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Learn How to Complete Your Body's Natural Stress Cycle

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Learn How to Complete Your Body's Natural Stress Cycle

Jul 02, 2025

Feeling constantly overwhelmed, even after the stressor is gone? You might be skipping a crucial step that your body needs to recover. Psychologist Megan Call, PhD, explains the three stages of the stress response cycle and why most people never complete it. From physical activity to creative expression, learn seven proven strategies to return your body and mind to a true resting state.

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    This content was originally produced for audio. Certain elements such as tone, sound effects, and music, may not fully capture the intended experience in textual representation. Therefore, the following transcription has been modified for clarity. We recognize not everyone can access the audio podcast. However, for those who can, we encourage subscribing and listening to the original content for a more engaging and immersive experience.

    All thoughts and opinions expressed by hosts and guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views held by the institutions with which they are affiliated.

     


    What the Stress Response Cycle Is and Why Most of Us Never Finish It

    Interviewer: If you're listening to this, chances are you're probably stressed and you're looking for ways to feel better. And maybe you think you've been managing it, you know, maybe some scrolling, a snack, a Netflix binge. But what if there's an actual cycle that your body is wired to go through, and most of us skip that cycle, and a major component of that cycle, and we never finish it? This process is called the stress response cycle. And the recovery phase, in particular, is often the missing piece.

    Dr. Megan Call is a psychologist. She's also an assistant clinical professor in the Department of Psychology and the Director of the Resiliency Center at University of Utah Health. And today we're going to talk about the stress response cycle and how you can use it to manage your stress. So, first of all, what is the stress response cycle?

    Dr. Call: So our bodies, when we are exposed to stress, and keep in mind that this can be positive stress, like something that's going really well for us, or this can be stress because maybe something challenging has come up for us. So, something positive, maybe we have kind of taken on something new. So we are going to run our first 5K or maybe our first 10K. Our body will experience stress, which can be a positive thing.

    Or, you know, negative stress in terms of maybe something, some sort of hardship has happened. Our body responds by being activated, potentially, thinking if we need to kind of fight or flee, or really just to be able to pay more attention to what's going on and take action. Again, this is a kind of normal response to many different challenges or things that can arise for us.

    As we experience the stress, what tends to happen is that our body kind of maintains itself to navigate the stress as best as possible. And what we know about the stress response cycle is that the stressor can go away. So we've run that 5K. We've navigated that hard challenge at work or at school, or potentially in our research projects. That has ended. And what we need to do then is take steps to help our bodies know that it's time to recover. And that can entail a few different things, which we can get into in a second. But we actually take these steps to return to a resting state.

    So again, the stress response cycle is we get activated, a stressor occurs, and then we can take these steps to help our body move back to a more rested state.

    Interviewer: So our body and our mind. You had mentioned, like, running a 5K, but a good stressor could be that I've taken on some additional responsibilities at work. I'm really excited about them, but they're challenging me in new ways.

    Dr. Call: Yes.

    Interviewer: That's an example of good stress. An example of bad stress, something happens in your life, the loss of a loved one, or even less major things, right?

    Dr. Call: Mm-hmm.

    Interviewer: But regardless, we want to go through this cycle to help ourselves recover. Do you find that most people don't go through this cycle, or even think about it?

    Dr. Call: Right. We tend not to. And the reason is that when stress appears, oftentimes what happens is the very things that we need to do to help us navigate the stress response cycle, those, oftentimes, are the first things to go. So if we use the work example, we lean into what needs to be done at work, and we then forget to kind of do the things that help us show up the next day in the way that we want to. So again, those are the first things to go, when really they should be the last things to go.

    Recognizing the Three Stages of the Stress Response Cycle

    Interviewer: Okay. All right. So let's dive into what this stress response cycle is, and I think things will become clearer as we discuss it in concrete terms. So what are the three steps of the cycle?

    Rest

    Dr. Call: The first part is that our body is in a rested state. So we have gotten the sleep that we needed, we've eaten the food that we've needed, and we're ready to meet the world in the way that we would like, or that we need to in terms of our responsibilities.

    Activation

    The second part is that a stressor occurs, right? You hop in your car to get to work, or if you have kids, right, you actually may get them out the door to school, right? That can be stressful. And so your body is activated. Or like I mentioned before, there could be some sort of larger challenge. But stress appears, and so your body becomes activated. And you can stay in that space for quite some time. There's a process in your body that produces cortisol, which can help you navigate that stress for quite some time.

    Recovery

    The last part is that you actually work with the stress. You take steps to get back to that rested state. So it's a way to either manage, or work with, or recover from the stress, and that returns you to that rested state.

