A bit of stress is completely normal. We all get anxious when work pressures build up and personal lives get messy, no matter how organised we are in life, it’s easy to let things get on top of us.

Feeling stress is actually a good thing, it gives us energy, makes us focus when things need to get done and helps us perform in high intensity situations. Most of the time, we figure out an answer to our problems or they sort themselves out naturally and our stress levels return to normal.

Stress that lasts longer however is not so great and can be harmful to our brains and mental health, as this video explains. Feeling stressed for a prolonged amount of time can actually shrink the brain and change it’s structure, even reducing it’s ability to judge situations and interact socially.

This video shows exactly how the human brain reacts to long term stress and the ways we can combat and reverse the effects of chronic stress in an amazingly simple way.