The Stress Steal
Stress Steals Your Health? How does it do that?
Stress can throw off your cycle, your thyroid, your mood, your blood sugar, your cholesterol. It increases your cancer risk, and makes it harder to lose weight.
Understanding HOW this happens can better empower you to address it.
First, what is stress?
Stress can be a good thing. Exercise is an example of positive stress.
But most of us are referring to negative stress when we think or speak of stress.
Isn’t it just normal these days? Doesn’t everybody have stress?
Stress can be in many forms. It is busy life to the point of overwhelm, feeling you can’t catch up. Especially if it feels like repetitive work and drudgery, without fun or joy mixed in.
Living in difficult circumstances, not enough money, unstable housing, difficult primary relationships. These ongoing psychological types of stress can be the most wearing on your body, especially when you feel there is no way out.
This includes past hurts and traumas.
I know it is easier said than done to let go of these. And it can only be done as you are ready. A ritual, recognizing the hurt or trauma, then packaging it up and sending it off can be helpful. Some write about what weighs on them and then burn the paper for example.
Mental health counseling can be helpful in dealing with this type of stress also.
The point is that keeping the stress alive allows it to continue wearing on you.
Stress can also be physical. Long-term, low-level infection or inflammation are stressful on the body.
When your body senses stress, it shifts into high alert. The sympathetic nervous system kicks in. Our nervous system is being “sympathetic” to our situation, and responding accordingly.
It is prepared to meet the challenge. Your heart rate and breathing increase. Blood and fuel are rushed to your muscles so you can run or fight for your life, and your eyes so you can take in the situation. This as “fight or flight” mode.
Your body can function very effectively this way… for a short period of time, like minutes or hours, even a few days if necessary. But there is a price.
The more this is your dominant mode in life, the steeper the cost to your health.
Oftentimes people don’t realize they are living in fight or flight. They think that life is busy, and this is normal.
First of all… Understand that your body is responding appropriately. Don’t be dissing your body, blaming things on your hormones, when they are following the orders they are receiving.
In order to put so much energy and attention to muscles, eyes, and heart rate, your body has to put LESS energy and attention somewhere else. For instance, it will make less DHEA.
DHEA is a pro-hormone. It will be used downstream to make estrogen and testosterone.
When you are in “fight or flight” your body very wisely decides you don’t need DHEA. We aren’t having sex and making babies when we are running for our lives. Right?
So, you have less estrogen and testosterone being made. No problem if this happens for a few minutes or even a few hours on occasion, for the sake of survival. But if it happens frequently or you are spending much of your time in this mode, hormone balance will suffer.
DHEA is involved in functions beyond the menstrual cycle. It improves insulin sensitivity, lowers cholesterol and helps with weight regulation.
This is one example of how STRESS IS STEALING YOUR HEALTH.
Your body isn’t screwed up. You aren’t a lemon. Your body is doing the right thing, BUT it isn’t meant to do it full time, or even very often.
That’s how stress can mess up your cycles, and your thyroid, and your insulin sensitivity, and your cholesterol, and your weight.
Addressing stress in everyday life is not just fluff. It is not something that can be left off when you get busy. It becomes even more important then.
Your body expects to spend most of its time in the parasympathetic mode. This is what we call “rest and digest” or “calm and connect”.
Everything in your body works better when you are mostly in calm and connect.
All of your everyday bodily functions are negatively affected when you are in fight or flight more than the occasional brief episode.
How to shift out of “fight or flight” and into “calm and connect”?
Take a breath. Right where you are, just take a really deep breath in, and blow out long and slow.
Feel your feet on the ground. This brings you back into yourself and the immediate moment.
Acknowledge something you are grateful for. It is hard to be in stress mode when you are feeling grateful.
Go outside. Stop and smell the roses, literally. See the trees, notice the birds and squirrels. Appreciate the rocks and clouds and sun.
Smile or greet someone. Calm tends to result from these small connections.
Prepare ahead. Create a reasonable schedule for your day. Avoid unnecessary stress of rushing and trying to fit too many things in. Life is busy. Know that and plan accordingly.
Say no. Reserve time for you and your priorities.
Move your body. Body movement releases tension and stress.
Visit with friends and family. Support one another.
Check your attitude. Avoid negative talk. Be positive. Seek out positive people.
Have fun! Laugh, play! INTEND to enjoy life.
Get a massage. Give a massage.
Meditate, pray, reflect.
If you think stress could be impacting your hormone balance and your health, work on becoming conscious of what is going on in your body. Make a point multiple times a day to shift into calm and connect, rest and digest.
Be intentional about this if you see that your default is fight or flight.
Know that in addition to the mental and emotional stress of a busy life and past trauma, physical factors can create stress in your body.
Take that first step toward unwinding the effects of stress on your health so you can enjoy life! Get in touch.