Adrenaline Unhealthy and Healthy Effects on the Body

Throughout our experiences, we interact with a variety of situations, people, and environments that have an extraordinary effect on our mind and body. Our childhood can design important aspects of our identity and how we interact in relationships. A child who was repeatedly exposed to and stimulated by a hostile and negative environment will likely build emotions such as fear, sadness and anger. Due to the constant charges of adrenaline delivered into their body while experiencing these negative emotions, their system becomes overly stimulated and overwhelmed.

Constant charges of adrenaline can damage our body and affect its ability to work properly and for our minds to function effectively. An overly stimulated child will become an overly stimulated adult, who will likely develop acute to chronic anxiety, anger or depression. The adult will likely look for a stimulus that now he identifies as part of his identity, such as alcohol, drugs, hostile and abusive relationships, or environments with constant pressure. The use and exposure to these stimuli can be the direction that the person often takes to stimulate their body and mind with the same stimuli experienced during early age.  Unfortunately, it’s impossible as a child to avoid negative environments, negative people and the effects they have on our identity. However, as adults we can find ways to identify these negative stimuli and to re-educate and re-discipline our mind to look for healthy sources to experience adrenaline.

Below are different and healthy ways to stimulate our body and mind with adrenaline.

1. Exercising the body, walking, running, dancing are excellent sources of adrenaline and helps to define our physical body.
2. Laughing stimulates the brain to release endorphins and helps us to feel good. Besides, when we laugh, we age less.
3. Falling in love stimulates adrenaline and other amazing chemicals, such as dopamine and serotonin, in great ways.
4. Enrolling in psychodrama which can be role playing with a psychotherapist, or watch a play, movie, or novel in which psychological elements are the main interest or any activity that stimulates emotions and our body can help us to release adrenaline and to help build our critical thinking skills.

Remember, adrenaline is an excellent chemical that can be used in emergency situations and to help us to solve an immediate problem, but can also be a drop of poison to our body if experienced constantly. Constant charges of adrenaline can have long term damage on the natural functioning of our mind and body.

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Author: Anna Vita, MS has her Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology from Palm Beach Atlantic University and is a Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern at

Orlando Total Life Counseling Center where our child, teen, relationship and marriage experts specialize in depression & anxiety and can be reached at (407) 248-0030.