Did you know
that stress is a major cause of dis-ease in our world? Stress is linked to anxiety and panic attacks,
back pain, depression, colds and viruses, hypertension, insomnia, eating
disorders, diabetes, heart problems and even cancer. Even if stress isn't the cause of a person’s
dis-ease, it is a troublesome and problem-contributing side effect. Living with pain and/or chronic illness is
very stressful and that stress gets in the way of healing.
The reason
stress is such a problem is because when we are stressed, our bodies go into
what’s known as the fight or flight response. This response creates elevated heart rate, a narrowing of vision,
muscle tension, sweating, shallow upper chest breathing, and more sensitive hearing. It is important
if we are being chased or need to fight our way out of something, but in our
modern world, the scary things that chase us are usually money related issues, too
much pressure at work, balancing a
family and a full time job, a chronic illness, pain in the body, etc. These pressures are ongoing, so our stress
response is ongoing. This puts a
terrible burden on our heart and all other systems of the body. The F&F
response is meant to be short lived and once the threat is over, we are
supposed to shift into the relaxation response.
While most of
us can’t just change our lives in a snap, there are things we can do to reduce
stress. An important tool for relieving
stress is breathing. When we are in the
F&F response, as mentioned above, the breath becomes shallow. By learning breathing techniques to lengthen
and deepen the breath, we relax.
Mediation is
another wonderful tool for stress reduction.
Taking time to sit quietly and tune out the outside world is not only
relaxing, but offers incredible grounding and healing benefits.
Some changes in
daily habits can include limiting your caffeine intake, your exposure to
upsetting or stressful media. Eliminating exposure to people and situations
that cause stress is very helpful, too. If you can’t get away from certain people like
co-workers, you can try to change your perception of the situation, understanding
that their behavior really has nothing to do with you.
Down Dog
Diagnostics, LLC offers stress reduction programs as well as programs to assist
individuals with any disharmony, discomfort or dis-ease they may be
experiencing. Schedule your free
consultation today!
