Our bodies are designed to cope with small bursts of stress but what happens when we feel stressed all the time? I like to call this the ‘stress express’ and too many people these days find themselves trapped on it.

Stress hormones are designed to literally save your life and historically, adrenaline was only produced when we were in actual danger. Today, although the production of stress hormones can still save our lives (when, say, a car drives out in front of you and you need to slam on your brakes), the constant and relentless production is burdening the body.

Stress is ultimately tied to our nervous system, specifically the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), the ‘fight-or-flight’ system, but it also involves our parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), the ‘rest and repair’ arm. When the nervous system perceives that we are under ‘threat’ – which in modern times can be due to caffeine consumption or our perception of pressure and urgency – the SNS raises our heart rate, increases our respiratory rate, releases stress hormones (adrenaline and cortisol) and diverts blood away from the digestive tract to our muscles so that we can run away from, or fight, whatever is threatening us. When this continues – often unbeknownst to us – it can impact on our experience of health and energy. Some signs your stress response needs support include sugar cravings, unexplained weight gain, a ‘need’ for coffee to get you going, disturbed sleep, feeling tired yet wired, recurring anxious feelings and breath that tends to be shallow and quite fast.

Anything that helps to switch off your stress response will alleviate the stress hormone burden on your body. Some ideas include embracing restorative practices such as meditation, yoga or tai chi, committing to a regular practice of diaphragmatic breathing, decreasing or omitting caffeine for four weeks and exploring your perception of pressure and urgency. We also experience much less stress when we take steps – large or small – to live more aligned with our values. What do you care about? What truly matters to you? I cannot encourage you enough to take steps to live more in alignment with your answers.

Dr Libby Weaver (PhD) is a nutritional biochemist, speaker and bestselling author of 13 books. Her new Condition Your Calm cards (RRP $39.95) are available exclusively from her website drlibby.com.