Participants:
Series Code: TIJ
Program Code: TIJ007107S
|
00:40 In today's hectic and demanding society we often find ourselves
00:44 feeling overwhelmed, anxious, and stressed. 00:48 It's reported that over a quarter of the population 00:51 are suffering from serious stress at any time and 51% 00:56 of adults who felt stress reported feeling depressed 01:00 and 61% reported feeling anxious. 01:04 Of the people who said they felt stressed at some point 01:07 in their lives 16% had self- harm and 32% said they've had 01:14 suicidal thoughts and feelings. 01:16 These are alarming statistics, stress is a big issue 01:22 in our lives. The triggers of stress may be small 01:26 or it may be a huge event in our lives, it can come from 01:30 one or many possible sources and overcoming stress 01:34 can be difficult. And if this stress is ongoing or chronic, 01:39 it can slowly drain away our joy in life, our energy and 01:44 our feelings of purpose and fulfillment. 01:46 When the body finds stress debilitating, 01:49 when it cannot handle the emotional overload of conflict 01:53 and stress, it simply lets us know by not functioning 01:57 at its best. 01:58 We may feel tired and fatigued, we may try to find ways to 02:03 help ourselves or even look for an escape. 02:06 But is there a way to handle stress in our lives? 02:10 And if so, what is the best way to deal with stress? 02:15 Well join me as we chat with Dr. Delia McCabe 02:19 a Specialist in Nutritional Neuroscience who's going to 02:23 share with us what is happening in our bodies and 02:25 brains when we are stressed. 02:43 Stress, it's something we all experience 02:47 it can come from conflict in our relationships, 02:50 both family and friends, our health, our finances, 02:54 our school or workplace. 02:56 It's all around us and we all want to know the best way 03:01 to deal with the stress in our lives. 03:04 Our guest today Dr. Delia McCabe is a psychologist 03:09 a neuroscientist who is focused on nutrition and the brain 03:13 for over two decades. Delia holds a PhD from Adelaide Medical 03:18 School and is the author of two successful books. 03:22 Delia, welcome to our program today. 03:25 We are delighted that you can be with us to share your 03:27 latest research on how our brains deal with stress 03:31 and the best way to cope with it. 03:33 I'm delighted to be here, thank you Gary. 03:36 So, let's get right to the heart of the topic, what is stress? 03:40 Well, firstly Gary, stress isn't all bad, 03:43 if we didn't have stress, we wouldn't be here today. 03:46 Good stress gets us out of bed and keeps us motivated to 03:49 pursue our goals and helps us live a good life. 03:52 The bad kind of stress is an insidious stress a stress that 03:56 lasts for a long period of time. 03:58 So let's use an example. Imagine if we were wondering 04:01 through the forest, it's a beautiful day 04:03 the sun is shining, the birds are singing and we're having 04:06 a lovely chat, but suddenly we hear a rustle in the bushes 04:10 and before we can think about it, we are running away from 04:13 that sound to get away from a possible threat 04:17 which could have been a tiger. 04:18 Now the stress response was only supposed to last from 04:22 between 30 to 60 seconds, it was the tiger either got you 04:27 in that time frame or otherwise you escaped the tiger 04:30 and you didn't need to have that stress anymore. 04:33 But in today's world, our over- whelming very complicated world 04:38 that stress response is lasting a whole lot longer than 30 to 60 04:42 seconds and then we call it chronic stress. 04:45 It's going on for a long period of time and it's causing 04:48 a lot of problems in our body and in our brains and 04:51 we call that a psychological stress but it has the same 04:55 effect on our body as if we were busy running away 04:58 from a tiger. 04:59 So, what actually happens in our body and our brain 05:03 when we feel stressed? 05:04 It's interesting because there are a lot of things that happen 05:08 very very quickly. 05:09 So within the brain our hypothalamus quickly talks to 05:13 our memory to say, have we felt this stress before? 05:17 Then the message goes to the pituitary gland which then 05:20 tells the adrenal gland to pump out adrenalin which then tells 05:24 glucose to be sent to our muscles to run away or fight 05:29 the tiger, we call that the HPA Axis 05:36 So it's a little bit complicated but the primary aim is to get 05:39 us away from that threat. 