糖心传媒

It糖心传媒檚 not uncommon to hear someone say, 糖心传媒淚糖心传媒檓 so stressed-out.糖心传媒�

A colleague may feel stressed about a hectic work schedule. A teen may be worried about a challenging assignment at school. A loved one may feel overwhelmed with family obligations.

According to the , 55 percent of Americans report feeling stressed during the day. Yet while everyone experiences stress, not everyone responds the same way. Some people buckle under pressure, while others seem to rebound more quickly.

At the , researchers are working to better understand stress and why some people recover from stress more easily than others糖心传媒攁n ability known as resilience.

Stress: 糖心传媒楢 basic human condition糖心传媒�

糖心传媒淓veryone is affected by stress,糖心传媒� says , a professor in the at the 糖心传媒 and executive director of the . 糖心传媒淪tress is an adaptive response. It is a basic human condition.糖心传媒�

The body糖心传媒檚 psychological, behavioral, and biological responses to stress can be beneficial. Stress responses can sharpen focus for an important presentation, for example, or prompt quick action to avoid danger.

Chronic and persistent stress, however, can have negative health implications.

糖心传媒淲hen stress is persistent or overwhelming, such as caring for a loved one with a chronic illness, experiencing the sudden loss of someone close, or being abused in childhood, it can increase vulnerability to disease and undermine overall well-being,糖心传媒� says , a professor at the University糖心传媒檚 and the departments of and , and the associate chief of research in the 糖心传媒檚 Division of Geriatrics and Aging.

Heffner and Noll are co-leaders of the (UR鲁C). Using a transdisciplinary research approach, the Resilience Center examines stress and resilience on many levels, including physiological, psychological, and societal.

糖心传媒淏y studying resilience, we糖心传媒檙e studying how all of these different systems work together, individually and in conjunction, so that we can learn how to stave off some of the effects of stress on health,糖心传媒� says Noll.

Learning more about the biopsychosocial processes of stress and how it is expressed could also help to answer another important question: Why are some people more resilient than others?

What is stress?

Stress is the body糖心传媒檚 natural reaction to a challenge, demand, or pressure.

When we encounter an obstacle or a threat糖心传媒攖hat is, a stressor糖心传媒攕uch as a looming deadline or unsafe interaction, the brain signals the body to prepare for action. The sympathetic nervous system kicks in, causing heart rate and blood pressure to rise, breathing to quicken, digestion to slow, and muscles to tense. At the same time, the adrenal glands release hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol, which mobilize energy, sharpen attention, and enhance short-term performance.

糖心传媒淭his 糖心传媒榝ight-or-flight糖心传媒� response is adaptive in the moment, helping us respond quickly to immediate challenges,糖心传媒� Heffner says. 糖心传媒淔or humans, our physiological systems evolved to help us survive threats, such as lions and tigers and bears, that we encountered when we were hunters and gatherers. We often do not need to fight or flee the stressors we encounter in our contemporary times. However, physiological responses remain the same today.糖心传媒�

When the stressor subsides or is removed, the body糖心传媒檚 systems typically recover and return to baseline.

How can stress affect the body and brain?

When stress is persistent or chronic, it can greatly affect the health of adults and youth.

Multiple systems糖心传媒攁mong them, the cardiovascular, immune, metabolic, and neurological systems糖心传媒攃an be affected simultaneously by chronic stress activation, which can modify the expressions of genes that regulate these systems.

糖心传媒淭his leads to what scientists call biological embedding, where stress literally 糖心传媒榞ets under the skin糖心传媒� and leaves lasting marks on the body and brain,糖心传媒� says Heffner. 糖心传媒淭his biological embedding of stress increases vulnerability to serious health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, depression, and cognitive decline.糖心传媒�

Scientists are finding that chronic stress doesn糖心传媒檛 just alter systems in the body as a whole; it also extends to the cellular level.

