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!
