Stress is an unavoidable aspect of modern life, affecting each of us to varying degrees. Whether we're dealing with the constant pressures of daily life or facing unexpected challenges, like the loss of a loved one or a sudden job loss, stress is an intrinsic part of the human experience.

And, whilst stress is often vilified, it's important to recognise that our bodies are inherently equipped to handle it. In fact, in certain contexts, stress can even be beneficial, helping us adapt and grow stronger. However, the problem arises when stress becomes chronic - the type that our bodies simply aren't designed for.

Understanding stress and the causes of stress

In our ancestral past, stressors were typically acute and sporadic, such as the threat of predators or rival tribes. Outside of those significant moments of stress (that happened on average only once every few months), our ancestors would have been going about their days in a calm, mindful state, engaged in everyday activities.

Today, however, we live a very different life and face a very different landscape of stressors. We face micro-stresses that accumulate throughout our daily lives, usually without any proper outlet or release. This chronic stress, worsened by the fast pace of modern life, can lead to a host of physical and mental health challenges, making it the key factor in our present-day health crisis.

Moreover, our relationship with stress can easily become our ‘normal’. Without realising it, many people unknowingly continue a cycle of pressure and strain, falling into patterns of busyness, stress addiction, and are unaware that they exist somewhere on the spectrum of burnout.

What we need vs what we have

I truly believe that in order to thrive in the modern world, we must acknowledge the ways in which our lifestyle deviates from our evolutionary blueprint. Our bodies thrive on:

• Regular daily movement
• Wholesome nutrition
• Natural light
• Community support 
• Living in the present moment
• Mother Nature’s natural rhythms

These are the very elements that are often compromised in today's convenience-driven society and in reality, many of us live with:

• Lack of movement
• Convenience and processed foods
• Too much time indoors
• Loneliness, isolation or lack of community
• Inability to simply ‘be’ in the present moment
• Ignoring natural rhythms, seasons, etc.

These elements all cause stress and contribute to feelings of stress. Therefore, it's crucial to recognise that while modern comforts and conveniences help to meet our basic needs more easily than ever before, they usually come at the cost of our health and wellbeing. 

If we reference Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, we should be in a place to progress upwards through the levels of human growth because our basic needs are met, but I believe that modern-day life and chronic stress are actually doing the opposite. We are hindering our ability to progress toward self-actualisation - the pinnacle of Maslow's hierarchy. 

Without addressing the root causes of stress and prioritising our wellbeing, above all else, we remain trapped in a cycle of survival, unable to reach our full potential.

The answer to dealing with chronic stress 

However, it’s not all doom and gloom – quite the opposite in fact! There is the opportunity to thrive far beyond what was possible for our ancestors. It starts with recognising stress and understanding the underlying reasons for our struggles. We then gain insight into how to create new habits and ‘ways of being’ to navigate the modern-day world, so that we can flourish in all areas of our life.

But the key is that once we have that awareness, we have to be intentional about it. If you leave it to chance, the modern-day world will drag you down and essentially, make you 'un-well'. Through intentional practices and lifestyle adjustments, we can reclaim control over our health and wellbeing, which then frees us up to move towards personal growth and fulfilment.

Next time, I’ll be sharing the most powerful tool for managing and working with stress – it’s actually incredibly simple in principle, the work is in making sure you apply it to your daily life.