Here’s the Real Reason Stress Is Wrecking Your Body - It Starts in Your Mind
Stress Is Killing You Faster Than You Think- Part One
You don’t need a car crash to wreck your health.
You just need stress.
Not even big, dramatic stress.
Just a little bit. Repeated.
Tiny doses, showing up in the background of your day.
All day. Every day. Until your system starts to crack.
Your body’s not broken.
It’s wired for survival.
And stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline?
They’re not your enemies.
They’re your built-in first responders.
They show up fast when something feels threatening - rush blood to your muscles, flood your system with sugar, sharpen your senses so you can run or fight if needed.
It’s smart. It’s efficient. It’s ancient.
And it’s brilliant - for a bear attack!
But terrible for Tuesday mornings.
Terrible when you’re holding back tears while parenting.
Terrible when you’re caregiving with nothing left in the tank.
Terrible when grief, deadlines, bills, and performance are all pressing down and you’re still trying to pretend you’re “fine.”
When stress hits once, your body reacts and resets.
But when the stress never stops?
Your system stays flooded - stuck on high alert.
All. The. Time.
And that’s when real damage begins.
Because chronic stress doesn’t just make you tired.
It reshapes your body from the inside out.
It slows your digestion.
It weakens your immune defenses.
It pauses repair and recovery.
It wears down your arteries.
It floods your cells with sugar until they stop responding.
It actually begins shrinking parts of your brain - especially the areas that regulate memory and emotion.
And your immune system? It gets told to stand down.
Because in survival mode, your body always chooses “right now” over “long-term.”
The thing is, you don’t feel all that at first.
Maybe you just feel wired or exhausted but can’t sleep.
Maybe your gut starts acting up.
You’re more irritable. Cravings spike.
And you tell yourself, “It’s just life.”
But what your body is actually saying is, “We’re burning the walls to keep the lights on.”
And now even Western medicine has a name for it: stress sickness.
That moment when stress doesn’t just cause illness - it becomes The Illness.
Because your body was never built to handle oceans of stress without pause.
It was designed for bursts.
For sprints.
Not endless survival with no finish line.
And if the cycle doesn’t break?
Your body will.
And when that happens you don’t just lose your energy.
You lose your shield.
Your defense.
Your ability to bounce back from the next hit.
But here’s what I need you to hear:
You’re not stuck like this.
You’re not broken.
Your body is still trying to save you - it’s just drowning in false alarms.
And it can heal.
It can shift.
If it gets the right signals.
That’s what we’re about to walk through - step by step, system by system - until your body remembers how to fight for you again.
But before we dive into breathwork and nervous system tools and trauma repair strategies…
We need to start deeper.
Because here’s the part almost no one tells you:
Most of the stress in your life?
It’s not just about what’s happening.
It’s about how you perceive what’s happening.
That’s the real battlefield!
Here’s the truth most people miss:
1. Stress isn’t always the threat. It’s the story you attach to the threat.
It’s not the email that wrecks you.
It’s the belief that you’re already failing.
It’s not your kid crying.
It’s the story that you’re not enough as a mother.
Until you shift the lens, you stay stuck in the loop.
2. Your body can stay in survival mode even when the danger is long gone.
Why? Because your brain doesn’t know the difference between memory and reality.
If you’re reliving old trauma in your head?
Your body reacts like it’s happening now.
That’s not overthinking. That’s over-suffering.
3. You can’t fix stress at the surface if the root is perception.
Yes - breathing helps. Movement helps.
But if you’re still telling yourself you’re not safe, not enough, not allowed to rest?
Your body hears that.
And it listens.
Self-awareness isn’t fluffy. It’s medicine!
The way you see yourself, the way you interpret your life - that’s where healing begins.
So if this resonates - if you’re tired of patching symptoms and ready to deal with the real root of stress - come join my publication.
This is where I’ll share everything I’ve learned in trauma work, holistic health, nervous system repair, and soul-deep leadership.
No fluff. No hacks. No quick-fix hype.
Just real tools. Real stories. Real transformation - grounded in lived experience and cellular truth.
The first 25 people to join will receive a special forever rate.
Not because I’m launching a program.
But because I believe people who say yes to this kind of work early deserve to be honored.
Come be part of something that speaks to your nervous system, your soul, and your deeper knowing.
Next in the series: Chronic Cortisol = Chronic Decay
We’ll look deeper at what stress is doing inside your cells - and how to interrupt the damage before it becomes disease.
Transform To Wellness- Kathleen Thorne RN, LMT (RN3252112/ MA54880)
Such an important message you share here, Kathleen!
"It’s about how you perceive what’s happening."
So all the green juice, dog walks, and spa days won't help if your nervous system is still cranked up and your mind telling you you're not safe.
Looking forward to hearing all your tips from a lifetime helping people breathe into calm.
Kathleen - this is such an important post! You name what so many of us don't always have the language for: that stress isn’t just about our external pressures but also it resides in our inner narratives and survival patterns we carry, often unconsciously.
I especially appreciate how you frame the body’s stress response with such compassion and relate it to something wise that needs help reorienting to. In a world that often encourages us to override and "push through," your work reminds us how important self-awareness is.
Thank you for offering real understanding and real tools. I’m so grateful for voices like yours that honor the complexity of healing while also making it human, accessible and hopeful as well.