Stress is normal. Stress is a fact of life. Stress is no big deal. These statements probably sound familiar, but are they necessarily true? Well, yes and no, according to Dr. Robert Sapolsky, a world-renowned primatologist, endocrinologist, and professor of neurology and neurological sciences and, by courtesy, neurosurgery, at Stanford University.

On Oct. 31, Dr. Sapolsky addressed these issues while speaking to Heritage Hall students in grades 7-12 on the psychological and physical effects of stress. He commenced his address by asking audience members the following scenario-based question: “You are a zebra living in the wilderness of Africa, what stresses you out?” The most common responses revolved around escaping predators and having sufficient food. In essence, surviving in the short term, which is exactly what stress response is intended to do.

However, while a stressor for zebras is something that physically threatens them, stressors for humans include not only the physical but also psychological stressors we create. Part of what makes humans unique is our capacity to worry, not just about the present, but about days, months, even years into the future. As such, we can easily stress ourselves beyond what is healthy.  

Unlike zebras, whose moments of stress are short and efficient in the demand on energy, humans often stress themselves for hours on end with both real and imagined dangers. Dr. Sapolsky warned Chargers of the health effects caused by undue stress, including myopathy, heart disease, adult onset diabetes, increased fat deposition, stress dwarfism, and damage to the brain. He went on to offer solutions on de-stressing ourselves: discover outlets for frustration, incorporate predictability and control, reimagine a perception of improvement, and find social connections and support.

Following his presentation, I asked Dr. Sapolsky if he could suggest the one thing that would most help teenagers alleviate stress. His response was, “Turn off the iPhones and delete Facebook and other forms of social media. [People] are spending a huge amount of time being aware of all the stuff they don’t have and are not a part of, much of it is about perception and not a reality. If you are a baboon and a higher ranking baboon pushes your nose in the mud, it makes you feel inadequate. In the human world, when you are on the freeway and someone with a more expensive car drives by, it can make you feel inadequate about yourself. You watch a movie and think, ‘people are better looking than me, and they’re smarter, and wealthier, and more graceful’ … and these characters aren’t even real! Media can also make us feel lousy about ourselves,”

Dr. Sapolsky went on to recommend that we all take time to define our individual triggers that  stress us and attempt to understand them rationally and see them coming. Then, we must seek to address our stressors in a different context, a healthy one maybe through yoga or mindfulness.

A big takeaway from Dr. Sapolsky’s lecture is that stress is real and can be dangerous if not dealt with correctly. Once we have that realization, we can begin looking for the best ways to reform our lives and even avoid many self-inflicted stressors. Then, it’s a matter of following through on those things.  

Dr. Sapolsky delivered a night and then a day of very important and possibly life-changing presentations. Thank you to those responsible for bringing transformative speakers like Dr. Sapolsky to Heritage Hall as part of the Distinguished Speaker Series.