Battling Burnout: Understanding, Recognizing, and Combating Chronic Stress
In today's fast-paced world, burnout has become an increasingly common experience, affecting individuals across professions and lifestyles. Burnout stems from chronic, unmanaged stress, leading to physical and emotional exhaustion. While often associated with work-related stress, burnout can arise from various persistent stressors, such as navigating difficult personal situations, constant exposure to the 24-hour news cycle, or caregiving responsibilities.
Understanding Stress Cycles and the Body's Response
The body's physiological response to prolonged stress follows a predictable pattern:
Alarm Stage: A stressful event (e.g., nearly getting into a car accident or receiving bad news) triggers the "fight or flight" response, releasing stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. While these hormones prepare the body to react, many modern stressors don’t require a physical response, leaving these hormones unprocessed.
Resistance Stage: If stress continues, the body remains on high alert while attempting to return to normal. The stressor may have passed, but the body struggles to process the hormonal surge, keeping us stuck in fight-or-flight mode.
Exhaustion Stage: Prolonged stress disrupts essential bodily functions, increasing blood pressure, impairing digestion, and disrupting sleep. This depletion of mental and physical resources ultimately leads to burnout.
Uncompleted stress cycles accumulate in the body, making individuals more vulnerable to further stress and exacerbating health risks such as hormonal imbalances and chronic disease. Over time, people may withdraw from the very activities that promote well-being—socializing, exercising, and making healthy choices—further compounding stress.
How to Complete the Stress Cycle and Restore Balance
Drs. Emily and Amelia Nagoski, authors of Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle, emphasize the importance of completing stress cycles to maintain well-being. Here are the top three effective ways to do so:
Physical Activity: The most efficient way to complete the stress cycle is through movement. Engaging large muscle groups and increasing heart rate through moderate to high-intensity exercise—such as running, dancing, or even gardening—helps metabolize stress hormones and reset the nervous system.
Breathwork: Deep, controlled breathing downregulates the stress response and activates the parasympathetic nervous system. Techniques like diaphragmatic breathing or box breathing can effectively reduce stress and promote relaxation.
Positive Social Interactions: Meaningful connections in supportive environments signal to the brain that the world is safe, helping to reset the nervous system and reinforce resilience against future stressors.
How Contrast Therapy Helps Reduce Stress and Anxiety
One of the most effective ways to naturally complete a stress cycle is through contrast therapy, which involves alternating exposure to hot and cold temperatures. This practice triggers a controlled physiological response that mimics the body's natural stress cycle:
Cold exposure activates the fight-or-flight response, increasing heart rate and norepinephrine release.
Sustained exposure forces the body to regulate and adapt, reducing heart rate and inducing deep breathing.
Rewarming shifts the body into a recovery phase, promoting relaxation and releasing feel-good neurotransmitters like dopamine and endorphins.
At Loyly Sauna Lounge, contrast therapy not only provides the benefits of stress cycle completion but also fosters a social environment, reinforcing the power of shared wellness experiences.
The Science Behind Contrast Therapy’s Stress-Reducing Benefits
Contrast therapy acts as a form of hormetic stress—a controlled exposure to small stressors that build resilience against larger stressors. This process delivers multiple benefits:
Hormonal Regulation: Cold exposure increases norepinephrine and beta-endorphins, improving mood and reducing stress perception.
Autonomic Nervous System Balance: Temperature fluctuations help regulate the nervous system, mitigating the long-term impact of chronic stress.
Cortisol Reduction: Regular cold exposure is linked to lower cortisol levels, reducing the body’s overall stress burden.
Improved Circulation: Alternating between heat and cold promotes better blood flow, supporting recovery and relaxation.
By integrating contrast therapy into your routine, alongside movement, breathwork, and social connection, you can effectively manage stress, build resilience, and reclaim your well-being. Burnout is not inevitable—by understanding and completing the stress cycle, you can restore balance and vitality to your life.
Let us help you complete the cycle at Loyly Sauna Lounge. Our supportive community is here for you to feel better and stop the chronic stress cycles with contrast therapy.
