Stress has become one of the most discussed concepts in modern wellness. It is often blamed for burnout, weight gain, mental fatigue, poor sleep, and various chronic conditions.

There is an important point that is often missed.

However, not all stress is harmful.

Without stress, growth, muscle development, resilience, and meaningful achievements would not be possible. The important thing is not to remove stress entirely, but to recognize how your body and nervous system respond, and to notice when stress is strengthening rather than draining you.

To clarify these ideas, let’s break down how good and harmful stress differ, see cortisol’s role, and discuss when your nervous system may need extra support.

Stress is your body’s response to a demand or challenge. It can be physical, emotional, mental, or environmental.

When you experience stress, your brain signals the release of hormones, primarily cortisol and adrenaline. Your heart rate increases, your blood sugar rises, and your body prepares for action. This is your survival system activating.

At the center of this response is your nervous system.

The nervous system contains two main divisions: the sympathetic nervous system, which activates the body’s fight-or-flight response, and the parasympathetic nervous system, which supports rest, digestion, and repair.

Healthy stress briefly activates the sympathetic system, then allows a smooth return to parasympathetic calm. Harmful stress keeps you stuck in activation without recovery.

This distinction is essential.

Good stress is short-term, purposeful, and growth-oriented. It challenges you, but it does not overwhelm you.

Examples of good stress include:

• Starting a new job or launching a business
• Preparing for a presentation
• Strength training at the gym
• Taking a cold plunge
• Fasting for a structured period
• Learning a new skill

In these situations, your sympathetic nervous system activates. Your heart rate increases, your focus sharpens, and cortisol rises. This is not a problem. In fact, it is necessary.

This temporary activation improves performance, enhances mental clarity, and builds resilience. However, it is the recovery phase—when your parasympathetic nervous system restores your baseline—that allows these benefits to be fully integrated. Without sufficient recovery, the gains from good stress cannot be realized.

That phase is essential for your nervous system to repair, absorb stress benefits, and prepare for future challenges.

Even good stress stimulates stress hormones. If you stack too many “healthy stressors” without recovery, your nervous system does not distinguish between a cold plunge, an intense workout, and a work deadline. It simply registers activation.

Good stress helps only when followed by rest.

Good stress works because:

• It is temporary
• It feels meaningful or exciting
• You feel capable of handling it
• There is recovery afterward

Without recovery, good stress turns harmful.

Harmful stress is prolonged, unpredictable, or feels out of your control. Instead of motivating you, it drains you.

Examples include:

• Chronic work pressure without breaks
• Ongoing relationship conflict
• Financial anxiety
• Poor sleep over weeks or months
• Constant multitasking and digital overload
• Overtraining without rest

In these situations, your sympathetic nervous system remains activated for too long. Cortisol stays elevated beyond its natural rhythm.

When that happens, your body shifts from short-term survival mode to long-term strain.

You may notice:

• Poor digestion
• Low energy despite sleeping
• Sugar cravings
• Increased belly fat
• Skin breakouts
• Brain fog
• Irritability
• Hormonal irregularities

Experiencing these effects is not a personal failing. It is a sign that the nervous system is overloaded.

When the sympathetic system dominates, the parasympathetic system cannot support digestion, hormones, immunity, or sleep.

Your body is no longer adapting. It is coping.

Cortisol is often labeled as the villain hormone. It is not.

Cortisol helps you wake up in the morning. It supports blood sugar balance. It enhances focus. It even helps reduce inflammation in acute situations.

The issue is not cortisol itself. The issue is dysregulated cortisol.

Healthy cortisol follows a rhythm. It peaks in the morning and gradually declines throughout the day. Chronic stress disrupts that rhythm, keeping cortisol elevated at night or blunted in the morning.

This dysregulation is often what people are experiencing when they say they feel tired but wired.

The goal is to keep cortisol rhythmic, not elevated.

If you want a deeper look at how inflammation interacts with stress and hormones, read:
👉 How Inflammation Affects Mood, Energy, and Skin — And How to Calm It

Here is where the nuance matters.

Both good and bad stress activate the sympathetic nervous system. Both raise cortisol temporarily.

The difference lies in duration, perception, and recovery.

With good stress:
• Activation is temporary
• The nervous system returns to baseline
• The body becomes stronger and more adaptable

With harmful stress:
• Activation is prolonged
• Recovery is incomplete
• The nervous system becomes hypersensitive or exhausted

Over time, chronic stress can even blunt your stress response. Some people feel constantly anxious. Others feel flat and unmotivated. Both can reflect a nervous system imbalance.

So when you intentionally use healthy stressors such as fasting, cold exposure, or intense workouts, be mindful. These tools can stimulate the production of beneficial hormones and enhance metabolic flexibility. But stacking them on top of chronic emotional stress or sleep deprivation can push your nervous system too far.

Stress is powerful and must be respected.

If this conversation about stress resonated with you, the next layer is understanding nervous system regulation. In 2026 and beyond, this will be one of the most talked-about health shifts. Read more here:
👉 Nervous System Regulation: Why It’s the Health Trend Defining 2026 and Beyond

Ask yourself:

• Is this temporary or never-ending
• Do I feel challenged or trapped
• Am I sleeping well
• Do I have time to recover
• Does this stress align with my goals

If the stress leads to growth, energy, and resilience after recovery, it is likely beneficial.

If it leads to exhaustion, resentment, poor sleep, and chronic tension, it is time to recalibrate.

The most powerful wellness strategy is not avoiding stress completely. It prioritizes and strengthens your recovery, allowing your nervous system to regulate, repair, and adapt to life’s demands.

Ways to support your parasympathetic nervous system include:

• Deep, slow breathing with longer exhales
• Morning sunlight exposure
• Regular strength training with rest days
• Walking outdoors
• Protein-rich, whole food meals to stabilize blood sugar
• Limiting constant digital stimulation
• Journaling or quiet reflection
• Consistent sleep schedule

Sleep, above all, is your deepest nervous system reset.

When your body feels safe, it can heal.

Stress is not the enemy. Dysregulated stress is.

Good stress builds you. Harmful stress depletes you and keeps your system stuck in survival mode.

The goal is not a stress-free life. The goal is a resilient nervous system.

Use stress strategically. Recover intentionally. Pay attention to your body’s signals.

When you understand stress, you stop fearing it. You start working with it.

And that shift alone changes everything.

I am not a hormone specialist or stress researcher. I am someone who studies wellness in depth and observes closely how my body responds to life. Over time, I have developed a simple personal method to distinguish between healthy and harmful stress. When something stressful ends, I ask myself: Does completing this make me feel happy and fulfilled, or drained and resentful? When I face a demanding content schedule, I feel the stress, but once finished, I feel proud and energized. That suggests it was beneficial stress. The same is true for a workout: there is physical strain, but afterward I feel stronger and more focused. For me, that emotional result is the most reliable indicator. If stress leaves you accomplished and aligned, it likely supports growth. If it leaves you depleted and unhappy, it may be time to reassess.