RP Email Advice: Mental Stress As Primary Source Of Bad Health

[thisoldtown1978]

Q: I hope this finds you well. I'm wondering whether you believe it's physiologically possible for the bulk of physical health problems to come from mental stress? Too big a workload, too big a sense of obligation, not enough socialising etc.

Even if one consumed adequate protein, sugar, essential nutrients, could mental loads still impair digestion and burden the metabolism?

Thanks for your time.

A: Yes, stresses of that sort can kill, disrupting various systems.

 

[DaveFoster]

Queue anti-depressants, anti-serotonin drugs, stimulants, and AAS.

 

[michael94]

Yes this ties into selfish brain theory which is a huge topic in itself

 

[tca300]

Thanks for sharing! I appreciate it! @Dannywharton

 

[Kyle M]

This is one of those things where people take some or Ray's statements too literally and get themselves into trouble. For example, he generally talks negatively about intense exercise because of it's production of stress hormones to compensate for using up glucose reserves. This is true, but I have noticed that when I am working out in a way that is enjoyable (for me that's a bjj gym with good training partners) my health seems to be better. If I try and avoid "too intense" of exercise, I feel worse. There's a million reasons why this may be, but there is likely a psychological component to activating certain systems, like working with your hands and problem solving in the physical, three dimensional world. Ray understands a lot of these things but some of his statements taken in isolation can push people in a bad direction.

 

[encerent]

This is one of those things where people take some or Ray's statements too literally and get themselves into trouble. For example, he generally talks negatively about intense exercise because of it's production of stress hormones to compensate for using up glucose reserves. This is true, but I have noticed that when I am working out in a way that is enjoyable (for me that's a bjj gym with good training partners) my health seems to be better. If I try and avoid "too intense" of exercise, I feel worse. There's a million reasons why this may be, but there is likely a psychological component to activating certain systems, like working with your hands and problem solving in the physical, three dimensional world. Ray understands a lot of these things but some of his statements taken in isolation can push people in a bad direction.

How would this statement about mental stress push people in a bad direction? I think this is another good reminder to people who nail the nutritional side but still feel bad or sick. If RP's implication is that any mental stress is bad, then I agree. It doesn't mean you have to quit your job and run away from all obligations. It means you gotta to change something in order to be able face these situations and not feel stress anymore.

 

[Regina]

How would this statement about mental stress push people in a bad direction? I think this is another good reminder to people who nail the nutritional side but still feel bad or sick. If RP's implication is that any mental stress is bad, then I agree. It doesn't mean you have to quit your job and run away from all obligations. It means you gotta to change something in order to be able face these situations and not feel stress anymore.

When the present balance of stuff, toxicants, euphoriants, etc., is good, you can think and feel what you want to about things." —Ray Peat

 

[Kyle M]

How would this statement about mental stress push people in a bad direction? I think this is another good reminder to people who nail the nutritional side but still feel bad or sick. If RP's implication is that any mental stress is bad, then I agree. It doesn't mean you have to quit your job and run away from all obligations. It means you gotta to change something in order to be able face these situations and not feel stress anymore.

I think I wrote my OP wrong. I meant to say that some of Peat's other statements, like exercise being bad, can push people in a bad direction. They may think that engaging in no activities that could create a stress response would help them, if that's all they had read or heard from him.

 

[Pet Peeve]

If it could be of any help, too much work and stress over a long time lowered my stomach acid production.

 

[dbh25]

If it could be of any help, too much work and stress over a long time lowered my stomach acid production.

What were your symptoms, and how did you correct it?

 

[Xisca]

A: Yes, stresses of that sort can kill, disrupting various systems.

See that he talks about physiological results...

This is one of those things where people take some or Ray's statements too literally and get themselves into trouble.

Sure, it will not kill you that fast!

If RP's implication is that any mental stress is bad, then I agree. It doesn't mean you have to quit your job and run away from all obligations. It means you gotta to change something in order to be able face these situations and not feel stress anymore.

The mind just translates, then can push the feedback loop, but stress is physiological FIRST.
Present mental stress is physical stress, from present situation or/or plus past situation.
To not feel stress means to enlarge your containment of it, as a saucepan large enough for milk to not escape! And it means flexibility for not staying stuck in stress response. When waves of stress come too soon one after another, then we usually stay in activation response and loose flexibility.

