What you need to know about declining influences now.
Highlights
- The cost of resistance is not paid during combat; It was collected later.
- Illness is probably less about the stress you face and more about how threatening you feel.
- Stress is a surface and fear is a poison underneath.
Twenty-five years have passed since I described the first symptoms, which I later called down-effects, in my book. When Relaxation Is Dangerous to Your Health (2001). At that time, the relationship between stress and illness was well established. What is not discussed is the link between relaxation and illness, and the downside effect is not a Google search term. Today, however, the idea pertains to many people who recognize a familiar pattern in their lives: they fall ill, are tired, or are mentally exhausted, not during periods of stress, but suddenly. After The pressure rises and they begin to relax.
Over the past two decades, through thousands of clinical practice, teaching, discussion, research, and communication from readers and patients, I have enjoyed hearing how this model has emerged. What started as a post-stress observation on the weekends and holidays now seems to be related to a wide range of health issues and practices.
Read more here: 10 Symptoms of ‘Silent Burning’ That Make You Highly Successful
What is the Let-Down effect?
Dropping effect (LDA) Occurs when the period of sustained activation – whether from positive arousal or negative arousal – is followed by a sudden decline in physiological arousal. A useful analogy is a car traveling at high speeds that immediately applies the brakes. The body has a hard time adjusting immediately to change.
During prolonged stress, the body stores energy through hormones such as cortisol and other adrenal stress chemicals. These substances help the body withstand immediate demands by increasing alertness, increasing the activity of the immune system (regulated) and preventing some inflammatory reactions.
When the stress period ends abruptly and the body shifts toward relaxation, the immune system will no longer have internet or, more technically, is “reduced”. For subgroups of the population, this period of transition creates vulnerabilities. IFatigue, pain, and psychological symptoms. Ironically, when we expect to feel relieved, it can sometimes be the time when our body struggles the most.
Retirement: A major risk.
One of the most important life changes associated with the Let-Down Effect is retirement. While retirement is often considered a reward after decades of work, it can also represent an immediate loss of purpose structure and daily activation. In some individuals, this change occurs simultaneously with an increased risk of heart disease, stroke. Chronic fatigueAnd depression. Understanding this model, I spent years helping executives and professionals prepare psychologically and physiologically for retirement before it happened.
Unplanned retirement can inadvertently create conditions for a strong response. Having a plan — keeping goals, habits, and meaningful activities in place — can greatly reduce risk.
Decreased performance in athletics
The Let-Down effect is also evident in sports. When working with UCLA athletes, I have often observed that athletes or teams that win emotionally often struggle in their next performance. After intense concentration and adrenaline of a major win, the body and mind can go into a post-activation slump, which creates slowness, reduced concentration and reduced intensity. Proponents of her case have been working to make the actual transcript of this statement available online.
Migraines, panic attacks and immune system conditions
Another surprising feature of the Let-Down effect is that many stress-related conditions occur after the stress has subsided, not during that time. Migraines, panic attacks, and immune system eruptions often occur during the last individual rest – such as a weekend vacation or immediately after a critical set time.
Other conditions in which frequent outbreaks may be related to the leave period include:
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
- Crohn’s disease and colitis
- Eczema and dermatitis
- Chronic fatigue and diffuse pain conditions
During my first year teaching at the UCLA Department of Gastroenterology, I observed that the symptoms of IBS worsened after a period of stress reduction rather than a period of self-stress. Many patients report symptoms during the weekend, vacation, or immediately after completing a required task.
The role of survival instincts
In my book Your survival instinct is killing you (2014)I have described how fear and anger can keep the body in a state of over-activation. When the survival instinct is repeatedly triggered, the stress tolerance decreases. The body begins to react strongly, even to the slightest challenge. As this reaction increases, the cycle of intense activation, followed by a sharp decrease, becomes more frequent.
Over time, this pattern can contribute to repetitive inflammatory processes and reduce resistance. Because chronic inflammation is now widely recognized as a contributor to aging and poorly controlled cycles, it can also play a role in long-term health decline.
Different approaches: discomfort training
The solution is not to completely eliminate stress, which is an impossible goal, but to change the way the brain interprets pressure and discomfort.
Many people automatically interpret discomfort as a danger. When this happens, the instinct of survival acts unnecessarily, pushing the body to a higher physiological consciousness.
I refer to the process of continuing this response as Training is not easy.
Discomfort training helps an individual experience stress, risk, and physical discomfort without triggering a full survival response. As the brain begins to interpret these feelings as controllable rather than threatening, the level of activation stabilizes, reducing the possibility of depression.
Re-enter stress response
The encouraging news is that the brain and body can adapt remarkably. With proper training, individuals can learn to tolerate stress more calmly and recover more smoothly.
Instead of sharp surges and crashes, the nervous system begins to function more smoothly. The body works “cooler”, recovery is improved, and rest periods can be less frequent. When this happens, the cycle of over-activation, followed by slowing down, can be disruptive.
Reinstating the brain in this way is not complicated and can often be learned quickly. However, its effects can be profound – improving not only health and emotional resilience, but also performance, longevity, and quality of life.
Read more here: Suffering from AI Fatigue? You are not alone!
Bottom line
The Let-Down Effect can really reveal the hidden laws of human biology: We do not break under stress; We break up when we no longer need to hold it together. The body has evolved to prioritize survival over healing. Sometimes the key to avoiding post-stress illness is not just learning how to relax later, but learning how to manage discomfort without triggering the fearful instincts of survival from the start.
Written by Marc Schoen, Ph.D.
Originally Appeared on Psychology Today
