our daily lives:

Pleasant stress, which contributes to wellness and
Unpleasant stress, which contributes to disease and sickness

In 1926, Dr Seyle developed his theory on how people adapt to stress, it’s called the Triad of Chronic Stress, and it consists of a series of events known as the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS).

The alarm reaction. The human body first responds to stress by increasing the amount of adrenal activity to cope with what is happening. We experience this as an increased heart rate and energised feelings.

Resistance stage. If the stress continues, anywhere from days to weeks, depending on the level of stress and the individual’s response, the adrenal glands adapt by increasing their function and size. However, if extreme stress is maintained for a prolonged period, the adrenals become tired, which leads to under-functioning. If the stress is too extreme or continues for too long, the adrenals lose their ability to recover.

Exhaustion stage. The exhaustion stage is where you have lost the ability to adapt to life’s stresses. Your adrenal function is limited, and your body can’t resist or handle ongoing stress. Your adrenal bank account is empty, and you are seriously in debt, facing daily challenges to your health.

We need to have stress than have time to recharge – we aren’t designed to stay amped up.

How long can your body stay in fight or flight?

The “recovery period” between a fight or flight response and normalisation of body functions is variable but often lasts for 20 to 60 minutes following stimulation if the perceived threat disappears.

Unhealthy ways of coping with stress

Do any of these sound familiar?

Smoking
Drinking too much
Overeating or undereating
Zoning out for hours in front of the TV or computer
Withdrawing from friends, family, and activities
Using pills or drugs to relax
Sleeping too much
Procrastinating
Filling up every minute of the day to avoid facing problems
Taking out your stress on others (lashing out, angry outbursts, physical violence)

How to deal with stressful situations

Change the situation:

Avoid the stressor
Alter the stressor

Change your reaction:

Adapt to the stressor
Accept the stressor

Healthy ways to reverse GAS

Go for a walk
Spend time in nature
Call a good friend
Sweat out tension with a good workout
Write in your journal
Take a long bath
Light scented candles
Savour a warm cup of coffee or tea
Play with a pet
Work in your garden
Get a massage
Curl up with a good book
Listen to music
Watch a comedy

Nutritionally there are a few foods that you can play with

Vitamin B

Whole grains (brown rice, barley, millet)
Meat (red meat, poultry, fish)
Eggs and dairy products (milk, cheese)
Legumes (beans, lentils)
Seeds and nuts (sunflower seeds, almonds)
Dark, leafy vegetables (broccoli, spinach, kai lan)
Fruits (citrus fruits, avocados, bananas)

Vitamin C

Citrus fruit – lemons, limes, oranges, kiwifruit
Peppers
Strawberries
Blackcurrants
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts

Magnesium

Dark chocolate
Avocado
Nuts seeds
Legumes
Tofu non-GMO
Whole grains

Adaptogen Herbs

Healthy Life Hacks

So, the healthy life hacks I want to leave you with today are:

Keep hope – If I can come back from burnout and live a healthy life from a place of prevention, you can do it too.
Make Adaptogen Herbs a part of your daily routine.
Pick one thing off the list of healthy ways to reverse GAS and do it this week.