When the present balance of stuff, toxicants, euphoriants, etc., is good, you can think and feel what you want to about things." —Ray Peat

The think and feel are mental and emotional, and they will translate a good state of physiology when you are in a good present balance. Best is to balance the nervous system that regulates the physiology in the natural way we animals mammals humans have evolved. It is all about body systems. If we have to take stuffs other than our food, air, water, sun, grounding etc, it means the natural balance needs help.

And for sure about the best way to deal with it without taking supps is to relate to other fellows, exactly what Kyle said about having fun in sport or other, with "other body systems", human co-regulation of the nervous system regulates the rest very well!

 

[Tarmander]

This is one of those things where people take some or Ray's statements too literally and get themselves into trouble. For example, he generally talks negatively about intense exercise because of it's production of stress hormones to compensate for using up glucose reserves. This is true, but I have noticed that when I am working out in a way that is enjoyable (for me that's a bjj gym with good training partners) my health seems to be better. If I try and avoid "too intense" of exercise, I feel worse. There's a million reasons why this may be, but there is likely a psychological component to activating certain systems, like working with your hands and problem solving in the physical, three dimensional world. Ray understands a lot of these things but some of his statements taken in isolation can push people in a bad direction.

What is this BJ gym you speak of?

 

[Xisca]

If it could be of any help, too much work and stress over a long time lowered my stomach acid production.

It might be that when the waves of activation are too big and overwhelmingly frequent, it wastes energy and then thyroid put some systems in low energy mode, like the acid production...

 

[michael94]

What is this BJ gym you speak of?

brazilian jiu jitsu

 

[Pet Peeve]

What were your symptoms, and how did you correct it?

Hard to explain the symptoms, brainfog, endotoxin and just generally feeling horrible. I'm in the process of correcting it now with betaine HCl, I'm at 6 capsules per meal.

It might be that when the waves of activation are too big and overwhelmingly frequent, it wastes energy and then thyroid put some systems in low energy mode, like the acid production...

It's possible

 

[walker_in_aus]

Another good point in this area - the perception of "stress" literally changes the physiological reaction to it. Hence why @Kyle M feels good doing an exercise he enjoys.
There was a study that measured the electrical output of the heart or something, and if a person was encouraged to view a stress as a challenge and opportunity, vs a difficult and painful obstacle, the heart output was literally opposite. I don't really understand heart electrical outputs but the study was showing that perception, which you can choose to alter or be influenced to alter, will actually change your bodies response.

Hakuna Matata!

 

[Kyle M]

What is this BJ gym you speak of?

calm down, there's 2 j's

 

[Kyle M]

Another good point in this area - the perception of "stress" literally changes the physiological reaction to it. Hence why @Kyle M feels good doing an exercise he enjoys.
There was a study that measured the electrical output of the heart or something, and if a person was encouraged to view a stress as a challenge and opportunity, vs a difficult and painful obstacle, the heart output was literally opposite. I don't really understand heart electrical outputs but the study was showing that perception, which you can choose to alter or be influenced to alter, will actually change your bodies response.

Hakuna Matata!

An ECG heart trace?

 

[DaveFoster]

Another good point in this area - the perception of "stress" literally changes the physiological reaction to it. Hence why @Kyle M feels good doing an exercise he enjoys.
There was a study that measured the electrical output of the heart or something, and if a person was encouraged to view a stress as a challenge and opportunity, vs a difficult and painful obstacle, the heart output was literally opposite. I don't really understand heart electrical outputs but the study was showing that perception, which you can choose to alter or be influenced to alter, will actually change your bodies response.

Hakuna Matata!

Interesting info; I find this phenomenon of the "threshold" for stress in exercise as well. If one consumes enough sugar and caffeine (or another thyroid surrogate I suppose) during a workout, one can trigger an adaptive response afterwards with a feeling of euphoria and confidence; however, if one attempts to forego these methods and undergo the workout with feelings of compulsion, then they will get the maladaptive fatigue and depression afterwards.

 

[walker_in_aus]

Interesting info; I find this phenomenon of the "threshold" for stress in exercise as well. If one consumes enough sugar and caffeine (or another thyroid surrogate I suppose) during a workout, one can trigger an adaptive response afterwards with a feeling of euphoria and confidence; however, if one attempts to forego these methods and undergo the workout with feelings of compulsion, then they will get the maladaptive fatigue and depression afterwards.

I will have to drink a huge milky sugary coffee and do some squats! It is a two way street in many ways - make the body feel good, the mind feels good - make the mind feel good, the body feels good?

Why not both?