    Interviewer: As you're describing that, it's occurring to me that a lot of times I think we think of a stressor to be one big thing, like that big project at work, or taking on a graduate degree, or something of that nature. But I'm hearing you describe it as it could also be a lot of little things, just part of daily life that we have to recover from.

    Dr. Call: Exactly.

    Why Recovery Is Essential, Even After "Good" Stress

    Interviewer: So we go from the resting state. We experience the stress, whether it's lots of little things or one major thing, probably the major thing, and lots of little things. Then what happens?

    Dr. Call: Like I mentioned, we can stay in that stress state for quite some time. And what happens if we stay in that state is that our body actually shuts down. So that process that produces cortisol starts to be less efficient. And that is where we can start to experience exhaustion or burnout. Or it can even lead to things like depression if we don't take care of ourselves. So that's just our body completely shutting down, saying, "I can't do this anymore."

    And so that third part of the stress response cycle, where we take active steps to recover, helps return us to that rested state. And we can do lots of different things to recover from that stress. And the things that I'm going to mention come from the Nagoski sisters' book that was published in 2020, titled "Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle." And they list seven things that you can do to help recover, help return to that rested state. And these are all simple activities. So just keep that in mind. If you're thinking this sounds really simple, yes, and that actually is a great thing. Sometimes the simple is the most profound and most useful.

    Seven Simple Yet Powerful Ways to Complete the Stress Cycle

    Interviewer: And even though they are simple, they are effective. We know that they're effective. Because sometimes we can take a look at that, and go like, "What? Really? This is going to help? I don't think so. I need some more."

    Dr. Call: Right. And we think that it's supposed to be complex and hard. And how great that this is simple, right?

    1. Physical Activity

    The first is physical activity. Keeping in mind that this doesn't mean you have to suddenly, you know, train for a marathon or, you know, think that you need to know jiu-jitsu. The physical activity could be a simple walk just to get outside, just to get moving. And so it's the body in motion, knowing that that can look like a lot of different things. And so physical activity, we know, is so good for us. But oftentimes, what gets in the way is that we presume it needs to be at least 20 minutes a day or something along those lines. And while there are recommendations for what physical activity should look like from lots of different, you know, expert groups, keeping in mind that sometimes with physical activity, the idea of something is better than nothing works wonders and gets people started.

    2. Breathing

    The second is breathing, which, you know...

    Interviewer: Really, Megan? Come on.

    Dr. Call: I know. I know. Our bodies know how to do this. We're doing this right now. And just remembering that it's the quality of our breathing. Oftentimes, when we become stressed, our breathing becomes shallow. And so going back to allowing ourselves to take in a full breath, even just pausing to take three breaths, you know, and then moving on allows for a reset that can be helpful both in the moment and then training yourself to engage in the world and with yourself in a different way. And so the quality of our breathing can be really helpful, and pausing to engage in that.

    Interviewer: Even though I teased you a little bit about breathing, I have engaged in breathing exercises. And one that's been useful for me is called box breathing. So it's essentially you just breathe in deep for two to four seconds. You hold it, and then you breathe out for two to four seconds, and you do, you know, you do a few reps of that. And it does make a difference. It really does. If I'm anxious, it can help calm me down. It can help me, you know, develop some clarity. So I can also attest to breathwork being a positive recovery step.

    Dr. Call: Yes. And with the emphasis on the exhale with that box breathing.

    Interviewer: Okay.

    3. Positive Social Interactions

    Dr. Call: The third is positive social interaction. So, just noticing that we are social creatures. We need each other, oftentimes more so than we think. We know from the research literature that if you have someone that you can reach out to at 3:00 in the morning, you're likely to live 10 years longer. That is how much we impact one another. And so taking the time to contact a friend, to have a conversation with a family member, and even my favorite is, you know, connecting with someone at the grocery store, that positive and social interaction can be a boost for us and help mitigate our stress.

    Interviewer: I have to tell you this is something I've been working on a lot lately. I will actually schedule times that I'm meeting with friends to have a positive interaction. And I had a little epiphany. Something that had been missing in my life. I enjoy having fun, playful conversations. I enjoy those fun interactions, and not only with my friends, but I'm glad you brought up with somebody at the grocery store because when I go out, I try to bring fun, positive interactions to everything I do, because it not only I think benefits me, but it can benefit other people. And some people are open to it, and some people aren't. And that's fine. And at the end, I've gotten in the habit of even saying, "Thank you for the fun interaction today." And more often than not, I'll get a little smile with that, because I think we all appreciate it, and I think it's something that's really missing in our lives. What is the next recovery strategy you'd like to tell us about?

