Stress: the invisible harm draining our mental health
- chloe67523
- Apr 22
- 7 min read
Often hidden and ignored, whether it's minor or not, stress is a universal phenomenon that is part of everyone's daily life.
What do we really know about its mechanisms of action and effects?
Some figures
Stress affects a large majority of the world's population. Although this is a natural phenomenon, it has been increasing at a worrying rate in recent years: the ‘health epidemic of the 21st century’ now affects almost 89% of French people, and 38% of them have experienced an increase over the last 3 years.
What is stress?
Stress: primitive reflex or public enemy number 1?
And why not both?
Stress is a natural response in our bodies, initially designed to help us react to potentially dangerous or difficult situations, known as ‘stressors’.
Stress involves both our body and our mind, forming a series of physical and physiological reactions that enable us to respond. And because life is not all black and white, stress cannot be considered fundamentally ‘good’ or ‘bad’.
What's more, we are not all equal when it comes to stress, and our reactions will vary depending on several factors (environment, personality, experiences, etc.).
Although stress is an instinctive reaction necessary to survive, it can become problematic when it becomes excessive or persistent.
Stress mechanism in our bodies
Did you know that stress is deeply anchored in the human evolutionary pattern?
Originally, stress enabled our ancestors to run away from or fight off a potential predator.
It resulted in:
A rush of adrenaline
An increase in heart rate
An increase in blood pressure
Mobilisation of muscles
All of which helped to increase the speed and strength needed to survive.
In animals, it's still ‘fight or flee’. For humans, the dangers have changed - less bite, more commute-job-sleep (or not!) - but stress still works the old-fashioned way, with three specific phases.
And then ?
If the stress is overcome in a positive way, for instance when your job interview is over and went well, then your body will go through a phase of slowing down, which consists of regulating hormonal secretions (adrenaline, endorphin, cortisol, dopamine) to return to ‘normal’ levels. Your heartbeat and breathing also return to their normal rhythm.
This ‘relaxation’ phase will also result in a feeling of tiredness, which naturally subsides after appropriate rest. The body will gradually regain its tranquillity, tension and alertness will decrease and the mind will become calmer.
Acute or chronic: the two sides of stress
Stress, although often perceived in a global sense, manifests itself in two very distinct forms: acute stress and chronic stress.
Identifying them and understanding their differences is essential if we are to apprehend their respective impacts on our well-being and act accordingly.
Acute stress can occur in both positive and negative situations. However, when it persists daily, it becomes chronic stress and can have multiple consequences for our physical and mental well-being.
IIt is therefore essential to identify the causes of this stress to manage it better and avoid its consequences, which can sometimes be harmful.
Where is it coming from?
Before analysing the consequences of stress, it's important to realise that it has many causes. Stress can be triggered by a multitude of factors (stressors):
Major life events (job loss, death, moving house, divorce...)
Daily life (overwork, lack of sleep, financial difficulties, relationship problems)
However, we usually think that stress is only triggered by negative situations. SPOILER ALERT: this is not always true. What about a promotion, a wedding or the arrival of a child?
These are all events that can cause stress as they require a certain level of adaptation. Finally, it's important to note that stress is ‘subjective’: what's stressful for one person may not be for another. The key is to be aware that the reactions of others to stress can differ from ours..
Stress and mental health, closely linked
The consequences of stress on our health
Long-term stress can lead to a range of health problems, including mental health issues.
Stress-related health problems are not systematic, but they can occur in cases of chronic stress, depending on individual history and predisposition. People with a family history and/or an unbalanced lifestyle will be more exposed to disorders such as heart disease, diabetes or hypertension.
Although stress is not the only cause of these illnesses, it often exacerbates them. A 2004 study showed that stress almost doubles (x2.5) the risk of heart attack, by promoting high blood pressure, high cholesterol and angina pectoris. Another study points out that prolonged stress weakens the immune response, making the body more vulnerable to infection.
What about brain?
Extended exposure to high levels of cortisol in response to stress can have a significant and deleterious effect on the brain, affecting its structure, role and function. This influence is moderated by complex neurobiological mechanisms involving stress hormones, neurotransmitters and neuronal plasticity processes.
Stress-induced functional and structural changes in specific brain regions (hippocampus, amygdala, prefrontal cortex) can lead to:
🧠 Memory troubles: difficulty remembering information or concentrating.
Stress can affect the hippocampus, a region of the brain essential for memory and learning. A study has shown that chronic stress can reduce the size of the hippocampus, leading to memory and concentration problems.
😔 Difficulties in managing emotions: irritability, increased anxiety, risk of depression.
Stress can make the amygdala, the region of the brain involved in processing emotions, more sensitive. This can lead to increased levels of fear, anxiety and panic reactions.
