- Are you like I was, when you hear or read about ‘stress or anxiety’, you don’t take the warnings too seriously? But even more important, when confronted with a stressful situation, do you ignore what it could be doing to your body?
- Do you seem to do any of these things when in a stressful situation?
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- eat something sweet, salty, smooth and creamy, fried or crunchy
- drink a caffeine or sugar or artificial sweetener based beverage or an alcoholic beverage
- tell someone else about the situation and then keep going over it, over and over again
- blow up and get into a heated argument with someone
- hold grudges against people
- hold it in and act like it doesn’t bother you
- try to laugh it off or make a joke out of it
- sleep it off
- rely on an over the counter, prescription or illegal drug to calm you down
- fill in the blank ____________________________________
Some of these things may seem to be harmless but they can be real crutches, setting the body up for being the host of some serious health challenges.
Once I realized what was going on behind the scenes in my body, it was clear that I needed to take stress seriously! Stress will always be in our lives and there is good and bad stress but too much of anything is not good. When stress becomes distress and when it is ignored or hidden, that is not good.
I learned that when stressed or in distress, our bodies move into ‘flight or fright’ mode. This mode starts all types of hormonal ‘juices’ to flow into our cells, tissues and organs. If the situation is not dealt with properly and the body’s warnings are habitually ignored or hidden, these ‘juices’ can create an unhealthy buildup of inflammation. Inflammation can be a good thing but when we stay in a state of distress for extended periods of time, excess inflammation starts to lodge in our cells, tissues and body organs which then become hosts for degenerative diseases. Unhealthy inflammation can create swelling and pain and that may manifest into headaches, backaches or other unexplained body aches and pain, sinus congestion or other unpleasant warnings.
Stress can be triggered by unhealthy food, events, people, circumstances, thoughts and actions. How you prepare for or react to them will make a difference in how your body reacts or gives warnings that something has gone wrong and it needs your support.
So many younger people have diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, and other degenerative diseases these days that a few decades ago were diseases of older generations. Science has linked many degenerative diseases to various risk factors including stress.
In the next article, let’s explore some of these triggers, body warnings and what can be done to support your body. Your Body Speaks, Are You Listening?
Bonita M.W. Shelby
Health Educator/Advocate & Certified Clinical Aromatherapist
Next Level Self Care to Empower YOU!
This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease but is for educational purposes to promote and empower YOU to health and wellness. The decision to use, or not to use, any of this information is the sole responsibility of the reader. You are encouraged to do the health-related research required to learn what is right for you and to consult with your health professional.
