Stress – How our survival mechanism became everyday life: ‘I’m OK, just a little stressed’

The Evolutionary Role of Stress

At its core, stress is a survival mechanism. If we go back to our hunter-gatherer ancestors, imagine facing a predator. The moment danger appears, the body activates the stress response to keep us alive.

Here’s how it works:

• Blood sugar rises – Providing quick energy to the brain for fighting or fleeing.
• Blood pressure increases – Delivering more oxygen to enhance focus and reaction time.
• Blood clots more easily – Helping prevent excessive bleeding if injured.
• The amygdala (the brain’s emotional centre) goes on high alert – Making us hyper-vigilant to threats.

This fight-or-flight response allowed our ancestors to survive—and it still operates in us today.

Fast-forward to modern life: Imagine walking alone in the dark, searching for your parked car, and feeling as though someone is following you. In that moment, you’d want to be hyper-vigilant, with extra energy to react. This built-in survival mechanism is a gift from nature, helping us stay safe in moments of perceived danger.

But stress isn’t just about survival. A small amount of stress before an important meeting or presentation can actually be beneficial. It sharpens focus, increases alertness, and provides an extra boost of energy.

When Stress Becomes the Norm

While stress is useful in short bursts, it becomes harmful when it never switches off. Why has it become the norm that when you ask someone how they’re doing, they say, “I’m OK, just a little stressed”? When stress shifts from an occasional response to a constant state, it starts to take a toll on the body.

• Chronically high blood sugar can lead to belly fat and type 2 diabetes.
• Consistently high blood pressure strains the heart, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
• Ongoing hyper-vigilance can cause anxiety, burnout, and emotional exhaustion.

So, how do we manage stress before it manages us?

Micro-Stress

Let’s break down a typical day:

• You wake up to an alarm – the first micro-stress.
• You check social media – another micro-stress.
• You’re late for work, stuck in traffic, and your usual parking spot is taken.
• The first email you check at the office isn’t what you wanted to see.
• Then, someone says “hi” to you, and you overreact.

That person didn’t cause your reaction—it was the build-up of micro-stresses throughout the day.

Solution?

We can’t eliminate alarms or disconnect from social media entirely, but we can use tools to manage these stressors.

For example, around 80% of office workers change the way they breathe when checking emails—their breath becomes shallow, signaling to the brain that there’s danger. This type of chest breathing triggers a stress response. However, we can hack this system by changing our breathing. Slowing it down sends calming signals to the body instead of stress signals.

One method is box breathing:

1. Inhale for 4 seconds.
2. Hold for 4 seconds.
3. Exhale for 4 seconds.
4. Hold again for 4 seconds.

Using this technique throughout the day can stop micro-stresses from building up.

Other Helpful Practices

• Regular Exercise – Every movement counts. Our ancestors’ stress response was all about action—fighting or fleeing. Use this mechanism at the gym: channel that surge of energy into your workout to burn off stress hormones and turn tension into a productive tool for your body.
• Keeping a Diary – Journaling is a powerful stress-relief tool. Writing about your struggles helps process emotions, while noting what you’re grateful for shifts your focus to the positives. This practice provides an emotional outlet and helps manage stress over time—almost like self-therapy.
• Sleep – We keep coming back to sleep because it’s the foundation of a balanced life. Sleep helps reset your body and mind after a stressful day, regulating stress hormones and restoring energy. It strengthens resilience, allowing you to face challenges with a clearer mind and a calmer outlook.

Summary

As with all wellbeing strategies, it’s essential to first understand what we’re dealing with and why. By reflecting on where stress comes from—recognizing it as a survival tool and understanding when it’s helpful versus when it becomes harmful—I hope this insight helps you too.

Stress is a natural part of life, but with awareness and the right tools, we can manage it, rather than being overwhelmed by it.

Discover: Patrycja Zuber 

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