Stress-
We all have it and we are all trying to lower or avoid it. But what is stress and what is it doing to our bodies?
Stress is anything or any event that causes our body to release high levels of the cortisol hormone. What you may not know, is that our bodies do not know the difference between stress caused by a real-life event, such as a car swerving in our lane or a perceived threat, such as a memory of a painful event, or a scary movie. This means our bodies are releasing high levels of cortisol just by reliving an event in our head or by watching something that makes us uncomfortable.
Other ways of increasing the release of this stress hormone, is by eating foods that are bad for your body, over exercising, or by being in contact with environmental toxins. Our bodies do not distinguish between these stressors and they can all have a negative reaction, affecting our health and well-being.
So how do we know if stress is affecting our health? Of course, it is! It’s hard to avoid stress. But how stress related health issues manifest in our bodies can be different for everyone and have varying symptoms. Here is a pretty comprehensive list of some of the symptoms that may arise with a constant increase of cortisol, but still won’t cover all the possible stress related issues. The release of high levels of cortisol may lead to a weakened immune system. High cortisol levels may lead to high blood pressure. Cushing’s syndrome may occur in people with high levels of cortisol. You may find it more difficult to lose weight, or you may notice more weight in your mid-section or belly area, when you become sick, you seem to be sick for longer periods. Sleep is difficult, as well as your ability to concentrate.
Because stress is out there, we need to do a better job at recognizing it and how our bodies are affected by it. But, after reading the above information, you can see there is a need for a multifaceted attack on this thing we call stress, including taking a look at what we eat, what detergents we use on our clothes, how we relax, and how we are exercising.
Here’s a starter list to get you on the path to reducing the stress in your life and gaining control of your health:
Diet-start eliminating GMO foods. They can stress your system. Just as important is the reduction of the high intake of refined sugar.
Environment- Toxins can be found in most cleaning products. Switching to a more natural brand is a start. Making your own cleaning products is an even better step and cheaper.
Stop using any products that include glyphosate. This chemical can wreak havoc on your nervous system and create a stress.
Exercise- as important as exercise is to keeping us healthy and reducing stress, too much exercise can be very hard on our bodies. When we workout more, but sleep less, we are not allowing our bodies the down time it needs to recuperate and can be very stressful. Finding balance is key to having good health.
Relaxation- Calming the nervous system is key in the reduction of stress. But there are some great practices you can easily add to your daily schedule. Breathe! Breath work is a powerhouse in reducing stress. Meditation has much research backing its ability to reduce stress and bring health. A good yoga class should include both of these practices.
Stress is unavoidable but the good news is, you can start reducing stress today by adding some of these simple practices.
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