Breaking Free from Your Addiction to Cortisol

PodcastMindset

Oct 7

Episode 993: Show Notes

You know you’re in danger when rest feels more dangerous than your to-do list. If you’ve ever bragged about being overwhelmed, lack of sleep, or saying yes to something you don’t want to do just to feel ‘needed’, you might be a stress junkie, and your body is paying the price! Cortisol addiction is a clinically observed pattern.

When you’re stressed, your body pumps out cortisol and triggers a part of your fight, flight, freeze, or fawn response; your survival mechanism. Over time, these stress-related behaviors can become compulsive, and when stress becomes constant, your body keeps producing cortisol when there is no real danger, which has serious long-term effects on your health. Today, we’re going to unpack why you might be addicted to stress hormones and why you can’t quit.

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Signs That You’re Addicted to Cortisol

Pretty much every creator I’ve ever met on the internet avoids rest and relaxation, constantly checks their phone, and says yes to everything. These are some of the obvious signs that you’re addicted to cortisol, but I think there are some more subtle ones too. Like craving busyness and feeling guilty for taking rest, and believing that you need to earn your downtime. If you’re doing this, you might be self-sabotaging by seeking out stress. I want you to ask yourself: Do you feel uneasy when life feels too calm? Do you say yes even when you’re overwhelmed? Does rest make you feel lazy? And do you thrive in chaos? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, you may be caught in a stress cycle.

Why You Get Addicted to Stress

So, now you know how to figure out if you’re stuck in a stress cycle. Next. I want you to really ask yourself why you’re stuck in a stress cycle. Stress can cause a natural high by activating arousal and attention centers in your nervous system, and if prolonged, it can be as addictive as drugs! In other words, your chronically stressed-out brain becomes dependent on these small, euphoric hits. If you’ve been living in this high-alert mode for a while, slowing down might not feel natural. If you want to recover, then you need to show your nervous system that it is safe to rest

How to Break the Cycle

Start by giving yourself permission to slow down and reminding yourself that you don’t have to earn rest by completing something. Try to give yourself even five minutes to reset between tasks because then you can reset the cortisol loop and bring yourself back to baseline. You can also focus on calming your nervous system with exercises like box breathing, going on a walk, or even stretching. You can also protect your energy with clear boundaries. Another thing you can do is to reduce your screentime. Even a short digital detox can help lower cortisol production. It is critical to support your sleep, and you need to build a consistent wind-down routine. I also encourage you to nourish your body to keep cortisol levels at bay.

The Power of CBT and DBT

I understand that it’s easy to feel frustrated by this because all of these tips are difficult to make into a habit. So, I think it’s helpful to have something a little bit more concrete and ‘once-off’ to help you break free of this cycle and build those habits over time. Both Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) help you recognize and rewire thought patterns that fuel stress. These are evidence-based approaches that are powerful tools for breaking automatic cortisol-driven responses. And the best part is that you don’t have to do it alone! You can find a therapist to help you through the journey.

I don’t want you to do all of this at once or on your own! The whole point is to have a calmer life, so I don’t want to stress you out even more. Working on this has really helped me recognize how content I actually am with my life. If you can start to understand why and slowly become more observant, then you can break free of the hold stress has over you. This is something you can keep working on, but I think it might be the most important thing you ever do for yourself, your family, and the people around you. Just take one step at a time. I can’t wait to see you thrive!