The stress response hasn’t changed since we were hairy, hunched, and being chased by something with sharper teeth than us.
Your body does not care whether the “predator” is:
- A lion
- Your boss
- A debt collector
- An awkward text you reread 14 times
- Or that thing you said two weeks ago at dinner
It runs the exact same survival program.
Heart rate ↑, Blood pressure ↑, Blood sugar released for energy so blood sugar (appears) ↑
Digestion? Paused ↓
Hormones? Not urgent ↓
Repair work? We’ll get to it later ↓
Because survival is always first.
Always.
Enter the Adrenals
Sitting like snow caps on the peak of your kidneys are the adrenal glands (think ad-renals – they aren’t there by coincidence or mistake)
When your brain senses threat (real or imagined), it presses the red button.
Out comes:
- Adrenaline
- Noradrenaline
- Cortisol
Now you’re flexed, focused, fortified and formatted.
You are primed to fight.
Or flee.
Or freeze and overthink it at 3am
But Here’s the Bit No One Talks About…
Stress is mineral-expensive.
It costs something, and that price is magnesium. WHY?? Because Mmagnesium is the Mmineral of Mmovement
Magnesium stabilises:
- Energy production (ATP, formally known as mg-ATP)
- Nerve signaling
- Muscle relaxation
- Blood sugar balance
- Stress hormone modulation
When you’re stressed, your “magnesium burn rate” increases.
(We could honestly rename stress: Increasing the Magnesium Burn Rate.)
This net loss creates imbalance in all the 84 minerals, and almost all your enzymes.
The Kidney–Adrenal Conversation
Your adrenals don’t just fire off cortisol, they release aldosterone too, which signals your kidneys what to hold onto and what to let go of.
Hold sodium.
Dump potassium.
Adjust fluids.
Do this occasionally? Fine.
Do this all day because you live in a constant low-grade fearful, watchful, anxious state?
Now your system is working overtime.
Electrolytes start wobbling.
Fluid balance shifts.
Blood pressure changes.
Energy becomes unpredictable at best
Digestion slows.
Bile thickens.
Stomach acid weakens.
Sleep gets lighter.
Tolerance gets thinner.
Suddenly the small things feel big.
Not because you’re dramatic bur because you are now under-resourced (think of any service-provider with not enough staff and the long queue they make you wait in)
This Is Where It Gets Personal
If you:
- Snap more easily
- Wake at 3am wired
- Crave salt or sugar
- Feel puffy but tired
- Can’t tolerate things you used to handle
It might not be a personality flaw – It might be a mineral deficit.
Chronic stress doesn’t just exhaust your mind, it depletes your physiology.
And when your physiology is underfunded, your resilience shrinks.
You may not need to “Cope Better.”
You may need to:
- Rebuild mineral reserves
- Support kidney regulation
- Stabilise blood sugar
- Lower the constant threat signaling
Because calm is not just a mindset…..It’s a biochemical state.
And you cannot think your way out of a magnesium deficit.
Thanks for that Michelle, so how do we fix it? (This is the part I love 😊 We’ve named the problem without shame. Now we take our power back in doable Small Steps 👣
Let’s build this as a “Reduce the Magnesium Burn Rate” protocol.
If stress increases The Magnesium Burn Rate, the answer isn’t “try harder”, but rather reduce the burn rate and rebuild the reserves.
👣 Stop Starting Your Day in Fight Mode ‼️
No phone first thing in the morning.
Eat protein within an hour of waking.
Coffee is not breakfast (sorry :-/) Morning cortisol is already high — don’t stack stimulation on top of it.
👣 Stabilise Blood Sugar
Every crash triggers adrenaline.
Every adrenaline spike costs magnesium.
Protein at every meal.
Don’t skip meals.
Salt your food.
Sexy and Insta-worthy? Not at all
Effective? Absolutely.
👣 Replenish (Gently)
Magnesium-rich foods.
Mineral-dense meals.
If supplementing, choose forms that suit your system — not the biggest dose on the shelf.
Layering is useful – magnesium supplement, transdermal spray or cream, Epsom salts bath or foot bath, magnesium tissue salts – alternating these each, a few times a week
Magnesium works best in a well-fed, well-salted body.
👣 Send Safety Signals
Longer exhales.
Morning sunlight (instead of blue screen and drama)
Walking.
Eating at the table
Earlier nights.
Regular slow sex (you can thank me later)
You don’t need to “relax better.”
You need to ‘tell’ your nervous system the predator has left and you are safe.
That’s it.
Small shifts.
Lower burn rate.
Restore reserves.
Because calm isn’t a personality trait.
It’s a balanced mineral state