When faced with a stressful situation, we react by going into The Fight or Flight mode. It doesn’t matter whether the event is negative, positive or simply just imagined—our bodies undergo the same series of changes to help us respond immediately and effectively to the perceived danger. Once the crisis is over and all is clear, we return back to our resting states. After these intense bursts of activity, it is necessary to recuperate and recharge.
However, for far too many of us, the stress we experience is ongoing and relentless. Under these circumstances, we’re no longer able to calm down and return to normal on a consistent basis. Chronic stress wears our bodies’ defenses down and leads to a number of ailments. In fact, it’s been estimated that between 75-90 percent of all doctors’ visits are due to stress-related symptoms.
Conditions associated with chronic stress include:
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- Headaches (migraines and tension)
- Ulcers
- Muscle tension (stiff neck, shoulders and low back)
- Insomnia
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Memory issues
- Excessive fatigue
- High blood pressure
- Heart disease
- Decreased immunity (more susceptible to catching colds and flu and unable to shake them off )
Stress is a part of life. This we cannot change. However, how we handle it is critical to the well-being of our mental, physical and emotional health.
In my next post, I’ll discuss ways to manage stress.
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Debbie Friend is the owner of LifeCurrents. For more information, please visit www.lifecurrents.net
