Transcription:
What is Cumulative Stress?

Intro: This is BayCare HealthChat, another podcast from BayCare Health System. Here's Melanie Cole.

Melanie Cole (Host):

Do you feel all the stress that we're all feeling? Do you feel stressed out all the time? Well, it could be building up and causing more serious issues for your overall health. Welcome to BayCare HealthChat. I'm Melanie Cole and joining me today is Tracy Daniels. He's a behavioral health educator and master level practitioner with BayCare Behavioral Health.

And he is a fan favorite on BayCare HealthChat. Tracy, thank you so much for being with us today. We're talking about cumulative stress and gosh, we're all feeling so much building up of stress in our lives these days.

Tell us a little bit about what cumulative stress really is, the pathways that it takes and how it's different from just acute stress, things that happen when you're late for work or you miss a homework assignment, those kinds of things.

Tracy Daniels: Thank you, Melanie. Once again, for being here, always a pleasure to join you guys on the podcast and talking about these subjects really inspired me as I think about all the things that go into the titles and to the subjects that we have been addressing.

So we're talking about cumulative stress. And when we look at cumulative stress, it is just an accumulation of stress that impacts our bodily function, our cognitive outputs, our mood, and our ability to function healthily every day. When we look at stress, we know it can be both positive and negative, but when we talk about it, cumulative stress, it's like working towards a degree or getting a promotion. And we look at how positive that is or how negative that can be as well. Because sometimes when we get into those mindsets, we think about those things that go into getting the degree. It can be a negative because now I have all this work that I have to do.

And if I'm not passing the test or doing what's needed, then I can begin to feel that it's a negative thing because I'm not succeeding. But when we look at it, it really deals with making a major life decision or experiencing a loss. Those go also when we look at accumulation of stress, so we look at it as an impacting ourselves in ways without bringing balance of self-care and routine.

And all of these can be detrimental to our health overall, our functioning, which can result in illness, injury, feelings of depletion and our inability to meet goals and fulfill obligations. When we talk about the cumulative stress part it is how do we identify what it is and what it is not? And do I name it with the right stressor that's happening within me?

And do I really think that's a cumulative stress? Because sometimes we don't, Melanie. Sometimes we just say, oh, you know what? That's just the way I am. I've always been like that. But I'm not realizing that over time, because of the accumulation of stress, I'm not sleeping as much as I can. Plus, I'm now doing other things to try to compensate all the stressors in my life, from drinking, that's one, to now going out and doing reckless and impulsive behavior because of the stressors that surround me. So I think when we talk about this subject of cumulative stress, we have to go back and identify what it is for that person individually. Because when we talk about stress, what might stress me out may not stress you out, but when it becomes an accumulation, it's how does it begin to affect me and impact me and my functioning every day and my thought processes.

How am I dealing in my concentration? Am I now distracted easily because of over stress because all the accumulation and things have built up? And am I really paying attention to how now my health has been affected because I'm in this accumulation of stress that I haven't really paid attention to? Think about the pandemic.

It has really impacted people with cumulative stress because of the way that things have built up in their life. One of the biggest impacts that affected everybody with the pandemic, was everyone's routine changed. And when that changed, that affected their ability because now things accumulated.

So now they become more and more, which now is the accumulation of the stressors that are affecting me, that I need to step back and pay attention to what they are. And if I'm not realizing it and understanding it, then it's just going to continue to grow. And that's where it begins to affect us.

Melanie Cole (Host):  So Tracy. Is cumulative stress, something that is happening intrinsically in us, in our minds, in our bodies, or can it also be because we're all feeling a worldwide stress right now? I mean, there's so much going on in the country and around the globe and with climate change, all these things that are contributing to that feeling of unease.

And so while we've got our own individual stresses and the things that we've got., work, kids, money, whatever it is, we've also got what's going on around us contributing. So does that help that cumulative stress to grow or is that considered sort of an outside stressor and how do we know how it's affecting us?

