While cortisol as a whole is often demonized in health and wellness circles, it’s clear that this hormone plays an essential yet complex role in the body. The key is not to eliminate cortisol but to maintain balance. Good news is that we can train for this! Kind of like the classic Goldilocks and the Three Bears story - we don’t want too little and we don’t want too much - we want jusssst the right amount. And we especially want the right amount at the right time! There are tactics we can explore to push the threshold of tolerance higher (or lower) depending on the individual.
Acute stressors—like exercise, goal-setting, and trying something new—can trigger healthy spikes in cortisol that ultimately benefit the body and mind. However, chronic stress, negative emotions, and poor lifestyle habits can lead to prolonged high cortisol levels, which have detrimental effects on health.