situations like facing a fire so we act immediately , without pausing to think . But modern life activates this same reaction to nonthreatening and threatening situations — from dealing with a screaming toddler , a reckless driver or a frustrated customer to handling an irate boss , a nagging partner , or a devastating medical condition . Under repetitive and ongoing stress , we default to immediate , emotional reactions . Many of us are living our lives on a hair trigger , ready to fight , flight or freeze in response to the slightest challenge .
of their voice , and their warmth . You may notice some of the tightness melt away . This experience reminds us that the mind and body are not separate entities : stress in the mind manifests in the body and vice versa . What happens in the mind does not stay in the mind ( Vegas rules do not apply here ). Simply put , physical injuries and stress both contribute to inflammation and pain .
Most orthopedists do not write prescriptions for stress reduction but they should . Stress and pain are intimately linked . Tackling stress is a critical factor for lasting pain relief and prevention - on its own or in combination with typical treatments . This approach helps address one of the root causes of painful inflammation . Without reducing stress , our bodies and brains remain inflamed . This means typical treatments like medications only provide partial , temporary relief . Without addressing stress , we are left trapped in a pain cycle with short-lived reprieves but no long-term relief in sight .
Stress triggers the fight , flight or freeze response . It saves our lives in dangerous
A chronically activated stress response means our muscles stay tense and our blood sugar remains elevated . Our immune system , which is meant to protect us , may go haywire and attack us . Everything shifts to a state of ongoing panic , pain , and inflammation . Repeated stress without respite reconfigures our brain , weakening our higher-level brain functions such as thought , attention , and behavior . This is the “ thrive ” part of the brain , which enables us to handle challenges and build pain resilience . Stress impairs this evolved part of the brain and expands connections to the emotional , primitive part of the brain . As a result , the emotional response wins out in challenging situations . That ’ s why we snap at a child ’ s hundredth question , swear at the person who cuts us off in traffic , or get defensive with an annoying coworker . Often stress-induced anger , fear , or desperation leads us to say something we did not mean , or at least would not have said aloud if we were calmer . Daily , repeated stress reinforces this response and makes it a reflex . If we hear our child start to whine , our heart rate increases . If somebody cuts ahead of us in traffic , our jaw clenches , and the survival brain activates . If a customer starts yelling at us , we think