    4. Laughter

    Dr. Call: The next one is laughter, which is similar to the positive social interaction, we probably could use more of. Laughter has amazing health benefits for our immune system, for our digestive system, and certainly for our nervous system. One of the methods in Qigong, even is just starting a belly laugh, and just seeing where it takes you, so you don't have to wait for a joke. Exactly. Right? And it's the goofiest thing, and you can really get into it. And if you're with a group of people, just see where it goes.

    Interviewer: I love it.

    5. Affection

    Dr. Call: The fifth is affection. And this research comes from the Gottman Lab, The Gottman Institute, out of University of Washington. What this research shows is that a 20-second hug can produce oxytocin. A six-second kiss can do the same. What we know from some research is that couples, this comes from heterosexual couples, who kiss before they leave for work, the husband tends to live three years longer...

    Interviewer: What?

    Dr. Call: ....than those who don't. I know.

    Interviewer: Wow. Okay. Nice.

    Dr. Call: So you can wield that to your advantage.

    Interviewer: Yeah. I'll try it.

    Dr. Call: I'm sure you would like. But again, this idea that touch can be really useful. And again, you know, this can occur also with the way that we snuggle up with pets, right? That eight hugs a day are beneficial for all of us. And so, again, ensuring that, you know, we can incorporate some affection in our lives as well.

    Interviewer: And I wonder, so as you're talking about this, I'm thinking about I've become involved with an activity called scent work with my dog, and it's a competition against other people and their dogs. And those are positive social interactions. We definitely have a lot of laughter, and I think there's some affection there too. I mean, we're not hugging and kissing.

    Dr. Call: Right.

    Interviewer: But, you know, we develop kind of relationships and affection for each other's teams. We cheer each other on. Is that a form of affection as well?

    Dr. Call: Yeah. And that's where I think that kind of interacts with positive social interaction, laughter, right? You have a lot of those at the same time that are occurring. And even a pat on the back, right, that sense of touch can go a long way.

    Interviewer: All right. Very cool. What's the next one you want to talk about?

    6. Crying

    Dr. Call: Yeah. The next one is a good cry.

    Interviewer: Oh.

    Dr. Call: And that's one that not everyone wants to talk about, right?

    Interviewer: Especially us guys, we don't want to cry.

    Dr. Call: Right. Right. And again, the presumption is that, you know, crying is a sign of weakness or vulnerability, when really it produces all sorts of, you know, chemicals and hormones in our bodies that help move us through the stress response cycle. It is oftentimes a release. And it doesn't mean that everyone has to cry all the time. Just recognizing that it is an option to move through the stress response cycle. And Camus, another philosopher, encouraged the world to live to tears, right? And so a good cry doesn't have to always be in a sad situation. The reminder that it can bring about or be because of significant gratitude or joy. And the more that we're able to be open with our tears, that helps change the culture. Having a good cry could actually help further how we maintain our closeness with one another or become closer to one another.

    Interviewer: All right. And the last step of recovery, what is that?

    7. Creative Expression

    Dr. Call: The last is creative expression, and that's kind of a catchall. The Nagoski sisters talk about how there's a saying, "Take your broken heart and turn it into art."

    The more that I study philosophy, the more that one of the common themes is, is that we feel most alive when we create. And so turning toward how we create, whether that's cooking a good meal, whether that is through painting or through music, it could be, you know, knitting, there are a lot of different ways creative expression can occur. It could also be receiving creative expression. So listening to music, looking at art, is a way to stop the problem-solving part of our brain and activate that creative part of our brain. And by giving our problem-solving part of our brain a pause, that allows for rest, and then allows us to be able to reconnect with a part of ourselves that is maybe not as readily utilized, especially when we're stressed.

    Interviewer: You said creative expression, and some people might think, "Well, I'm not creative." But then you said to create. It's not necessarily about doing something that is "creative." It's about creating, it sounds like...

    Dr. Call: Yeah.

    Interviewer: ...and whatever that might be that you're creating. And it doesn't necessarily have to be good, but you're just trying to create something. You're trying to make something out of nothing. Am I understanding that correctly?

    Dr. Call: Yes. I mean, we all have our own forms of artistry, and that can include social artistry, right? So maybe it's having a gathering, getting some people together.

    Tailoring Your Recovery Plan to Fit Your Life and Stress Levels

    Interviewer: All right. So we've got some great steps to recovery, some great tools in the toolbox we can use. Does the type of stress impact what recovery strategies are most effective? Or should we just utilize the ones that we think feel good in the moment, or that we tend to like?