05:40 The challenges today are threats are all psychological 05:44 most of us are not running away from tigers, 05:47 and it's an insidious, ongoing slow burn of adrenalin or 05:51 and cortisol which are our stress hormones which cause 05:55 so much damage. 05:56 So Delia, how does stress affect what we eat? 05:59 Well, when you think about what stress is getting us to do 06:03 run away from a tiger, what most people do is 06:06 reach for something that will give them a quick rise in 06:09 blood glucose and then become accustomed to doing that. 06:12 That becomes a habit. So, that's lollies, carbonated 06:17 drinks with lots of sugar in them, coffee gives a jolt of 06:20 energy and other highly refined and processed foods 06:24 when that becomes a habit, 06:26 the blood glucose becomes very very unstable 06:28 and then you set up another stress response because 06:32 the body responds in a stressful way when our blood glucose 06:36 becomes unbalanced as well. 06:38 So it's like a double negative in relation to what happens 06:42 in the body and why people choose highly processed foods. 06:46 Because guess what, the highly processed foods are quickly 06:49 absorbed and then the person needs another energy hit. 06:51 So are the nutrients that we run out of when we feel stressed 06:55 all the time. Absolutely, what most people don't realize Gary 06:59 that stress is very very expensive from a nutritional 07:02 perspective because adrenalin and cortisol demand nutrients 07:06 to be synthesized to be created and many of those nutrients 07:10 are the same nutrients that are required for energy production. 07:13 That's why when people feel stressed all the time 07:16 they also feel very tired because the body and brain 07:20 is prioritizing survival, the stress hormone production 07:24 over energy production. 07:26 So we end up being deficient in, for example, B Vitamins, 07:29 Vitamin C, Magnesium, Zinc, Selenium, many of those nutrients 07:36 that are not in processed food. So you can see the perfect 07:40 storm here. Chronic stress leads to a desire for highly processed 07:43 foods that lead to a quick rise in blood glucose and increased 07:47 stress but don't contain the nutrients like for example, 07:51 we have around us in this kitchen these superfoods. 07:54 These are whole foods that have a lot of fiber 07:57 in them which looks after the gut, they are full of the 07:59 nutrients required to make both stress hormones and the 08:04 neurotransmitters that we need to stay calm and help the brain 08:07 function well. 08:09 People don't understand that when we are really stressed 08:13 the demand for nutrients goes up because we need to keep on 08:16 making these stress hormones but in the same way we also 08:20 still need those nutrients to make serotonin and melatonin 08:24 which helps us go to sleep. 08:25 So there's a very important reason why when we are really 08:30 stressed our diet even needs to be better than under 08:33 normal circumstances. 08:34 Now when you say better, you mean more of these natural 08:38 plant-based foods they provide the best nutrients to assist us 08:43 when we are under stress. 08:45 Yes, and the important thing to keep in mind, these are not 08:49 just nutrients for our brain, they are also nutrients 08:52 for our body because our body is also under extra pressure 08:56 when we are stressed. We know that stress leads to things 08:59 like cardiovascular disease, Type II diabetes, and 09:01 other health challenges including putting on weight. 09:04 So we are nourishing whole body and our brain when we 09:09 under chronic stress eating this way. 09:11 Delia, why do people put on weight when they are stressed? 09:15 Well, the first obvious answer is that they naturally gravitate 09:19 to highly refined foods that don't keep them full for 09:22 very long but are full of dead and nutrient deficient calories 09:26 so they eat more other kinds of food that lead to weight gain. 09:30 The second reason is a little bit more insidious, 09:33 because when blood glucose rises and dips a lot 09:38 what happens is that the body says to itself, 09:41 this person is having a bit of a challenge maybe they're 09:45 going to run out of food and then the body start storing 09:48 any excess carbohydrates as fat and most people 09:51 don't realize that's a simple biochemical response that happens 09:56 from too much-refined foods, too much stress and 09:59 blood glucose going haywire, but the third reason is 10:03 really rather sobering and the reason why a lot of the fat 10:06 that people put on gravitates to our belly region. 