Chronic Stress Is Changing Us: Why Nervous System Health Matters

Stress has been on my radar for a very long time. Not just because of the research emerging from neuroscience, psychology, and medicine — but because of what I have witnessed firsthand in my clients, in people I love, and in myself.

As an integrative health and wellness coach, I regularly see how chronic stress quietly shapes people’s emotional health, physical well-being, relationships, motivation, sleep, immune systems, and overall sense of meaning and vitality.

Most of us already know that chronic stress is “bad for us.” This is not new information. But I believe understanding the effects of chronic stress — and learning how to work with it skillfully — feels more important than ever before. Our world feels increasingly complex, uncertain, and emotionally charged. Many people are carrying heavy loads for far too long without realizing the profound effects this can have on both body and mind.

Recently, while listening to the The Strain of Stress episode of the podcast Call to Mind, I was reminded how deeply stress affects nearly every system in the human body. The take-home message became increasingly clear: chronic stress is not simply an emotional experience. It is a whole-body physiological event. And over time, it changes us.

Stress itself is not the enemy. In fact, some stress is healthy. Acute stress can sharpen focus, mobilize energy, improve performance, and help us respond to challenges. Positive stress can even foster growth, resilience, and adaptation.

But one of the most important questions we can ask ourselves is this: Is the stress I am experiencing helping me grow — or is it overwhelming my system?

The human body was designed to move in and out of stress states. The problem is that many people today rarely return fully to a state of restoration. Instead, they remain stuck in chronic activation — constantly scanning, worrying, rushing, reacting, multitasking, consuming information, and carrying unresolved emotional burdens. Over time, this chronic activation begins to wear the body down.

One of the most sobering areas of research involves the impact chronic stress has on aging and immunity. Research from stress scientist Elissa Epel suggests that chronic stress may increase our epigenetic age — essentially accelerating biological aging at the cellular level. Chronic stress has also been associated with premature aging of the immune system, leaving the body more vulnerable to illness, inflammation, and disease.

This is not simply “in our heads.” Stress hormones influence inflammation, cardiovascular health, digestion, hormonal balance, sleep quality, immune function, cognition, and emotional regulation. Chronic stress can contribute to anxiety, depression, burnout, exhaustion, irritability, brain fog, and a diminished ability to experience joy or connection.

What I find especially fascinating is the work coming out of Martin Picard’s mitochondrial psychobiology lab at Columbia University. Mitochondria — often called the “powerhouses” of our cells — do far more than produce energy. Research increasingly suggests they are deeply connected to how we process stress, regulate emotions, and maintain resilience. In other words, chronic stress affects us all the way down to the level of our cells.

Another important reminder emerging from stress research is the critical importance of recovery. Sleep, boundaries, social connection, movement, downtime, and moments of stillness are not indulgences. They are protective factors for both mental and physical health. Unfortunately, many people feel guilty resting. Others fear falling behind, disappointing people, or appearing unproductive. Yet bodies that never fully recover eventually begin sending signals — fatigue, irritability, insomnia, illness, anxiety, emotional numbness, or burnout.

One phrase from the podcast that stayed with me was: “Drop the rope.” Sometimes stress persists because we continue pulling against situations we cannot control. Chronic over-efforting, perfectionism, people-pleasing, and emotional resistance can keep our nervous systems trapped in cycles of tension. Dropping the rope does not mean giving up. It means discerning what is truly ours to carry.

As I write this, I am wrapping up a continuing education course in MBSR — Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction — and it has had a profound impact on me personally. MBSR is an evidence-based program originally developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn that uses mindfulness meditation, body awareness, and gentle movement practices to help people respond to stress more skillfully.

What has struck me most is not that mindfulness eliminates stress. It doesn’t. But it changes our relationship to stress.

It helps create space between stimulus and reaction. It increases awareness of the body. It helps people notice when they are operating in chronic survival mode. It cultivates presence, compassion, emotional regulation, and nervous system flexibility.

And perhaps most importantly, it reminds us that we are human beings — not machines.

Stress will always be part of life. But chronic, unrelenting stress was never meant to become our baseline state. The encouraging news is that our nervous systems are adaptable. Small, consistent practices matter. Support matters. Community matters. Boundaries matter. Rest matters. Meaning matters. Self-awareness matters.

Learning to regulate stress is not a weakness. It is health care. It is emotional care. It is relational care. It is preventive care. And in many ways, I believe it is one of the most important skills we can cultivate in the world we are living in today.