    Dr. Call: I think it's a combination. What I've learned in working with healthcare professionals, and this became readily apparent during the pandemic, is that it may not be so much around the type of stress and matching kind of tool and stress. It really is tailored to the individual. But it may be that it's the depth of the stress or severity of the stress requires us to potentially use more of the tools than when we're feeling okay. Like most of us, if we are, you know, we wake up feeling refreshed, ready to take on the day, we may only need kind of one or two things that help us work through the stress response cycle, or help to keep us going and navigate stress. As opposed to if we're having a really hard time, it's probably time to do more of these or consider other methods that help us navigate our stress and help us recover.

    Interviewer: So these recovery steps, are these something I should be doing every day? Or is it just like after major stressors? Like, how often should I be engaging in this stuff?

    Dr. Call: This is one of these answers where I can say both. If a few of these stand out to you and you're already doing them on a regular basis, wonderful. And you can even think about the kind of these micro actions that you can take. Again, you can pause at any moment and take three deep breaths, and then move on with your day.

    If you've experienced a significant challenge, or if you've gone through something that has been quite stressful, whether that is a loss, whether that is an exciting kind of push at work where you've accomplished something, it's important to think about moving through the stress response cycle. So, actually taking time before moving on to the next thing. And the predominant culture that we live in, we want to move on to the next thing as opposed to taking time for ourselves. And so getting in the mindset of after completing something, after moving through something that is quite stressful, taking the time to say, "Okay. What are some things that I can do again that may fill my cup but not have it overflow?"

    Interviewer: So I feel like that's a nice transition to our last little segment. Now this is mainly focusing on the step of, like, recovery. What are the active recovery things we can engage in? But rest. It sounds like you're talking about rest at this point. So just briefly, let's hit that before we wrap up.

    Dr. Call: So rest can be a form of recovery. We know that sleep is really important for us. And again, during a stressful time, we may not sleep as much or may not take a break as frequently. And so rest can be a form of recovery.

    What oftentimes happens with rest is that we ignore the quality of the rest. We presume that pausing and binge-watching Netflix or scrolling through our phones certainly it gives us a break, but oftentimes we're checked out. And so one of the things to think about with recovery, and if we are incorporating rest as part of recovery, is how I feel after I do this activity? Do I feel energized? Do I feel the way that I would like to as I move on throughout my day? Or do I feel even more depleted?

    And if you're feeling more depleted, there's an opportunity to reflect and say, "Oh, what could I have done a little differently?" Maybe I actually, instead of scrolling through my phone for 20 minutes, maybe a 20-minute nap would have been the way to go. Or instead of watching Netflix for two hours, maybe that would have been a conversation with a friend. And so there's an opportunity and an invitation for reflection to say, "How did that go?" And what might be possible the next time this happens?

    Interviewer: When we talk about the step of rest, you said that it is a form of recovery. Is it just sleep? Is rest just about sleep, or is it about giving yourself a break from the things that might be your stressors?

    Dr. Call: It's the latter. So we can rest in a lot of different ways. But that idea of a pause, right, of a stepping back in order to reset, to then again move forward. And it's oftentimes a way to just reconnect with ourselves, allow our bodies to do what our bodies know how to do.

    Where to Begin If You're Feeling Burned Out

    Interviewer: As we wrap up, what is one thing that somebody could do right now that they should try if they're like, "Yeah, I'm buying into all of this"? What's that first small step they could take?

    Dr. Call: Where a person could start is just acknowledge that it's time to do something either different or time to experiment with something new. That acknowledgement and awareness are an excellent first step, and I actually encourage having that awareness stick with them, because that is what is going to be helpful for moving forward.

    And then what I would encourage, and I'm not a very prescriptive person in terms of kind of what to do next, but I would encourage maybe reflection on what stood out to you. It may be I'm going to just kind of walk with this and think about this, and keep this at the forefront of my mind, as opposed to shove this away. Or if it's, "You know what, I really want to reach out to this person," I'd encourage you, as you hear me talking, to reach out to that person right now because you're going to forget. So maybe, you know, set a reminder in your phone, or think about, you know, what from the list could you maybe take a little step on?

    But again, it's curiosity, attentiveness, and the willingness to maybe give something a go. Oh, maybe I'll go for a little walk later today, or something along those lines. So just a little nudge to get started.

    Explore More About the Science Behind Stress Recovery

    Interviewer: Final question. If somebody wants to learn more about this, you cited a lot of different resources, but is there a resource in particular that they could check out that might be a good accompaniment to this conversation?

    Dr. Call: Yeah. Certainly, the burnout book that I mentioned, "Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle," has a lot of resources. And even if you wanted to just use Google or whatever search engine to type that in, the Nagoski sisters had a lot of different interviews as that book was published. And so that's another way to just hear more of their research and how they talk about the different components of the stress response cycle and how to move through it. And that would be a nice start. Again, this is picked up in a lot of different mediums as well. So again, just going through a search engine tends to pull up a lot of different resources as well.