This article also got me thinking about a great video I saw a few months ago. I know it really hit home when I first saw it. Such a good reminder. Please take the time to watch it. Please click here to view.
These days, stress attacks us from every angle. Traffic jams on the way to work, an argument with a friend, a co-worker who just doesn’t “get it”. Even a long line at the grocery store is enough to stimulate stress in most of us.
As a society we’re becoming more and more irritable. And the ways of the world are not making it easy for us to maintain unaffected!
Stress may seem an overwhelming annoyance. Nerves can inspire sudden headaches, tremors, and increased heart rates. One stressful situation can put you in a bad mood for the rest of the day.
Stress can definitely be debilitating in the moment. But it’s important to realize that stress is much more than an emotion of frustration. Stress can have long term effects on the body! Perhaps debunking the mystery of stress will give it some much needed perspective in our racing minds.
To you, stress might look like two dark bags under your eyes, a couple of very flushed cheeks, or an ever increasing bald spot.
What does stress look like INSIDE the body?
When initially introduced to any stressor, our brain reacts by increasing the production of adrenaline and cortisol. These two hormones cause an elevation in heart rate and blood sugar, forcing more blood to the brain. This explains the “buzz” you may feel in your head when you encounter a nerve-wracking situation.
The long term effect of one incident of stress is minimal. The real problem begins when stress beings to build on itself – occurring many times per day. One may eventually feel stressed out just thinkingabout stress!
As stress becomes more frequent, the body begins to treat the release of adrenaline and cortisol as if it is normal. As a result, our bodies adapt to the hormones, which increases the sensitivity of our nerves. We become increasingly anxious, and are irritated even MORE easily than before.
Stress becomes especially dangerous when it is so regular that the body is no longer able to produce the adrenaline it has come to rely on. This is why stress often results in extreme fatigue.
As if the outer effect of stress was not enough, it turns out that stress also takes a debilitating toll on the immune system. According to a study done at Harvard University, people who used poor coping strategies to combat stress got sick 4 times more often as those who used good coping strategies.
With stress comes an increased risk of: memory loss, colds, chronic depression, chest pain,obesity, diarrhea, nausea, loss of sex drive, migraines, damage to the immune system, and seemingly unexplainable aches and pains.
It is important to give your body what it needs to combat stress, and to stay one step ahead of the stress in your life.
Life is imperfect; the world is flawed. Your body doesn’t have to be. Start preparing for the effects of stress today.
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