06-04-2025
10 Steps To Prevent Chronic Stress From Causing Brain Damage
As we spotlight National Stress Awareness in April, it's important to acknowledge that stress is a normal part of our daily lives. It actually has a good side when we learn from it and get stronger. But just as professional football players and boxers suffer brain damage from constant punches to the head, research shows that chronic stress causes structural damage to the brain circuitry, leading to long-term harm on the nervous system.
Before the 2024 U.S. presidential election, APA's 2024 Stress in America™ survey showed that 77% of adults said the future of the nation was a significant source of stress in their lives and 51% said the uncertainty about the election caused them stress. These statistics are alarming. Economic uncertainty. Threats of a recession. Massive layoffs. Effects of new tariffs. RTO mandates forcing you back into the office after feeling productive working remotely.
A work culture that thrives on crisis, chaos and pressure are examples of chronic stress that can cause atrophy of the brain mass and decrease in brain weight. When you add persistent job stress and personal pressures on top of national and global stress, it's easy to see how repeated bombardment of the brain--like a football player or boxer--can lead to psychological and physical disorders.
A work culture that thrives on crisis, chaos and pressure are examples of chronic stress that can cause atrophy of the brain mass and decrease in brain weight. Repeated pressures and demands from upper management. That sinking feeling in your stomach before a presentation to colleagues. Struggling with an impossible deadline. Negative chatter circling in your head like a school of sharks. An abusive boss. Sexual harassment. A bullying coworker.
Chronic stress can cause mood disorders, anxiety and depression and decreases in cognitive flexibility and your brain's prefrontal cortex, necessary for focused attention and executive functioning. Chronic stress can even raise the risk of diabetes, heart disease and memory loss from the shrinkage of the hippocampus--even degenerative brain diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer's.
In a healthy brain and in the short term, these changes are reversible, but over the long haul brain damage can persist. Although working under constant threat of job loss, fear of reprimands from management or financial uncertainty can raise your risk of physical and mental illness, there are steps you can take.
Your work health is essential for long-term mental and physical viability and the trajectory of your career. If you toil in an toxic work culture, it's important to weigh your options and find a workplace that prides itself on employee-centered empathy and care. Even if you work in a healthy environment, chronic stress doesn't give your body a chance to return to its natural resting state. The key is to have a stress-care plan to offset any potential stress damage so you can reset your brain and keep it healthy.
Your brain is your best friend. It has the hefty responsibility of keeping you safe and healthy, your career on track and important relationships intact. Your brain needs your help to keep it healthy. Here are 10 science-backed steps to stress-proof your brain and prevent damage from chronic stress.
Don't wait for your company to decide what's in your best mental and physical health interests. You're in control of your health, not your employer. Evaluate your job and life and decide for yourself what's reasonable stress. How long and far are you willing to continue working under chronic stress? Exactly what is it about your job that stresses you out? Is it the boss from hell? Inflexible schedules? Boreout syndrome from tedious work? Not enough money? Long hours? Heavy workload?
Your workplace shouldn't make you sick. Be prepared to put your foot down if you believe your employer oversteps your boundaries. Drawing a line in the sand when you're under stress and burnout without feeling guilty or disloyal is a healthy practice.
There are other workplaces where you have choices to stay late, work weekends or enjoy a remote or hybrid schedule. If you're in a toxic work environment, it's not worth sacrificing your mental health when other job openings prioritize your emotional and physical well-being. You're not weak or selfish if you refuse to subject yourself to chronic stress. You're a normal person responding to an abnormal work situation, refusing to allow chronic stress to cause damage to your brain.