10:10 Cortisol is a very insidious and sneaky stress hormone 10:14 because what it does, it also stimulates the release of 10:18 specific enzymes that tell the body to store fat. 10:22 And because there are four times more cortisol receptors in our 10:25 belly region, we end up with more fat gravitating to 10:29 that area. It's like our belly region is a magnet for fat 10:34 when we are experiencing chronic stress. 10:36 So those are three reasons why people naturally start putting 10:40 on weight when they are stressed. 10:42 A psychological reason is because when people are really 10:45 stressed, they are looking for comfort and they're looking for 10:48 feeling good from an emotional perspective. 10:50 And often they gravitate to foods that lead them to 10:53 feel that sense of comfort. 10:55 The challenge is that many of those foods, 10:58 especially the highly refined very sugary foods also lead 11:02 to something very interesting happening in the body, 11:04 this is the release of endogenous opioids. 11:08 These are natural compounds that the body makes to 11:11 calm us down. So for example, you're really stressed, 11:16 you feel uptight, you can't control the circumstances 11:19 you are in, you feel overwhelmed and what do you do? 11:22 You gravitate to something highly refined because you need 11:25 energy, but you also want to calm down. 11:28 And these kinds of food lead to a natural reduction in that 11:32 cortisol response. So people become addicted to those kinds 11:36 of foods because it leads them to feel calm and relaxed 11:40 they don't realize it's happening but it's actually 11:44 happening unlimited. 11:45 Does stress have any impact on our digestion? 11:48 Yes, definitely. When you are busy running away from a tiger 11:52 you feel threatened all the time. 11:53 Your body doesn't have time to digest food, it's too busy 11:56 trying to get you away from that threat. 11:58 So all those beautiful digestive enzymes that should be 12:01 functioning and digesting and helping the absorption of the 12:04 food stop working well. The gut bacterial become 12:08 compromised because Cortisol affects their production, 12:11 their proliferation, and it effects how healthy they keep 12:15 that beautiful gut wall, so stress definitely impacts 12:19 our digestion. It can stop and many people report feeling much 12:24 more sensations of bloatedness', having the incapacity to have 12:30 the food move through their body just battling generally to 12:33 digest their food simply because stress says, hold on a second, 12:37 gut health doesn't matter, getting away from the tiger 12:40 is the priority. 12:41 Delia, is the damage caused by stress limited to digestion? 12:48 Absolutely not. Unfortunately all this production of the 12:52 stress hormones adrenalin and cortisol impact our 12:55 endocrine system which is our hormonal system as well. 12:59 It basically stops our hormonal system from functioning optimally 13:02 so women will find themselves really battling when their 13:06 in their reproductive years with hormone fluctuations 13:09 and challenges in that area. Perimenopause and menopausal 13:13 will start battling as well and men even start battling with 13:17 their levels of testosterone simply because cortisol is 13:20 the major disruptor of how the endocrine system functions. 13:24 Now when the endocrine system is messed with 13:28 it also affects sleep and I'll just step back for a moment 13:31 to give you an example of the complexity of this process. 13:34 When we experience a lot of stress, for example 13:38 women's estrogen production is impacted because serotonin 13:43 and estrogen work together. 13:44 So that mean that the capacity to feel calm and relaxed, 13:48 the capacity to fall asleep and the capacity to synthesize 13:52 melatonin which comes from serotonin is negatively 13:55 compromised and there's progesterone, progesterone 13:58 also fluctuates during the month but becomes impaired 14:02 in that fluctuation when cortisol is present 14:05 and that means that the neurotransmitter GABA, 14:08 Gamma-aminobutyric acid is also impacted and we need that 14:13 neurotransmitter to help us feel calm and relaxed. 