Why YSK: There is a lot of cortisol going on right now. A lot of people are stressed, angry, and afraid. Those emotions all deserve to be felt, but over time, cortisol becomes neurotoxic (inflicting permanent damage on the hippocampus).
Oxytocin (responsible for feelings of love, attraction, affection, etc) is a perfect foil to cortisol. If you notice yourself feeling angry or afraid for an amount of time that bothers you, adding some oxytocin to the situation might be helpful.
Luckily for us, our biology makes oxytocin pretty easy to come across. Different activities work better for different people, but cuddling with a pet or loved one, watching cute cat videos, or having sex work for a lot of people.
Here are a few interesting sources for further reading, if you are curious.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33632072/ https://www.nature.com/articles/srep30187 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5619133/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33632072/
Awareness of the process can sometimes be helpful, especially if it catches people in the middle of a doomscroll.
I’ve only ever heard people saying these kinds of posts make them feel worse, rather than being helpful.
It makes it seem like “it’s so simple, just be happy and the stress will go away” while they, obviously, already want that but it feels unattainable to them. Thus making them feel even more like there’s something wrong with them because they can’t achieve something that is portrayed as a simple thing.
I get the intent of this post is in the right place, but in this case the execution is done poorly. It’s best to leave this sort of thing to people more skilled and knowledgeable in the very important nuances of this kind of communication.
It’s not easy, and it’s not simple. It takes real effort and time, but it is also important.
Exactly. This post makes it seem easy. Which can be infuriating when you’re struggling with it already.
Harness that fury into something good for yourself: Go for a run, train at the gym, do something physical until your anger subsides. Doesn’t even have to be crazy, could just be going for a walk or jumping rope. Some days, it may eventually become easier for you, but when (at least some) people you see say stuff like that, all you can see is them in the present, and not all of their struggles, efforts, and even courage to get there and stay there.
Everyone is fighting their own internal battles, invisible to others, but real enough to them. Try to be more forgiving and understanding both to yourself and to them. It’s not always easy, but it’s worth it.
I’m not sure how this comment is relevant to this conversation. My point is that this post is seeming minimizing the effort required to fight against the different causes of cortisol and may even make the situation worse.