It was another blazing hot summer around the Diocese of Savannah! That kind of punishing heat, combined with a thick, suffocating humidity, made the season characteristically uncomfortable. Stepping outside often felt like walking into a sauna, where the air itself seemed heavy enough to instantly drain the body’s reserves. It was a far cry from the Great Plains region where I was raised. There, in the depths of winter, temperatures would hover around 0°F, often for weeks or months at a time. The biting wind and the necessity of constantly fighting off the freeze carried its own unique physical burden.

Experiencing both of these extremes teaches a valuable lesson about human fragility. While we often think of stress as a purely mental or emotional phenomenon – driven by our anxieties, relationships, or work – our physical surroundings and natural environment play a massive, underappreciated role in contributing to our overall state of health and well-being. The Lord created us to live in harmony with the natural world, but the environment we live in, whether defined by blistering heat, freezing cold, or modern chaos, can be incredibly tough on us. Without our explicit permission, our surroundings significantly contribute to what medical and mental health professionals call the allostatic load.

The allostatic load is a term used to describe the physiological toll that relentless stressors place on us. To understand allostatic load, we must first understand that we are biologically designed to respond to challenges. When faced with an immediate threat like suddenly swerving to avoid a car accident, our nervous system brilliantly leaps into action. This process, called allostasis, floods the body with hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, elevating our heart rate, sharpening our focus, and directing our metabolic energy toward immediate survival. When this system works as designed, it is a true miracle of biology. Once the danger passes, the body ideally returns to its baseline state, known as homeostasis.

In our modern world, however, stressors are rarely brief or isolated. We face relentless deadlines, financial worries, 24-hour news cycles, challenging family dynamics, and even grueling environmental extremes like Savannah heat waves. Environmental stressors are physical realities that tax the body and mind, often without our conscious awareness. Constant noise pollution, visual overstimulation from glaring screens, poor air quality, and extreme weather can all subtly communicate to the brain that we are not entirely safe, keeping the nervous system on high alert. We were created for the tranquility of Eden, yet we live in a world filled with continuous demands and disruptions that can keep the body’s alarm system stuck in the “on” position. When psychological and environmental stressors become chronic, the stress response remains perpetually activated, and the allostatic load begins to accumulate. Over time, this constant physiological wear and tear can erode both physical and mental health, contributing to disrupted sleep, weakened immune functioning, depression, and anxiety. The allostatic load is, in point of fact, the bill the body pays for living in a perpetual state of heightened alert.

This is where the physiological reality of allostatic load intersects deeply with the Catholic understanding of the human person. For Catholics, our biological reality is not just a medical or scientific issue but a profoundly spiritual one. The Church teaches that the human person is a profound unity of body and soul. We are not machines, nor is the body merely a temporary shell for the spirit. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches, “Spirit and matter in man are not two natures united, but rather their union forms a single nature” (no. 365). St. Paul further reminds us that our bodies are “temples of the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor 6:19), deserving of care, reverence, and stewardship.

Because of this reality, what happens to our physical bodies, including the toll of environmental and psychological stress, deeply affects other domains of our human experience, as well. When we carry a heavy allostatic load, our spiritual lives will inevitably suffer. Chronic stress drains the vital energy required to develop deeper relationships with our families and our communities. It erodes our patience for others and can make the gentle voice of God feel distant. It is immensely difficult to cultivate the fruits of the Spirit when our nervous system is perpetually locked in survival mode.

Even Jesus, in his sacred humanity, experienced the toll of his environment and ministry. He grew weary from walking in the Judean heat, he slept out of sheer exhaustion on a boat during a violent storm, and he frequently withdrew from the pressing crowds to find silence and rest in prayer. If the Lord himself recognized the need to step away from environmental and relational stressors to recharge, we must humbly recognize the same need in ourselves.

St. Thomas Aquinas understood this mind-body connection intuitively, long before the discovery of cortisol. The Angelic Doctor noted that things like a hot bath, a good night’s sleep, the sympathy of friends, or contemplating the beauty of creation can alleviate some of the heaviness of life. Today, modern science validates this time-tested wisdom.

Reducing our allostatic load requires intentionality. It means reclaiming the concept of the Sabbath, carving out time for true rest rather than just catching up on chores. It involves seeking out silence to counteract the world’s noise, fasting from our screens to give our eyes and minds a break, and stepping out into the beauty of nature – perhaps when the Georgia heat breaks in the evening – to let God’s creation soothe our nerves.

Caring for our physical, mental, and environmental well-being is not a selfish indulgence; rather, managing our allostatic load is a healthy, necessary part of honoring the Lord for the gift of life he has bestowed upon us. By tending to the physical realities of our bodies, we create the necessary peace within ourselves to better hear the voice of the Holy Spirit and carry out the mission God has entrusted to us.