The Insidious Harm on your Health when You’re Stressed
We all experience stress in our life, each and every one of us in different ways and scenarios:
You’re driving and as another driver cuts you off, you narrowly avoid an accident
You’re experiencing turbulence in an airplane
You’re late for an appointment and you can’t find your keys and your mobile phone
You have tension with a colleague or manager at work
You’re constantly busy juggling between your responsibilities at work and at home
You’re feeling overwhelmed watching the news, not knowing what the future holds
All these scenarios can trigger your body’s natural fight or flight response, which is driven from your sympathetic nervous system. This response is your body’s reaction to a perceived danger, preparing it to act quickly.
Are you aware of what’s really happening in your body when you experience stress?
Back in the caveman days, sudden death was a real risk to humans and this stress response helped our ancestors to survive. It gave them the ability to fight back predators or to flee when threatened by a wild animal.
“The ‘fight or flight response’, or stress response, is triggered by a release of hormones either prompting us to stay and fight or run away and flee” explains psychologist Carolyn Fisher, PhD. “During the response, all bodily systems are working to keep us alive in what we’ve perceived as a dangerous situation.”
Fortunately, for many of us our survival is not threatened on a daily basis. However, we continue to trigger this stress response in our daily life, as if our life was at stake. This means that all the bodily functions focus exclusively on your survival, to protect your body by preparing you to react quickly:
your adrenal glands release adrenaline and cortisol
your blood rushes where it is more needed (muscles and heart)
your heart races and pumps faster
your breath quickens
your muscles tense, ready for action
your pupils dilate so that you can see better
your liver produces extra blood sugar (glucose) to give you a boost of energy
When the stressor is gone, all the body systems should to go back to normal with time. If, however, they fail to return to normal, and the stress response keeps firing, several times a day and day after day, it could put your health at risk:
over time, stress hormones weaken your immune system and you may become more prone to catch viral illnesses and infections. It may also takes you longer to recover
the rush of hormones, rapid breathing, and increased heart rate can lead to high blood pressure
your digestive system may be upset (acid reflux, ulcers, the way food is digested by your body)
frequent stress makes the heart works harder increasing the risks of stroke and heart attacks
without relaxation, your muscles remain tense and tight, causing body pains and aches (headaches, bak and shoulder pain)
long term and chronic stress lead to physical and emotional exhaustion
mental and physical exhaustion may lead to a loss of libido and have an impact on women’s menstrual cycle and symptoms of menopause
What is it that you can do then, to counter-balance the effects of your body’s stress response?
Relax!
It is very important that you minimise your stress response (even more now that you know what it does to your body), and that you take time each day to relax deeply, giving the opportunity to your body to rejuvenate.
If you are keen to experience a FREE Session of Deep Relaxation in the comfort of your own home, click here.
Imagine how your life would be by tapping into your natural abilities to BE, DO and HAVE what you really want in your life, and how it would impact positively on the life of those around you. Instead of accepting the status quo, you can choose to turn all the “I can’t” and “I shouldn’t” into create new possibilities for yourself. Are you now keen to create a positive change in your life?
I can help you feel centered, tap into your inner strength, express your essence and live fulfilled through the ‘Inside-out’ Approach.
Until we meet, take care.
Cécile
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Hi! I’m Cécile Bleskine
I support women lead a fulfilled life, feeling aligned with who they are and what they want
Fascinated by the connection between mind, body and energy, I have specialised in several modalities, that when combined, facilitate personal and professional transformation
My passion for blending neuroscience and meditation (mind), somatic and emotion based work (body) and practices such as reiki and sound healing (energy) creates a profound experience that brings about lasting results
This ‘Inside-out’ Approach is what sets my work apart
If you’d like to know more about how we can work together, click here