The reason why you should reduce your stress may seem obvious. You want to feel better. And reducing your stress will definitely make you feel better. The truth is that it goes much deeper than that. In fact, your overall health and well-being are affected by stress. In ways you may not know or notice. Let’s take a quick peek under the hood of stress and understand what it’s doing to your body and how to start making some repairs to reduce the effect.
See a condensed version of this article on YouTube https://youtu.be/PRb7BsHAjrc
WHY STRESS AFFECTS THE BODY
When you and your body perceive a threat, challenge, or demand that exceeds your ability to cope, it triggers the “fight or flight” response, which is designed to help individuals respond to perceived dangers or challenges. Notice that this is a “perceived” danger, threat, or challenge.
Think of a time when a friend or family member pretended to throw something at you. Like a ball or something else. Or maybe they even pretended like they were going to hit you. Now the person didn’t actually throw anything at you, but you still tried to dodge the item by ducking down or shrinking back. And your body still tensed in anticipation of something possibly hitting you. Even though nothing was actually thrown, your body still “perceived” it as a possible threat or danger and took action anyway.
This is a natural reaction to stress. Your body, when faced with stress, releases hormones like adrenaline and cortisol, which increase heart rate, elevate blood pressure, and boost energy levels to prepare for action. Fight or flight. If this is temporary or short-term, you will need those hormones to deal with what’s going on. However, if the stress goes beyond that and is chronic (repeatedly happening) or excessive, then this starts to have negative effects on physical health, mental well-being, and overall quality of life.
WHAT CHRONIC STRESS DOES TO THE BODY
When stress is chronic the body is still in the fight or flight mode. This leads to some of these health problems,
MUSCLE TENSION AND PAIN – This can also affect the joints.
HEADACHES – Usually from the muscle tension in your neck, back, and head itself.
ANXIETY – If the stress has been present for awhile it’s harder to cope with other things and we begin to fear what might happen next.
DEPRESSION – Being overwhelmed from stress is difficult which can lead to sadness and not feeling like there is a way out.
HEART PROBLEMS – High blood pressure, high heart rate, heart attack, heart disease and stroke are risks associated with excessive or chronic stress.
WEAKENED IMMUNE SYSTEM – While your body is handling the stress it’s not allowing your body to have as much energy to fight off things attacking your immune system.
WEIGHT GAIN – The excess cortisol in your body from stress makes your metabolism and other body functions work slower.
DIGESTIVE PROBLEMS – That uneasy feeling in your stomach leading to other bowel issues from the tension and other issues the body is trying to cope with while being stressed.
SLEEP PROBLEMS – Stress is a big contributor to sleep issues. You’re too tense to relax. Your mind is focused on the stresses. Therefore, you can’t stop thinking about how to solve these dilemmas. Not a good recipe for sleep.
MEMORY AND FOCUS PROBLEMS – All the things you’re feeling because of the stress and the actual stressor itself can make you very distracted and not be able to focus or remember things easily.
This is not a list to be proud of. It is a list of awareness that can lead you to reducing your stress. You can even start today. It’s a lot easier than you think.
EASILY REDUCE YOUR STRESS TODAY
There are so many ways to start reducing your stress. This website is dedicated to a variety of stress management techniques. And the best part is that all of them are,
FAST – Each technique can start reducing your stress within 5-10 minutes.
EASY – You can start doing them right way without training. Though practice for some does help.
FUN – With so many techniques you will find something that you enjoy.
FREE – Each technique has options that don’t cost anything.
FAST, EASY, FUN AND FREE is a combination I wish I could see more often in other things.
Therefore, reducing your stress is completely within your means and ability. It is critical to your good health to do so.
You’ve been able to look under the hood and now know what’s going on and why. As mentioned above this site shows you how to start reducing the effects of stress. You are the driver in control of using this valuable information for your welfare.
Take a look at the blog section at the various stress management techniques and see what appeals to you. Then, enjoy the journey!
IMPORTANT NOTE:
If you feel as if you cannot cope or feel like ending your life, please reach out to your doctor or a hotline to get immediate medical help. Getting healthy and feeling well is a priority and is more important than anything else. The information in this article is by no means medical advice. It is for educational purposes only.
Watch this article in a simplified version on YouTube https://youtu.be/PRb7BsHAjrc
Stress Less Today 