The Mind Under Pressure: How Stress Shapes Our Reality and Health

Nick Sitzman, a young healthy man worked as a crew member on a freight train somewhere in the Midwest. On the surface, Nick seemed to have everything: a robust physique, ambition, a wife and two kids, and lots of friends. But he was a chronic worrier. He worried about everything and constantly feared the worst.

One summer day, the train crew was informed that they could finish work an hour early in honor of the manager's birthday. At the time, Nick was inside one of the refrigerated cars used to transport goods. Absentmindedly, the crew locked the car and left, unaware that Nick was still inside.

Nick shouted, pounded on the walls until his fists bled, and eventually lost his voice. "If I don't find a way out," he thought, "I'm going to freeze to death." Wanting his family to know what happened, he found a knife and carved a message into the wall: “So cold...I feel myself going numb. These may be my last words.”

The next morning, the crew opened the car and found Nick lying lifeless on the floor. The autopsy showed clear physical signs of hypothermia. But here’s the shocking part: the refrigeration unit hadn’t been turned on. The temperature inside the car never dropped below 20°C (68°F). Nick had essentially worried himself to death.

The Mind–Body Connection

As far back as the 16th century, there was developing awareness that a person’s mental state has a powerful impact on their physical health. One doctor phrased it this way: “Check what created the patient before you check what’s wrong with him.”

Of all mental states, stress is one of the most harmful. A stressed person’s performance, alertness, and even sense of satisfaction all decline.

What is Stress?

People often imagine dramatic events such as car accidents, financial collapse, or social conflict as “stress.” But those are triggers. The stress itself is internal- it’s not the event, but our interpretation of it.

A financial setback is, objectively, just a change in numbers. Our belief that it’s a catastrophe is what causes the stress. It’s not the world that overwhelms us, but the lens through which we see it.

How Stress Breaks Us Down

Modern medicine acknowledges that chronic stress contributes to a range of health problems: high blood sugar, sleep disorders, weakened immunity, increased heart rate and blood pressure, and even digestive illnesses like ulcers or inflammatory bowel disease.

Short-term stress usually fades after the situation ends, but long-term stress, can literally change how our brain functions- affecting the genetic mechanisms of our brain cells.

These changes can lead to distorted thought patterns. A stressed person may begin to see everything through a dark lens of pessimism, black-and-white thinking, and hopeless predictions about the future.

By contrast, a balanced person facing the same situation will respond with inner strength and adaptability. They are able to believe that a solution exists and that they can rise to the challenge- not because they’re brilliant, but because they trust in their ability to figure it out.

Perspective from the Book of Esther

The story of Haman and Mordechai (from the Book of Esther) illustrates the power of interpretation. When Haman is ordered to honor Mordechai, he immediately spirals into despair, even though the command itself wasn’t lethal. His drama was internal.

Mordechai, on the other hand, faces a real threat to his people and yet remains focused and composed. He mobilizes prayer, action, and strategy. His hopeful response brought about salvation that is still celebrated today.

How to Release Stress

1. Embrace Change
Life is change. Comfort zones provide the illusion of safety, but change is life’s only constant. The world is round and in motion- resisting it exhausts us. Like water flowing around obstacles, a flexible person adapts and keeps moving.

2. Filter Out Toxic Information
News outlets thrive on drama. If your only tool is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. Overexposure to alarming headlines can poison the mind and spike anxiety. Build mental filters: consume only meaningful, constructive information.

3. Take Care of Your Body
Don’t treat your body like a machine that you drop off for repairs. Much of our physical health depends on lifestyle. Accumulated bad habits often underlie chronic illness. A healthy body supports a resilient mind.

4. Use Proven Techniques

• Practice calming breathing exercises

• Build social support systems

• Look for meaning in suffering- “He who has a ‘why’ can endure any ‘how’”

Stress isn’t about what happens to you, but about how you view what happens. While we can’t control every event, we can control our response, and in doing so, we reclaim our peace, power, and potential.