Chronic Stress and Cortisol: The Hidden Damage to Your Body and Mind (And How I Fought Back)
Stress Is Killing You Faster Than You Think- Part Two
What Chronic Stress and Cortisol Are Doing to Your Body and Why You Might Not Know It
You might think it’s just exhaustion.
Just aging.
Just the way life feels these days.
You’re not bouncing back like you used to.
Sleep feels broken.
Your brain is foggy, your gut is off, your patience is thin.
You can’t concentrate, and the things that used to light you up now feel more like a burden than a gift.
You’ve told yourself this is normal.
But your body knows something’s wrong.
Now - maybe you’re past that point.
Maybe you do know this is more than “busy life.”
Maybe you’ve been to the doctor. Had some labs. Done the research.
You know stress is part of the problem, but now the question becomes:
“Okay, now what”?
What do I do with this information”?
That’s where this article comes in.
Because I’ve been there.
Not in theory - in my blood, my labs, my nervous system.
Let me tell you a story…
We started with a saliva cortisol test and the results lit up like a warning flare.
My cortisol was dysregulated. High at night, flat in the morning.
My body had lost its rhythm. My nervous system was stuck in trauma.
It wasn’t recovering. It was just surviving.
Then the bloodwork came back.
DHEA: six!
That’s not adrenal fatigue - that’s adrenal exhaustion!
That’s your body waving a white flag.
We tried oral DHEA - too stimulating.
Topical - still too much.
What helped, slowly and gently, was pregnenolone - the precursor.
It started to nudge the numbers upward.
But the real shift didn’t come from supplements.
It came from asking:
“What’s keeping my body in fight-or-flight”?
“What am I still perceiving as a threat, every single day”?
Because that’s what chronic cortisol does.
It hijacks your system.
It tells your body: survival first, repair later.
And it steals from everything else to keep that survival state running.
We call it cortisol steal - and it means your body is siphoning resources away from vital hormones like DHEA and testosterone just to keep you braced for disaster.
The result?
Sleep disruption
Brain fog
Anxiety and depression
Muscle loss
Low sex drive
Weight gain, especially around the belly
Gut dysfunction
And immune suppression so deep, you get sick more often and heal more slowly when you do
So what do you do when stress becomes your baseline?
First: You start with perception.
Your body doesn’t just react to what’s happening.
It reacts to how you perceive what’s happening.
If you believe you’re failing, your stress response will stay lit.
If your internal dialogue is “keep pushing,” your hormones will stay jacked.
If your nervous system has never learned what “safe” actually feels like it won’t know how to turn off the alarm.
This is why self-awareness isn’t just a “nice idea”.
It’s medicine.
You must start seeing your stress - not just feeling it.
Notice the cues: shallow breath, tight jaw, tension behind the eyes.
Name the story: “I’m not allowed to rest” or “I have to hold it all”.
Interrupt the loop - with a pause, a breath, a choice.
Second: Support your body like it’s under siege - because it is.
Here’s what I recommend as foundational supports for stress-related hormonal depletion:
Adaptogens:
Ashwagandha, holy basil - help regulate cortisol and rebuild adrenal function.
Healthy fats:
Avocado oil, coconut oil, wild-caught fish — feed hormone production and stabilize energy. I cook with coconut oil and do just about everything with coconut oil including recipes.
Key nutrients:
Zinc and vitamin D - essential for testosterone and immune balance.
Magnesium (especially glycinate or threonate) for nervous system repair.
Collagen + bone broth:
Repair the gut lining, nourish the adrenal glands, and calm inflammation.
Movement:
Gentle, rhythmic movement - walks, yoga, slow strength training.
Avoid overtraining ‼️ (it spikes cortisol even more).
Sleep hygiene:
Protect sleep like your life depends on it - because it does. It’s not the amount of sleep. 6 -8 hours is not accurate, it is the quality of sleep.
Darkness, cool temps, screen cut-off, calming bedtime routines.
Nervous system regulation:
Breathwork (slow, diaphragmatic).
Vagal toning (humming, cold exposure, social safety).
Mindful pauses throughout the day.
If you’re deep in this - labs, hormones, support - you deserve care tailored to your system.
This isn’t theory. This is lived experience.
I’ve been where you are - exhausted, foggy, inflamed, and told “everything looks fine”.
But it wasn’t fine.
My labs proved it.
My body knew it.
And healing didn’t come from a supplement. It came from understanding what stress was really doing - and rebuilding from the inside out.
Since then, I’ve helped thousands of others walk that same path.
Root-cause healing. Nervous system repair. Hormonal recalibration. Real results - not bandaids.
If you’re ready to stop chasing quick fixes and start healing for real — I’m right here.
Let’s do this together! I am here…
Up Next…
We go deeper into that fight-or-flight wiring.
Where it came from.
Why it hijacks you in the middle of an average Tuesday.
And how to finally start shutting off the alarm.
Day 3: Fight-or-Flight: Good for Lions, Bad for Thursdays.
You’re going to learn exactly why your nervous system overreacts and how to start flipping the switch from fear to safety.
We’re just getting started.
And your biology?
It’s listening.
Empowering you to be self-reliant with proven, holistic strategies that target the root cause - not just the symptoms - to transform your energy, clarity, and health. Real solutions, no nonsense, transforming health for you and your family.
Kathleen Thorne RN, LMT
Transform To Wellness- Kathleen Thorne RN, LMT (RN3252112/ MA54880)
Thank you! And we need to continue to spread these messages and reminders while the most gentle, loving, and do it now! For the wellbeing of all humanity.
Kathleen - This is such a needed piece. Thank you for sharing your story and clinical insight with such clarity and care.
As a psychologist focused on health and wellness, I deeply appreciate how you bridge lived experience with science. You name what so many miss: that chronic stress and cortisol dysregulation often go undetected until the body waves that white flag.
Your framing of perception as central to healing is especially resonant. In my own work, I’ve seen how the nervous system can't truly recalibrate until it knows what safety feels like. And I love how you root healing in deep restoration related to physical, emotional and your nervous system on the whole.
Thank you for being a voice of real, grounded, holistic healing.