Tracy Daniels: You hit it on the head. It can affect us, but I think one of the key factors is being able to recognize what it is. Because, you know, stress in of itself, we need some form of stress to help us balance ourself. That's true. So we have what they call general stress.

And that's the normal routine stress of everyday life and work. We know that we have those, some are going to be negative. Some are going to be positive, but all are manageable when I recognize what they are and how to balance them. But what happens is people deal with general stress. They can recover from it, stay healthy and often grow from it.

But some people do not appropriately deal with general stress, which now can develop into cumulative stressors because things begin to become overwhelming for them. They begin to pile on, and then they're not cognizant of what the stress really is because they're not identifying the triggers. And that's a big factor when we talk about cumulative stress, because I know the normal day and wear and tear of life is going to be there. But how do I not allow them to begin to accumulate within me, to cause me to have different emotional responses? And we have to recognize the triggers. And when I talk about the type of cumulative stress, we deal with there's the general stresses, which we all have, which are part of life, but also is what we call critical incidence stress.

It's a response of healthy people to an abnormal event. For instance, traumatic experiences, traumatic stress can cause an overexposure to severe overwhelming, frightening and threatening situations that go beyond the normal human experience, such as 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, dealing with the pandemic. So these are the things that now could begin to build accumulative stressors in someone's life.  We see symptoms can be physical. They become emotional, intellectual, behavioral. When properly dealt with most people, recover from critical stress and remain healthy and productive.

But sometimes when we look at the symptoms, if they're lasting four weeks or more, a person’s normal, critical stress reaction may now turn into something much more serious. And so those are the reasons why we have to really be cognizant of our cumulative stress. How do I identify those triggers when they are happening?

The other, thing we look at is, am I paying attention to how it's affecting me in my physical way of living? How about my emotions? Am I now more emotional than I've ever been? Meaning am I now really irritated? And am I balancing my irritation or not being able to recognize it intellectually? Is it affecting me and my ability to think and do the things that I was doing before that deal with intellectual situations?

And then my behavior, is it affecting my thinking emotional behaviors that's causing me to have issues in my work or school or in my daily activities, as well as my personal living? Are those cumulative stressors, now that I'm living in, causing me to be shut down in those ways?

Melanie Cole (Host): Hmm, this is so interesting since so many of us are feeling this right now. How do we recognize it, Tracy? I mean, is there like a medical test because I recently had a cortisol test during my well visit. I said, I want a cortisol test. I want to see if, if my stress that I'm feeling is actually physiologically, affecting my hormone levels.

And I was shocked to find out my cortisol levels were normal, but is this something you recommend? Is there a way for us to identify so that then we can tackle those things and try and, work on those triggers or our self-care and all of those things?

Tracy Daniels: Yes. I believe that to be wholeheartedly true in what you just said, and that is having that exam to see what's going on with our levels. We talk about neurotransmitter, which is what cortisol is, and being able to find out where it lies, because we know when our cortisol levels do not deplete and they continue to grow, it can now affect us in our prefrontal cortex, which now can cause us to have concentration problems, can really affect us in how we are balancing ourselves. So I think it's important that we do sometimes seek the medical part to see what's going on with us, especially when we're feeling out of sorts.

And when we talk about managing our stress, especially how to help lower cumulative stressors, I kind of liken it like this, to manage our stress we need to keep our bucket full. Meaning, be purposeful in replenishing our energy through adequate sleep, healthy diet, exercise, healthy relationships, and hobbies.

You have to be able to wrap those services around like that. Because if we do not know how to really keep our bucket full in those areas, we might end up involuntarily filling our bucket with things that are not healthy, such as sickness or injury. When we have no choice but to sit and rest. These are the factors we look at with accumulative stress is how do we identify the self-care that goes into what we need to make ourselves balanced?

