For Mental Illness Awareness Week we are publishing this animation short by Rachel Richards, Creative Director at EA Science Communication: “This one minute video gives some quick insight into the body’s stress response, a normal adaptive coping mechanism that evolved over hundreds of millions of years to help our ancestors stay alive!
When danger is detected, your brain releases stress hormones; Adrenaline and Cortisol. Adrenaline helps improve our speed, strength, endurance and force, making us more capable of reacting/responding to stressors, and Cortisol provides the energy burst needed to support those extras.
In the past, and in the wild today, most stressful episodes are resolved quickly. The natural biological, evolutionary blueprint is to have long periods of mellow recovery after bursts of stress. Modern life exposes us to moderate but chronic stress, constantly – multitasking, juggling too many things, moving too quickly, being bombarded with stimulation – we’re simply not designed to flee from predators for 10 hours a day with no breaks. Keeping in mind that you are not battling a lion in the wild for survival can help to take control over this physical response and with a little practice, you can learn to manage it.”
Watch the full video here on Vimeo.
