Stress: A weapon of self destruction
Stress kills.
Really
it does, it can make you seriously ill and considerably shorten your life. Not
only that it makes you look really old.
Stress is a weapon
of self destruction.
You have to prevent
it from destroying you.
"If you ask
what is the single most important key to longevity, I would have to say it is
avoiding worry, stress and tension. And if you didn't ask me, I'd still have to
say it"
George Burns,
comedian. Lived to be 100.
Stress is responsible for 75 to 90 percent of visits to doctors.
When stress hits our
world we typically have one of 2 reactions, fight or flight. These both produce
changes from our hormones, neurotransmitters, glands, nerves and so much more
to help us prepare for the coming onslaught/emergency. We will feel these as
increased heart rate, breathing, blood pressure rising and muscle tension.
But most often there
is no immediate threat to life or limb and we go with the third option and that
is to freeze, to stay stuck in our emotion or stress and it wreaks havoc with our
health. We then store this stress and emotion internally, often feeling constantly
on edge or even helpless. This of course keeps the stress reactions of our body
still working.
When this happens it
causes long-term chronic issues in the body and nervous system leading to
inflammation. This then has a fall out effect leading to things like headaches,
allergies and complete exhaustion and burn out.
There is very few
diseases and health issues that stress does not effect, from heart disease to
long term depression and cancer. Stress is the fuel for it all.
So what can we do to defuse this ticking bomb?
In a search for
coping mechanisms, many people turn to such things as drugs, alcohol,
overeating or overworking. Of course all of these things may work for a moment,
however, over time, they tend to add more stress rather than relieve it. They
often result in dependency and
additional side effects on your health and wellbeing.
Here are my top 3 tips...
- Learn to meditate. Meditation does not have to be religious, hard or even lengthy. There are many ways to incorporate meditation and mindfulness into your day. You can begin to do it for just a moment or two at a time and it has amazing benefits for your stress levels, health, sleep, relationships and so much more.
- Go outside. We spend so much time inside or staring at screens that outside has become a rarity. So go outside, look at the horizon, the clouds, the trees and feel the earth beneath your feet.
- Laugh, at whatever you like. Just laugh. Laughter has so many health benefits and you feel so bloody good once you have done it. So call in a life line, phone a friend and laugh at anything. Find funny cat videos on you tube or just let your kids tell you funny jokes. But laugh, a lot.
Want to know more about how to meditate, reduce stress and begin to create positive changes in your life?
Contact me on 0419 026 033
