Stress 101: What’s Really Going on in Your Body and Mind

Stress. The word alone can make our shoulders tense up. Yet stress isn’t automatically a villain in our lives — it’s one of the oldest survival tools we have. Without it, our ancestors might not have made it through harsh winters or predators lurking in the dark. But today, most of us aren’t running from wild animals. Instead, we face overflowing inboxes, tight deadlines, financial worries, and family responsibilities. And still, our body reacts as if we’re standing face-to-face with danger.

This article kicks off our new series “Let’s Talk About Stress and Its Management.” Over the coming weeks, we’ll explore how stress affects body and mind, what happens when it goes too far, and—most importantly—what we can do about it.

What Happens in Your Body and Brain Under Stress

First of all, let's have a closer look at what happens physiologically during stress. When stress hits, your body doesn’t ask permission — it jumps straight into survival mode. Here’s the science behind the magic (and chaos):

Stress starts in your brain, the moment it senses a threat — whether it’s a roaring deadline, a tense conversation, or something truly dangerous. Your brain reacts as if your life depends on it, even when it doesn’t. Here’s how it works:

1. The alarm system goes off

   Your amygdala, the brain’s threat detector, immediately notices the danger. It sends a signal to your hypothalamus, the part that coordinates your body’s response. Think of it like the fire alarm going off.

2. Your body prepares to act

   Almost instantly, your sympathetic nervous system kicks in. Adrenaline and noradrenaline surge through your body. Your heart beats faster, blood rushes to your muscles, breathing speeds up, and pupils dilate. You’re ready to fight, flee, freeze or fawn — just like our ancestors were when faced with a predator.

3. The HPA axis joins the party

   A slightly slower but important response involves the HPA axis: the hypothalamus signals the pituitary gland, which tells the adrenal glands to release cortisol. Cortisol keeps you alert and focused, temporarily slowing digestion, immunity, and reproduction. Your body’s clear message: survival first, everything else later.

4. Your brain changes too

   Stress affects your thinking. Activity in the prefrontal cortex — the area responsible for planning, reasoning, and self-control — decreases. Meanwhile, the amygdala ramps up. That’s why under stress, it’s harder to think clearly, make decisions, or stay calm.

Where and When Does Stress Show Up?

Stress shows up in more places than we realize — and often in ways that feel totally ordinary. It’s not always dramatic or obvious, but your body reacts as if it’s facing real danger:

• Your train is delayed, and you’re late for a meeting — hello, flight response. You feel the urge to escape the situation, rush, or get out of the stress as quickly as possible.

• You’re stuck in traffic and shouting at the cars around you — classic fight mode. Your body is ready to confront the challenge head-on, even if the “challenge” is just a red sedan in front of you.

• You forget what you wanted to say in a tense conversation — that’s freeze kicking in. Your brain hits pause, hoping you’ll stay unnoticed while the tension passes.

• You automatically say “yes” to a request you can’t handle — that’s fawn response in action. Pleasing or appeasing others feels like the safest option, even if it leaves you overloaded.

Recognizing these patterns is the first step toward taking back control. The more you notice when your stress response is activated, the easier it becomes to pause, reset, and choose how to respond — instead of letting your nervous system run the show.

Stress Isn’t Always “Bad”

Here’s the important part: stress itself isn’t the problem. In short bursts, it sharpens focus, boosts energy, and helps us perform. Think of the nerves before giving a presentation that push you to prepare thoroughly, or the adrenaline before a big race that makes you run faster.

Normally, once the 'threat' passes, your parasympathetic nervous system steps in to restore balance. Heart rate slows, breathing steadies, cortisol levels drop, and your rational thinking comes back online. So, the problem isn’t occasional stress — it’s when the body thinks there’s danger all the time.

That is what we call chronic stress. It's when it keeps cortisol elevated, leaving your body in constant “high alert.” Over time, this drains energy, disturbs sleep, and can affect long-term health.

In Switzerland, this is far from rare by the way. According to the Job Stress Index 2022, almost 30% of employees find themselves in a critical stress situation. That’s not just a personal burden — it costs the Swiss economy billions of francs each year in lost productivity.

Where to Go from Here

This article is the start of our new series “Let’s Talk About Stress and Its Management.” In the coming weeks, we’ll explore the hidden costs of chronic stress, early warning signals, and simple tools to reset your nervous system.

In the meantime, if you’d like to explore related topics, here are three articles to dive into:

• Resilience: What’s the Real Deal

• MBSR – Science Meets Mindfulness: How Mindful Stress Management Works in the Long Term

• Beyond Fight or Flight: Unmasking the Hidden Stress Response

✨ Well-being Rebel Tip: Instead of asking “What’s wrong with me?” when stress shows up, ask “What’s stressing me right now?” This small reframe shifts the focus from self-blame to problem-solving — and that’s a rebel move.