The Silent Accelerator of Aging — Unveiling the Science Behind Our Biological Clock.
Strategies to defy stress
I breathed shallow and panicked to handle the situation, and it got worse.
Shortly after lunch, I lost control of a schoolyard fight that turned bloody. The whole class watched as two of my students went after each other. I tried my best to separate them, and I barely made it. Strong as young bulls, it took its toll on them and me, almost endangering my teaching career.
Even though the conflict settled, it remained in my mind for weeks.
And it aged me tremendously.
Stress is the anti-fountain of youth unless you deal with it.
Folk wisdom tells us that stress makes our hair look like a gray, worn-out sweater. And yes, science indicates that as well.
Psychiatrist and researcher Dr. Anthony Zannes clearly states that biological changes are linked to stress and mental illness. However, these measures are tied to epigenetic variables associated with health, longevity, and age-related diseases.
Epigenetic genes turn on or off depending on the circumstances of your life. Imagine fueling your body with fresh, nutritious food that turns on different genes compared to the activation signal created by refined sugar.
Stress not only causes our bodies to age like a plum in a deep fryer, but it also increases our chances of mental health problems by 44%.
When biological aging impacts our mental health, and increasing psychological challenges stress our bodies even more, we find ourselves trapped in a perpetual motion of declining mental clarity.
Understanding how stress affects us is vital to finding ways to cope with it effectively.
#1. Get it out of your system.
Burn off stress hormones as quickly as possible.
Unfortunately, I see a lot of schoolyard fights these days. After work, I jump into the nearby swimming pool and do some labs to release stress hormones.
It also releases counterproductive muscle tension.
#2. Seek silence.
It is natural to seek rest after stress.
A fight-or-flight situation takes its toll on our bodies. 44% of people report physical fatigue after work-related stress. It is a sign that our body needs to recalibrate our nervous system. Therefore, we should seek rest after stressful encounters and shut down as many external stimuli as possible.
#3. Take the 20-Year Test.
It is an easy and quick way to put any situation into context.
When you notice yourself stressed about an issue, ask whether it will be important in 20 years. If not, just let it go.
Sounds hard, and it is at first, but it gets easier.
Just as I found ways to deal with stressful schoolyard conflicts through reading and experimentation, I’m sure you can find a formula for reducing stress.
This way, we can prevent stressors from affecting our biological aging and take care of our mental health.
References:
- Abramson, Ashley. “Burnout and Stress Are Everywhere.” Monitor on Psychology, vol. 53, no. 1, Jan. 2022, pp. 72. American Psychological Association, www.apa.org/monitor/2022/01/trends-report-burnout-stress
- Zannas, Anthony S. “Biological Aging and Mental Illness — A Vicious Cycle?” JAMA Psychiatry, 2024.
- Godman, Heidi. “Top Ways to Reduce Daily Stress.”1 Harvard Health Publishing, 1 Mar. 2022, www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/top-ways-to-reduce-daily-stress.