14:15 So those are just two examples of what happens when Cortisol 14:19 gets into the mix. That impacts sleep directly because now 14:25 don't have serotonin being synthesized optimally 14:28 or melatonin, so we are not sleeping well. 14:31 And we are also not sleeping well because we've got 14:33 too many things going on in our head, you know we've got 14:35 those thoughts that go around and around. 14:37 So we have this perfect storm of a hormonal imbalance 14:41 and too much cortisol and the psychological input of this 14:45 overwhelming stress that we feel that's making us lie awake 14:49 at night and stare at the ceiling. 14:51 So, this ongoing chronic stress has a really very negative 14:55 insidious effect on every single one of our cells not just 14:58 on our brain. 15:00 Is there anything else that happens to our brain when 15:03 we are chronically stressed? 15:05 Unfortunately Gary, yes, something very insidious happens 15:08 in our brain when we experience chronic stress. 15:11 That ongoing cortisol synthesis actually starts changing 15:15 in the structure of part of our brain called the limbic system. 15:19 That part of our brain becomes incapable of keeping our emotions 15:23 balanced and this is where anxiety and depression sticks in 15:28 so, the structure of the brain starts shifting and people 15:33 find it really really difficult to feel upbeat and happy. 15:36 They start worrying a lot more and feel anxious 15:39 about everything and they just 15:40 generally feel low in mood and that's because 15:44 of what cortisol is doing to the actual structure of the brain. 15:47 So ongoing stress is a really really scary thing 15:51 because of all the things it does to our endocrine system 15:54 to our sleep and to this very very important part of our brain 15:59 that balances our emotions. 16:00 So I am not at all surprised that anxiety and depression 16:04 rate s are skyrocketing. 16:05 We live in a very complex world, where a lot of people feel 16:08 out of control and a lot are overwhelmed is present 16:12 so the brain adjusts to that ongoing chronic stress 16:16 was changing the way if deals with our emotions. 16:20 Is this then why people end up feeling exhausted after 16:24 long periods of stress? 16:26 Yes, they do, because not just don't they have enough nutrients 16:30 to be able produce energy from a normal perspective 16:35 they're using loads and loads of nutrients to produce these 16:38 stress hormones, but it's also exhausting dragging yourself 16:43 around when you feel depressed and anxious. 16:45 You know you are spending a lot of energy in trying to 16:47 appear normal, to try to do all of the things you need to do 16:50 to try to function fully in the world and people end up 16:55 just feeling shattered. 16:56 So this is why people have the feeling of being burned out. 16:59 They just wait for Friday and the weekend. 17:02 They just can't drag themselves out of bed anymore. 17:04 But it's not just the nutrients that they're lacking they're 17:06 also lacking the capacity to shop as their best selves 17:10 because they're battling from and emotional perspective. 17:13 Delia, you mentioned highly- refined and processed foods 17:17 that we tend to gravitate to when we are under a lot of 17:20 stress. What about these foods, the natural foods? 17:24 How do they affect our stress levels, how do they impact 17:29 us when we are under stress? 17:30 Well, Gary, that's a great question because these foods 17:33 are full of unrefined carbohydrates that got 17:37 good protein in them and you got great fats here. 17:39 We've got flax seed, hemp seed, chia seeds, beautiful stuff 17:43 that the brain needs for its's structure and function. 17:45 We need great carbohydrates to provide energy for the brain. 17:49 Now remember when the brain is running on chronic stress 17:52 all the time, it's needing extra energy and extra nutrients 17:55 so we are providing the energy here and we are also 17:58 providing the nutrients. 18:00 One of the biggest mistakes that people make when they are 18:04 under stress is they believe that the high cholesterol levels 18:09 are related to something that has nothing to do with stress. 18:14 Let's just get something really really clear. 18:16 To be able to synthesize Cortosol the body needs 18:20 cholesterol, cholesterol is the raw material of cortisol 18:25 so what happens when we are very stressed? 18:27 The body has create more cholesterol so that it can 18:31 create cortisol. Now what counteracts that? 18:34 Fiber, fiber counteracts that because if we don't have enough 18:39 fiber, we end up reabsorbing the cholesterol that we 18:43 producing and we end up with high cholesterol levels. 