🧍 Social isolation: tendency to withdraw from others because of anxiety or depression. Social isolation can worsen stress symptoms and create a vicious circle that is difficult to overcome.
These chronic stress-related disorders can interfere with daily activities, interpersonal relationships and overall quality of life.
Stress, an enemy of mental health?
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), mental health is defined as a state of well-being that enables people to fulfil their potential, cope with life's ups and downs, be productive and maintain healthy relationships with others. Chronic stress, which is becoming increasingly common, upsets this balance by affecting the mind, body and social interactions. Reduced motivation, mental fatigue, insomnia, irritability, emotional distance, isolation... The problem is so alarming that the French government has made mental health a ‘major national concern for 2025’, under the slogan ‘Parlons santé mentale’ (‘Let's talk about mental health’). The French are among the highest consumers of psychotropic drugs in the world.
Alright, so what do we do?
The first step is to find the source 🔍
To handle it successfully, we need to be aware that we are under stress, and to identify whether this stress is acute or chronic and its cause. Working on our way of seeing things and learning to ‘play down’ some situations can be of great benefit. Accepting that it's not always possible to control certain situations allows us to put things into perspective and focus on concrete actions to reduce the stress that makes our daily lives worse.
🚴 Did you think about physical activity?
We can't say it enough! We're not talking about running 10 km every single day when you hate it, but regular and appropriate physical activity allows you to fill up on endorphins and dopamine (the famous happy hormones). So you feel better in your body, and better in your head.
🤝 Stress is best fought in pars - talk it over!
Talking about what you're going through can sometimes be the first step towards getting better. You don't have to face stressful situations alone, especially when they affect your health. Many professionals are ready to listen, guide you and offer practical solutions adapted to your needs.
At work, the prevention and occupational health services (SPST in France) also play an essential role: they welcome employees suffering from mental distress, support them and guide them towards the appropriate support services.
🧑🤝🧑 The importance of social interactions
Let's not forget that humans are gregarious animals! Social relationships play an essential role in stress management. Being surrounded by others, sharing ideas and receiving moral support helps us to cope better with difficult situations, by reducing feelings of loneliness and encouraging us to take a step back.
Positive interactions stabilise cortisol levels, the stress hormone which is often elevated when people are isolated.
Whether it's your family, friends or colleagues, feeling supported helps to reduce the perception of ‘threat’ and helps you to cope with hardship and stress more serenely.
🍽️ Eat better, feel better
Eating healthy food and avoiding processed foods and sugar, for example, contributes to good physical health, but also to psychological well-being. Of course, a sweet treat is comforting, but over the long term and in excess, it's detrimental. On the contrary, certain foods, eaten regularly, have a ‘natural anti-stress’ effect:
- Dark chocolate
- Green tea
- Oily fish (sardines, mackerel, trout, salmon, etc.)
Remember, though, the most important thing is to eat a balanced, healthy diet!
What about if it is not enough?
When food does not provide enough of all the essential nutrients, certain vitamins and food supplements can also strengthen the body against stress.
Such is the approach taken by Peptidyss®, our natural marine ingredient with proven benefits for stress and sleep management. Thanks to its unique composition of marine peptides, Peptidyss® reduces the secretion of stress hormone compared with a placebo, thus preventing its harmful effects (sleep disorders, fatigue, hypertension, irritability, etc.).
References
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Les cas d'anxiété et de dépression sont en hausse de 25% dans le monde en raison de la pandémie de COVID-19
Le stress, l'anxiété et la dépression liés au Covid-19 augmentent depuis un an chez les 3-25 ans - Institut/Santé
Stress : Définition du stress selon l'OMS
Stress : quels impacts et risques pour la santé - Santé Magazine
Stress aigu vs stress chronique - CESH / CSHS
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Stress au travail - Exemples d'exposition aux risques et facteurs de stress - Risques - INRS
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Comment un psychologue peut aider à surmonter le stress ?
Parlons santé mentale ! Grande cause nationale 2025 - Info Gouv
Conséquences du stress sur la santé - FFC
Circulating cortisol and cognitive and structural brain measures - Neurology
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Hozawa A et al. « Green tea consumption is associated with lower psychological distress in a general population : The Ohsaki cohort 2006 study ». Am J Clin Nutr.2009 Nov;90(5):1390-6.
Kennedy D. Effects of high-dose B vitamin complex with vitamin C and minerals on subjective mood and performance in healthy males. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2010 July; 211(1): 55–68
La santé mentale éprouvée par l'épidémie de Covid-19 - Le Monde
Cinq ans après, les cicatrices d'une "génération Covid" : "Je ne me projette plus qu'à court terme" - Le Monde
