Stress shrinks your brain

Everybody is anxious these days, right? The world is in disarray, what can you do. No problem, we’ll push through! In fact there is an issue. The chronic stress literally shrinks your brain.

When you’re stressed, your body releases cortisol, often called the ‘stress hormone.’ In small doses, it does important jobs. It helps regulate blood pressure, keeps blood sugar steady, and reduces inflammation. Our bodies have a natural response to stress, and cortisol steps in as the main player. Think of it as the body’s way of gearing up to face a challenge. The cortisol rises in the morning so you wake up and get out of bed.

But here’s the catch. When stress becomes a constant, cortisol levels stay high for prolonged periods. This exposure starts reshaping our brain, and not in a good way. Specifically, it leads to a shrinkage of certain brain areas. Two regions that take a hit are the hippocampus, which is our brain’s librarian, overseeing memory and learning, and the prefrontal cortex,the conductor of our thoughts, emotions,and actions. You can think of them as essential command centers of the brain.

Chronic stress doesn’t just play havoc with our emotions. It makes learning, remembering, and decision-making tougher. And those functions are essential for living the pro-active life, instead of mindlessly reacting to whatever goes around. And if you are not making conscious decisions, the mind is falling behind like a muscle that weakens without regular exercise. The brain changes organically, the structural integrity of our brain is at stake.

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Basically you devolve back into a monkey. That’s why easing the existential fear, accepting what is going on, is the most effective way of getting rid of stress. It isn’t just a luxury or self-hipnosis — it’s a necessity for our well-being and brainpower.