Excess stress is serious business and it shouldn’t be ignored.
I think that if you truly understood the implications it can have on your health and wellbeing then you would realise the importance of taking action to make changes now.
A lot of people say “yeah i’m stressed so what?” or “isn’t that just part of (insert reason here)”.
Stress affects your whole body although a lot of people think it’s “just in your head” and that mental issues are just of the mind. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
Stress can:
– affect your sleep.
-upset your digestive system.
-lower your immune system.
-trigger anxiety and depression and cause relationship issues.
-cause tension in your muscles and connective tissue, which can become painful and cause injuries.
In short, it pretty much impacts all of our bodies systems and organs and it can make us sick and unhappy.
Everyday in my job I am educating my clients on this topic and I feel like i’v come up with a good way to get the message across.
I find the simplest way of explaining how stress works and why too much of it has a negative impact on us is to briefly educate my clients on how our nervous system works from a very simplified point of view and this is what I say-
When it comes to our nervous systems we have two main gears that our body switches between. Let’s call them gear 1. (REST and digest) and gear 2. (FIGHT or flight).
As we go about our day and are met with different physical and emotional challenges we are supposed to switch between 1st and 2nd gear.
Our bodies perform differently depending on which gear we are in and will focus on different tasks internally depending on whether we are in gear 1. to gear 2.
Blood flow will get directed to different areas of the body and certain chemical reactions occur for regeneration and activity.
Now the problem a lot of people today are having is they are stuck in gear 2.
Some are aware of it and some are not.
Gear 2, is supposed to be reserved for times of immanent danger. It uses up a lot of our energy and resources so it should only be used in short bursts.
Being stuck in gear 2 is like you don’t have an “off” switch. You are always “busy” and on the go.
This will eventually make you sick!
In some cases where stress and anxiety is becoming a pattern and returning regularly then counselling might be a good option as well as other activities such as meditation, yoga or walking where you connect with your breath, get some fresh air and relax.
Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine are also excellent ways to help your body change gears and give your nervous system a gentle push in the right direction when it comes to needing some help to switch off.
Ironically, when you “switch off” you are actually “switching on” your bodies healing powers of regeneration and detoxification which we need to be healthy and disease free.
I like to think of the treatments I provide as a re-set button or least a platform for you to realise the importance and feel the benefits of switching off and I hope that it will motivate you to dedicate some time to self care.
Tsering is an Acupuncturist and Chinese medicine practitioner at The Gentle Dragon Centre and is available for appointments on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