18:46 So these foods don't just provide all the nutrients for 18:50 the brain to function well you know how to make 18:52 neurotransmitters and the structure. 18:54 They're providing fantastic energy 18:56 to keep the blood glucose stable which we want 18:59 especially when we are under stress. 19:01 They're providing loads of vitamin C which we use up in 19:04 vast quantities both in our brain and in our adrenal glands 19:08 when are stressed and they are providing fiber which makes sure 19:11 that the excess cholesterol that we eat synthesizing gets 19:15 washed out of our bowel. 19:16 So these kinds of super-foods really nourish the brain 19:21 at a very very deep level regardless of stress. 19:24 But when stress is present they do even a better job because 19:29 they're supplying everything the brain needs to create 19:31 the stress hormones and to allow us to feel calm and 19:35 relaxed by things like serotonin and melatonin. 19:38 So, it's a rather simple way to deal with our stress or 19:43 one of the ways that we can deal with our stress is simply 19:46 by making sure we eat a lot of natural plant-based foods. 19:50 Yes, because then we can make both stress hormones which we 19:53 absolutely need but we can also make the neurotransmitters 19:57 that we need to calm us down and allow us to sleep and 20:00 allow us to think clearly. 20:01 And guess what? We make better decisions when we eat 20:04 these kinds of foods and that's one of the things we also need 20:07 to focus on, what else can we do to help us cope in this 20:11 really stressful world? 20:12 What's the answer? 20:14 What else can we do? 20:15 One of the things that I teach people to do is to really 20:18 really be very very sure about what their values are. 20:21 When we know what our values are we know what to prioritize. 20:26 Then we know what to ignore, what's happening to people 20:30 in today's world, it is a very complicated and sophisticated 20:33 society that we've all created and there's so much to 20:36 pay attention to. When we try and pay attention to everything, 20:40 what happens is that we lose sight of our goals, 20:43 we lose sight of what drives us, what gives us meaning and so we 20:48 start prioritizing everything. 20:49 One of the biggest problems and the feeling 20:52 that people have associated with stress is not having enough 20:55 time. When you know what your values are, 20:57 you know what your priorities are and you focus on those. 21:00 You're not watching the news full of bad stories, 21:03 you're not focusing on what negative people have to say. 21:06 You are focused on making your world and a better world 21:09 and just with that simple mindset shift, we reduce 21:13 our stress enormously. 21:15 So, do you have any other tips for dealing with stress? 21:19 Surely you've got some top tips. 21:21 I do, one of them is rarely rarely focusing on sleep. 21:24 You know, when we sleep our brain cleans itself 21:27 and if we're not getting enough sleep, when we wake up 21:29 in the morning we're not refreshed, we're dragging 21:31 ourselves around because our brain is really tired. 21:34 So focusing on sleep is very important and that automatically 21:37 means no news watching at night. 21:40 Switching off having sleep triggers like smelling some 21:44 Lavender Oil, making sure you are reading a calm relaxing book 21:47 at night. Not a book of mayhem and chaos. 21:50 Make sure you have a bath, maybe with some magnesium 21:53 flakes in it just to relax your body because you see, 21:56 we need to handle stress both from the psychological and 22:00 physiological perspective so it needs to be a mindset shift 22:03 and we need to supply our brain with what it needs 22:05 to be able to function really well. 22:07 But another thing that I tell people that are really feeling 22:11 completely overwhelmed, is to do a brain dump. 22:15 Get a big piece of paper and write down every single thing 22:19 that is bothering them from beginning to end 22:23 a huge brain dump of the problems and then what they do 22:27 is sift through those problems, you need maybe an hour or two. 22:30 And then put two columns down on a piece of paper and everything 22:34 that can control, they write in the I can control column 22:38 and everything that they can't control, they ignore 22:41 and they tear up that mind dump piece of paper 22:44 and they only focus on what they can control. 