I explain the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, how stress, negative thoughts, and unpleasant emotions can dysregulate this system leading to various health problems.
Dear new readers, I have written a lot about chronic stress, its impact and implications, and what we can do about it in multiple stories before from my main account Dr Mehmet Yildiz (Main) on my personal publication EUPHORIA. One of the exceptional pieces which gained traction and educate my readers was titled 3 Steps to Regulate HPA Axis and Defeat Chronic Stress.
This story was not ordinary as I spent hours designing it to make it a valuable, accessible, and inspiring knowledge resource. I documented the history and thought leadership behind this story in an article titled The Work Behind Earning $10,000 & a $154.28 Bonus by Designing a Life-Saving Boosted Story.
Why I paid so much attention and spent more time and effort on this story, you may wonder. Chronic stress can wreak havoc on your HPA axis — a system managing your body’s stress response. When this axis is dysregulated, it can lead to mental and physical health problems.
In this short post I explain the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, a complex system that regulates stress response in the body. I explain how stress, negative thoughts, and unpleasant emotions can dysregulate this system leading to various health problems.
I then provide practical tips to manage these factors, highlighting the importance of mindfulness, cognitive restructuring, and emotional regulation for a healthier and happier life.
The hypothalamus is a critical brain region that controls the stress response. It also has many functions, like regulating the autonomic nervous and endocrine systems, body temperature, hunger, thirst, sleep, and emotional responses.
When we experience a stressor, whether a physical threat or emotional reaction, the HPA axis is instantly activated. The HPA axis comprises complex interactions between the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and adrenal glands.
Here’s a brief summary of how we can manage chronic stress by regulating our HPA access in three practical steps.
1. Manage Accumulated Stress
Stress accumulates over time, wearing down the body. To reduce this, focus on restorative activities.
- Prioritize sleep, healthy eating, and regular exercise.
- Use mindfulness practices like meditation and yoga.
- Engage in enjoyable hobbies like gardening, reading, or art.
2. Address Cognitive Distortions
Negative thinking patterns can impair the HPA axis.
- Practice self-talk, journaling, and mindfulness to observe and challenge your thoughts.
- Reframe negative thoughts into positive ones using cognitive restructuring techniques.
3. Regulate Unpleasant Emotions
Unmanaged and unpleasant emotions like anxiety or anger can further dysregulate your stress system.
- Practice deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, or gentle exercise to reduce emotional intensity.
- Build emotional resilience through self-compassion and setting boundaries.
By following these practical steps — managing stress, challenging cognitive distortions, and regulating emotions — you can optimize the regulation of your HPA axis, leading to better health, well-being, joy, and life satisfaction.
You can read the full article with links to scientific sources in detail.
3 Steps to Regulate HPA Axis and Defeat Chronic Stress
Accumulated stress, cognitive distortions, and unpleasant emotions can dysregulate the HPA axis and hormones, but we…medium.com
I also converted the content of this story to a 12 minute interactive podcast on my Patreon site which you can listened to at your convince.
My Personal Approach to Overcome Chronic Stress and Inflammation
Although several healthy lifestyle factors made an impact, for me the biggest impact for optimizing my HPA axis and lowering chronic stress were meditation, exercise, sleep, and intermittent fasting as one meal a day and occasional long-term fasting. I link five relevant stories here.
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