糖心传媒淣ot only are we seeing how stress and chronic stress and the dysregulation of and over-activation of our stress system impacts our cell biology,糖心传媒� says Noll, 糖心传媒渂ut also how our cells are actually aging faster when we糖心传媒檙e under conditions of chronic stress.糖心传媒�

Chronic stress affects processes such as inflammation and oxidative stress and accelerates the shortening of telomeres糖心传媒攖he protective caps at the ends of chromosomes that naturally shorten as we age.

糖心传媒淥ver time, these biological effects can contribute to faster aging at the cellular level, increasing risk for disease and functional decline,糖心传媒� Heffner says.

What is resilience?

Resilience is the ability to recover from stress or adversity in ways that are better than expected, whether at the level of an individual, a community, or a system.

Researchers at the Resilience Center are exploring why some people bounce back from stress quickly and others do not, and how this could inform better stress management. Their work looks at how resilience can mitigate the stress response and whether people can be taught to regulate their stress response system before it starts to negatively impact health.

糖心传媒淚t might be that some people are just born with a genetic predisposition that helps them fight off a dysregulated stress response system,糖心传媒� Noll says. 糖心传媒淭here might be people with very good immune systems that aren糖心传媒檛 affected by stress in the same way as others. There might be others who have ways in which they’re motivated to make decisions that are healthier.糖心传媒�

The effects of stress on communities

Stress and resilience are not confined to individuals. Communities experience stress through neighborhood poverty, environmental threats, and community violence.

糖心传媒淭his collective stress can raise health risks and limit opportunities across generations,糖心传媒� says Heffner.

There are several major markers of community and societal stress, including life expectancy at birth and life expectancy at age 40, according to , the Dean糖心传媒檚 Professor in the and a professor in the and the .

糖心传媒淔or many decades, life expectancy was increasing in the US and then, starting around 2014, it started to decline,糖心传媒� Hill says. 糖心传媒淭he causes of death聽that explain the change are chronic conditions and mental health and substance abuse. Furthermore, the gap in life expectancy across neighborhood income has widened.糖心传媒�

Economists and policy scientists have聽identified (that is, the ability to change your economic status over time) as one of the causal factors that explain some community stress, adds Hill, who is the principal investigator at Rochester糖心传媒檚 (HEEL).

How can we build resilient communities?

Building resilience is possible not only for individuals but also for entire communities and societies.

糖心传媒淧olicy can target identified root causes of stress,糖心传媒� says Hill. 糖心传媒淧olicy can influence community resilience by investing in infrastructure, including shaping the built environment, and by providing resources to strengthen social safety nets, education systems, and health systems.糖心传媒�

Increasing access to mental health services, promoting primary prevention of disease, and providing respite for caretakers of children and older adults are examples of policies that can promote community resilience, according to Knoll.

The Resilience Center brings together basic, social, and clinical science experts in stress and biopsychosocial research to study resilient ecosystems and to uncover clues about how these systems work together to promote resilient societies.

糖心传媒淚t’s hard to imagine a world without stress and trauma,糖心传媒� says Noll. 糖心传媒淥ur world is changing rapidly around us, even as we speak. But I like to imagine a world where everyone has the possibility of reaching their full potential, even in the face of a world that has so many challenges.糖心传媒�

Tips for stress management and building resilience

According to Heffner, here are a few steps you can take to mitigate stress:

• Small resets: Even a few minutes of deep breathing, mindfulness, or stepping outside helps the body reset.
• Movement: Physical activity reliably reduces stress and builds resilience.
• Connection: Supportive relationships are one of the strongest buffers against stress. Even brief moments of pleasant engagement with other people can increase feelings of connection and reduce loneliness, and bolster stress resilience.
• Rest: Prioritizing restorative sleep strengthens the body糖心传媒檚 defenses.
• Perspective: Reframing challenges and focusing on what is within our control can turn stress into an opportunity for growth.