Doing Well Is About Feeling Well 

Real success isn’t just about doing well—it’s about feeling well while you do it. For high-achieving professionals and leaders, peak performance is not fueled by stress—it’s limited by it.

How High Stress Can Affect You

When experiencing high stress, the brain is flooded with adrenaline and cortisol, as well as arousal chemicals such as norepinephrine and dopamine. When released in excess, they disrupt neural communication and downshift the prefrontal cortex, the area responsible for focus and decision making skills; the brain switches from complex, calm thinking to a more primitive "fight-or-flight" mode. The hippocampus, which supports memory and learning, is also impacted. The consequences of this are:

  • Reduced Cognitive Skills: Cognitive skills include concentrating, memory and decision making suffer. When impaired, even simple tasks become extremely difficult
  • Impaired Emotion and Behavior: Your brain's amygdala, which is involved in regulating emotions and fear, becomes overactivate. This creates a heightened sense of stress, reactivity and irritability. 
  • Mental Fogginess: Stress hormones can shrink the brain’s hippocampus. This creates memory issues and forgetfulness, even having trouble forming new memories. 

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Long Term High Stress

While results of stress often seem temporary, chronic stress can create lasting  changes in the brain structure and function that are more permanent. 

  • Reduced gray matter: High cortisol (the stress hormone) shrinks the gray matter that is kept within the prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex region prevents and regulates the stress response, so a decrease in gray matter volume creates a vicious cycle of stress.
  •  Hippocampal shrinkage: High cortisol damages brain cells in the hippocampus, which lowers learning capacity and memory performance. 
  • Amygdala enlargement: As the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus shrink, the amygdala expands and can become more dominant. Its control over fear and emotion heightens reactivity to stress and reinforces  fear.
  • Reduced neurogenesis: Elevated cortisol causes the hippocampus to lose its ability to generate new neurons, increasing risk of brain atrophy and mood disorders or disturbances such as depression, and cognitive decline. 
  • Accelerated cognitive aging: Over time, chronic stress is believed to age your brain at an accelerated pace, increasing the chances of neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia.

Ways to regulate stress

The effects of chronic stress are real—but trainable. Combine these three strategies to reduce symptoms and rebuild resilience: 

Lifestyle

  • Physical activity: Exercise releases endorphins, helps lower stress hormones such as cortisol, and supports hippocampal growth and memory. Even just a 10 minute walk helps.
  • Sleep: Prioritize 7-9 hours of quality sleep. Sleep debt elevates stress reactivity and impairs executive function.
  • Diet: The food you eat doesn’t just impact your body, it also fuels and supports brain function. Incorporate brain-supportive nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids (found in fish, nuts and seeds) antioxidants (berries, dark chocolate and leafy greens) and B vitamins (eggs and avocados) all encourage brain health.

Mind and Body

  • Meditation: A few minutes of daily meditation a day can increase gray matter in the prefrontal cortex and decrease the size of the amygdala, helping with emotional regulation and cognitive flexibility.
  • Deep breathing: Try paced breathing (inhale for a count of 4, exhale for 4-6). Activating the parasympathetic nervous system lowers heart rate and calms the stress response.
  • Time in Nature: Spend time outside because green spaces are linked to lower blood pressure and reduced self-reported stress.

Psychological 

  • Connecting: Supportive social interactions releases of oxytocin,promoting a sense of calm and buffering stress. 
  • Identify and address: Manage your schedule, set boundaries,  prioritize tasks. A clear plan restores a sense of control and reduces cognitive load.
  • Professional Help: If you are feeling overwhelmed, speaking with a coach or therapist can provide you with effective coping strategies, support and accountability to handle your stress.

If you’re ready to manage chronic stress, prevent burnout, and perform at a high level without sacrificing your wellbeing, reach out to the coaches at Mind Growth Lab for support.

Book a complimentary consultation with Mind Growth Lab to build a personalized stress-management plan aligned with your goals.