Have you ever found yourself completely worn out after months of back-to-back sessions, feeling like you need a break but unsure how to find your balance again? If you’re a general practitioner, this scenario is likely all too familiar. The relentless grind can take a significant toll on your body and mind, impacting everything from your memory to your self-expression.
Stress is an unpleasant state affecting both your body and mind. It tends to fluctuate around your center of balance, which can change rapidly with your thoughts and state of mind. Physical and mental symptoms are easily recognisable, but they’re often downplayed until illness or trauma occurs, leading to burnout.
In this article, I’ll share relevant information on how stress affects you and explore how you can reverse its effects and return to optimal performance.
When can you expect your body and mind to signal a need for rest?
The day-to-day engagement of daily living can be considered stressful, however, most people in normal circumstances can rebalance after a good meal and rest at end of the day. Fast forward, for example, after six months of relentless work, or poor sleep-wake-work cycles, you notice the signs. Your body feels perpetually tired, your mind is foggy, and you struggle to recall even simple patient details. These are not just signs of fatigue; they’re your body’s way of signaling that you need a break.
Neuroscience teaches us that prolonged stress leads to chronic activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, flooding your system with cortisol and other stress hormones. This chronic stress response can impair your cognitive functions, disrupt your sleep, and lead to a sense of overwhelming fatigue.
This is the same pathway that perpetuates chronic pain and functional illnesses like IBS, or fibromyalgia. There is a discussion to be had about the cultural acceptance of these terminologies. Let’s leave that for another article.
There has been several documented effects of stress on the body. These symptoms and signs are the signals that you should learn to recognise.
The Impact of Stress
Body: Chronic stress manifests physically through muscle tension, headaches, and digestive issues. Your immune system becomes compromised, making you more susceptible to illnesses. The persistent release of cortisol not only increases abdominal fat but also affects your cardiovascular health, raising blood pressure and the risk of heart disease. Mild symptoms of spatial disorientation like clumsiness or dizziness can also be present.
Mind: Mentally, stress shrinks your prefrontal cortex—the part of your brain responsible for decision-making and self-control. It also enlarges your amygdala, the area responsible for fear and anxiety. This imbalance leads to heightened anxiety, depression, and emotional volatility.
Memory: The hippocampus, crucial for forming new memories, is particularly sensitive to stress. High levels of cortisol can shrink the hippocampus, impairing your ability to form new memories and recall existing ones. This is why, after months of stress, you might find it hard to remember common words, names or treatment details.
Self-Expression: Stress stifles your creativity and self-expression. You might find it difficult to communicate effectively, both with patients and colleagues. Your ability to empathise diminishes, making it harder to connect with those around you.
As a clinician if you notice these symptoms don’t wait till it impacts your personal or professional life.
Which practices can help you recover quickly ?
Learning: Learning something new, like visiting a new area, or restaurant or learning an instrument, can help your brain adapt and understand new information.
Non-medical activities: Activities like dancing, arts, music, and theater can loosen body tension, mental fog and fatigue.
Rhythmic activities: Singing and dancing to rhythms can help with memory, coordination, and social interaction.
Moderate-intensity exercise: Moderate-intensity exercise with high cognitive load activities like aerobics V step, marching, kicks, and lunges in different directions can increase prefrontal cortex activity.
Adequate Sleep: Quality sleep is essential for cognitive function and emotional regulation. You should establish a regular sleep schedule and create a restful environment that can help reset your HPA axis and reduce cortisol levels.
Balanced Nutrition: Substitute coffee for dark chocolate drinks. Maintain adequate serving of fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and omega-3 fatty acids. These support brain health and reduce inflammation caused by chronic stress. Avoid processed food which can exacerbate stress and anxiety.
Social Support: Engaging with friends, family and like-minded individuals, who are a source of comfort, provides emotional support and a sense of belonging. Sharing your experiences with colleagues can help lighten the mental load and offer new perspectives on managing work related stress. Read more here.
Professional Support: Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) can provide you with tools to manage stress more effectively and alter unhelpful thought patterns. If you are looking for a quick, effective CBT to elevate your workday, check out MindMove HEALTH by Dr Tom Gedman.
Best wishes in your career.
References:
Chao, Y.-P., Wu, C.W., Lin, L.-J., Lai, C.-H., Wu, H.-Y., Hsu, A.-L. and Chen, C.-N. (2020). Cognitive Load of Exercise Influences Cognition and Neuroplasticity of Healthy Elderly: An Exploratory Investigation. Journal of Medical and Biological Engineering, 40(3), pp.391–399. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s40846-020-00522-x.
Erickson, K. I., Voss, M. W., Prakash, R. S., Basak, C., Szabo, A., Chaddock, L., … & Kramer, A. F. (2011). “Exercise training increases size of hippocampus and improves memory.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 108(7), 3017-3022. doi:10.1073/pnas.1015950108.
Lupien, S. J., McEwen, B. S., Gunnar, M. R., & Heim, C. (2009). “Effects of stress throughout the lifespan on the brain, behaviour and cognition.” Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 10(6), 434-445. doi:10.1038/nrn2639.