Some of the other ways to combat cumulative stress is to create a daily routine, to help regain a sense of control over you. That's what's important, definitely eating balance and healthy meals. So your diet is so key. How many times do we pay attention to what we're eating, what we're not eating, what we're drinking and what we're not drinking that’s causing us to really have setbacks in our health which can cause accumulation of stress or cumulative stress. So I recommend people go see a Dietitian to really get a good feed on how you're going to do it. Doesn't mean I need to go on a diet or things like that, but just to get the information that can help me that can lower my stressors. You have to get enough rest.

Looking at some studies that I was talking about and in one of the studies I was looking at it, was talking about how people don't get enough sleep. And the average person is currently getting between five to six hours of sleep. I was looking at a sleep study that came out in 2017 that talks about the benefits of really giving support and working through the things that's needed for a healthy living and self-care when it comes to cumulative stress. And I think it's important when we look at that because how much sleep am I getting? Not realizing that sleep is so important to help balance our life, because if we're not sleeping, then it can create all types of things within us that’s unhealthy. Letting our frustration and anger out through safe ways and practices. That could be through the gym, that could be through running. So finding ways to really balance ourselves when we have those emotional responses, avoiding alcohol, of course, and drugs, and really the tobacco part too, because these are factors that can affect us.

Limiting caffeine. If you're a big caffeine drinker, drinking a lot of coffee, you have to look at how those things affect us. I think it's important when we really think about how to deal with these things. Let me give you another big one, Melanie. Cutting off the TV. Not looking at a bunch of things that speak doom and gloom that keep us in mindsets that are negative.

Melanie Cole (Host): Ain't that the truth. I mean, we have to pull back a little and I find myself, Tracy, pulling back. I'll get off social media completely and find myself a little happier in the day than when I go on and doom scroll on these social media sites. And it's like, oh my God, yet another thing and another and another.

And it builds up. I'd like you to really summarize and wrap up for us, Tracy. We could go on about this stuff for a very long time, and it's a great therapy session for us all listeners, because Tracy has some of the best information, but we want your best advice. Now, Tracy, if you're sitting with patients, if people are just listening right now, they want to know what they can do right now to identify and hopefully reduce that cumulative stress in our lives.

Tracy Daniels: You know, the biggest thing, Melanie, I would say is for people to be aware of the impact of their own past experiences on their current functioning. So what's the impact of the things that is built up in my life that I need to stop living in. That's creating the cumulative stress within me. If those things are going on, I definitely need to think about seeking professional help and assistance that can help me if I'm concerned about these reactions. Another big one is don't forecast or fortune tell things that have not happened. Meaning don't speak something over you that is not the truth because when you start doing that, that builds up your worry and it builds up your fear. And now causes cumulative stress that you're operating in to not only get worse, but to grow.

I would say another big factor is we know that anxiety is the number one disorder globally. Pay attention to your anxiety. It doesn't mean you have a disorder, but looking at the symptoms that now you run together that cause accumulative stress to get worse because you're living in a lot of anxious thinking.

First and foremost, get enough sleep. Can't overstress that because when we are sleeping, it helps our body get into homeostasis where now we have a balance and it also helps us to be able to think and to process those things that are coming when we notify them as triggers. So take away, pay attention to your self-care, pay attention to how you don't want to live in something that's not accurate within your life.

And by all means, put the right words with the right symptoms that's happening with you because now you'll be able to address the stress that you have in your life.

Melanie Cole (Host): Wow, what a great summary. And you hit me right on the head there with the worrying about things that haven't happened yet. I mean, I think I've been doing that since I was a child, but now it's like magnified. What a great interview that was. You gave us really, really usable information. I think the only one that I hit really well is the sleep.

I'm a great sleeper. I get lots of sleep, but all of the rest of your advice, Tracy, So important for us all. Thank you so much for joining us in this series with you today. And that concludes this episode of BayCare HealthChat. To learn more about the effects of cumulative stress please visit our website at BayCareBehavioralHealth.org for more information, and to get connected with one of our providers for more health tips and updates, follow us on your social channels. I'm Melanie Cole