Dis-Ease: Another name for Chronic or Acute Stress?
Stress is an inevitable part of everyone's life and while some may grin and bear it, there is science behind stress. Stress is a reaction to a perceived threat. We each have our own unique triggers, so what is stressful to one person may not be for another. One person may react with excitement, another with anxiety, another with “oh well”.
Life today seems to be more stressful with more things triggering us: financial crisis, unhealthy lifestyle choices, difficult relationships and jobs (or lack of), overworking (long days, little down time, little fun or play) a general disconnect from others, even sleep deprivation. Excessive or chronic stress can be dangerous and have harsh effects on the body. Why? Because it keeps us in a continual state of “fight or flight”, your body's natural alarm system, releasing a steady stream of stress hormones in our body without relief or release. Cortisol, the primary stress hormone, alters immune system responses and suppresses the digestive system, the reproductive system and growth processes. This complex natural alarm system also controls mood, motivation and fear. All good and necessary for the quick response you need to fight or flee the threat but overexposure to cortisol and other stress hormones — can disrupt almost all your body's processes. This puts you at increased risk of numerous health problems when there is NO or very little recovery time - "OK, I can take a big breath.... the threat (saber-toothed tiger) is gone. I escaped. Whew, now I can relax....".
Common symptoms of stress include headaches, stomach aches, muscle tension and fatigue. Stress can be the primary trigger for life threatening dis-ease contributing to strokes, heart disease, chronic pain and even cancer. It can also take a toll on relationships. Managing stress is really all about monitoring and managing our physical, mental and emotional energy in positive healthy ways. How are we nourishing, caring for our bodies? our mental status? our emotions? our spirituality? Are we leaking our life energy in negative ways? Toxic environments, whether internally or externally, assault the body's defenses, eventually causing dis-ease to become illness. An internal toxic environment can mean continual self-criticism or negativity. An external one can be a job, relationship, home life, natural disasters
See RESEARCH page for more information on how mind-body techniques, like listening to relaxation tapes & guided imagery are powerful tools to improve health and well-being and address many medical as well as psychological issues.
Stress is an inevitable part of everyone's life and while some may grin and bear it, there is science behind stress. Stress is a reaction to a perceived threat. We each have our own unique triggers, so what is stressful to one person may not be for another. One person may react with excitement, another with anxiety, another with “oh well”.
Life today seems to be more stressful with more things triggering us: financial crisis, unhealthy lifestyle choices, difficult relationships and jobs (or lack of), overworking (long days, little down time, little fun or play) a general disconnect from others, even sleep deprivation. Excessive or chronic stress can be dangerous and have harsh effects on the body. Why? Because it keeps us in a continual state of “fight or flight”, your body's natural alarm system, releasing a steady stream of stress hormones in our body without relief or release. Cortisol, the primary stress hormone, alters immune system responses and suppresses the digestive system, the reproductive system and growth processes. This complex natural alarm system also controls mood, motivation and fear. All good and necessary for the quick response you need to fight or flee the threat but overexposure to cortisol and other stress hormones — can disrupt almost all your body's processes. This puts you at increased risk of numerous health problems when there is NO or very little recovery time - "OK, I can take a big breath.... the threat (saber-toothed tiger) is gone. I escaped. Whew, now I can relax....".
Common symptoms of stress include headaches, stomach aches, muscle tension and fatigue. Stress can be the primary trigger for life threatening dis-ease contributing to strokes, heart disease, chronic pain and even cancer. It can also take a toll on relationships. Managing stress is really all about monitoring and managing our physical, mental and emotional energy in positive healthy ways. How are we nourishing, caring for our bodies? our mental status? our emotions? our spirituality? Are we leaking our life energy in negative ways? Toxic environments, whether internally or externally, assault the body's defenses, eventually causing dis-ease to become illness. An internal toxic environment can mean continual self-criticism or negativity. An external one can be a job, relationship, home life, natural disasters
See RESEARCH page for more information on how mind-body techniques, like listening to relaxation tapes & guided imagery are powerful tools to improve health and well-being and address many medical as well as psychological issues.