Sport psychology
Stress is a Drain on Your Brain Laura King CHt, NLP, Life & Performance Coach
The job of a riding instructor comes with
lion is threatening you. During a stressful
other part of your body, causing that area
a wheelbarrow full of stress. Dealing with
event, an increase in cortisol can provide the
to atrophy. When your brain keeps acti-
clients, monitoring horse health, the long,
energy required to deal with prolonged or
vating stress responses, it may strengthen
physically demanding workday, and mak-
extreme challenges.
the amygdala, the roughly almond-shaped
ing ends meet can take a heavy toll on your
mass of gray matter inside each hemisphere
physical and mental health. It’s well-docu-
Brain Drain
mented that stress can affect blood pressure,
Cortisol helps your mind and body handle
heart rate and the immune system, but did
stress in the short term, but the chronic re-
you know it can have both short- and long-
lease of the hormone can physically change
This strengthening of the amygdalae may, in
term effects on your brain?
your brain including affecting brain size and
turn, make the size of the prefrontal cortex
its genetic makeup.
smaller. I’m pretty sure that as a riding in-
Fight, Flight, or Freeze
of your brain that’s involved with the experiencing of emotions.
structor, a decrease in the part of your brain
When you perceive a situation to be chal-
According to a 2008 “Indian Journal of
that deals with planning and decision-mak-
lenging, threatening, or uncontrollable, your
Psychiatry” article, long-term exposure to
ing is not an ideal situation!
brain initiates a series of processes that ulti-
cortisol can shrink the prefrontal cortex, the
mately results in an increase in the produc-
area of your brain involved with planning and
But wait, there’s more. Long-term stress is
tion of steroid hormones called glucocorti-
making decisions. Another study outlined
also linked to a smaller hippocampus, the
coids, including cortisol, often referred to as
in a 2016 issue of the “European Society of
part of the brain responsible for emotional
the “stress hormone.”
Endocrinology” also found that elevated lev-
processing and memory. In addition, stress
els of cortisol were linked to a decreased vol-
can affect your brain’s DNA.
Cortisol,
which
is
normally
produced
ume of the prefrontal cortex.
throughout the day, helps provide a cycle of
Stress Wreaks Havoc on Emotions
energy and during periods of stress, cortisol
One theory to explain this distressing re-
Stress also reduces the brain’s ability to
can help you deal with extreme challenges.
duction of brain size likens it to when you
change and adapt or its plasticity. When
This is the flight, fight or freeze response
exercise one part of your body and increase
the brain has less flexibility to change you
designed to keep you safe if, say, a mountain
that area’s muscle size while neglecting an-
may have a harder time managing your
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Spring 2022 | Riding Instructor