22:47 And you see, something interesting happens here, Gary 22:50 because if you've done the values assessment first, 22:53 you know what your values are and suddenly it becomes a lot 22:56 clearer about what you can control and what you need to 22:59 prioritize. So we need to feed our brain and body these 23:03 kinds of foods, these super- foods, we also need to get 23:05 our minds set right. 23:07 Delia, it's been a pleasure to have you on our program 23:11 today and you've certainly lots of food for thought. 23:15 Much to think about, love those tips that you shared with us 23:19 so thank you very much and I'd like to take this opportunity 23:22 to wish you all the very best in your future endeavors. 23:25 Thank you very much. Thank you so much, Gary, 23:27 it was a delight. 23:29 Stress can come from anywhere at any time, work, family, 23:35 finances, school, relationships, conflict, or loss of a loved one. 23:41 In fact, just about anything can be a source of anxiety 23:45 in your daily life and during times of uncertainty 23:49 and stress, life can even seem more overwhelming 23:53 than ever. We all try to find ways to ease our fears and 23:58 deal with stress during tough times. 24:00 Some may turn to medicine, others therapy, meditation, 24:05 or others pray to God and read the Bible to ease their 24:09 anxiety. Let's see how two Bible characters dealt with 24:14 stressful situations. 24:15 Jonah, a prophet of God was to deliver a message to the people 24:20 of Nineveh the capital of Assyria. 24:23 Jonah was afraid to go to Nineveh, he was unwilling 24:27 to deliver the message. Was stressed out about how 24:31 he would be received and so decided to run away on a ship 24:34 bound for Tarshish a place in the opposite direction. 24:38 During a terrible storm on the sea, the sailors were afraid 24:43 Jonah told them that he was running away from God 24:47 so he should be thrown overboard into the sea. 24:50 It was in Jonah's darkest hour in a most stressful circumstance 24:56 in the belly of a whale that he said this. 25:05 In his time of great stress and anxiety when those 25:09 stress levels were right up Jonah found comfort and peace 25:13 by praying to God. 25:15 David also knew about stress. He had conflicts with King Saul, 25:21 battles with neighboring nations, and the pressures of 25:25 leading his own people. 25:26 The Psalms written by the shepherd boy who became 25:30 King David are full of references of turning to God 25:35 seeking Him and finding Him in times of conflict 25:38 and intense stress. 25:52 And how about this one? 25:59 So, David also found that spending time with God 26:03 and speaking to Him in prayer, brought peace and comfort. 26:08 Stress places a huge demand on our bodies and on our faith 26:12 in God at times. But God can use the stress in our lives 26:17 to strengthen our trust in Him. God is always there 26:21 always watching over us, all we have to do is ask Him 26:25 for help. 26:28 If you would like to find out more about how stress affects 26:32 the brain and ways that we can find faith in God, 26:36 then I'd like to recommend the free gift we have for all our 26:41 Incredible Journey viewers today. 26:43 It's the booklet introduction to Stress Solutions. 26:47 This booklet is our gift to you and is absolutely free, 26:51 I guarantee, there are no costs or obligations whatsoever. 26:55 So make the most of this wonderful opportunity to receive 26:59 your free gift today. Phone or text 0436.333.555 in Australia, 27:08 or 020.422.2024 in New Zealand, or 770.800.0266 in the 27:18 United States or visit our website tij.tv or simply scan 27:24 the QR Code on your screen and we'll send you today's 27:28 free offer totally free of charge and with no obligation. 27:31 You can also write to us at the addresses on you screen 27:35 or email us at info@tij.tv. Don't delay call or text us now. 27:42 Be sure to join us again next week when we will share another 27:47 of life's journeys together. 27:49 Until then, let's pray to the great God who created us 27:54 and who provides us peace in our busy lives. 27:58 Dear Heavenly Father, We thank you that we can 28:01 reach out to you in the stressful times in our lives 28:04 when our hearts are troubled, when our minds are in turmoil 28:08 and we are overwhelmed. Grant us your peace 28:12 and give us the strength to follow your ways. 28:14 In Jesus Name we pray. Amen! |
Revised 2024-11-06