Stress -- Part 1

I am writing about the topic of stress this month and next month because stress can wreak havoc in our lives and on our health.  Most illnesses can be traced back to some kind of emotional or physical stress.  Various lifestyle and environmental factors can stress the body to the point that it gets out of balance and becomes vulnerable to disease.  The thoughts that we think, the foods that we eat, and the lifestyle choices that we make all influence the body’s health positively or negatively.

Let’s break it down a little more.  For the purpose of this month’s blog entry, I’ll talk about the type of stress that is most familiar to us:  emotional or mental stress.  This kind of stress can be the result of having an overburdened schedule or feeling that we must be all things to all people.  It can also come from excessive worry, from constant striving, from feelings of worthlessness, or from relationships with difficult people.  It can come in reaction to an unsatisfying job, fear of the future, or concerns about our health.  Emotional or mental stress can come from almost anyplace or anything, because it is our reactions to people, circumstances, and ourselves that cause us stress.

Behind all feelings of stress are thoughts…..thoughts that things are not right and will never get better, thoughts that you’re a victim, thoughts that you’re stuck, thoughts that you can’t figure things out, thoughts of being overwhelmed, thoughts that you have to control people or the world, thoughts that you have to be, do, or have something in order to be happy, thoughts that you’re running out of time or money, and thoughts of regret about the past.  These are all life-depleting thoughts that actually affect the body.  Attached to those thoughts are negative energies which steal our joy, our strength, our peace, and our health.

Negative thoughts like those mentioned above cause the brain to shoot signals of stress through the body that begin a cascade of biochemical reactions, which, if left unchecked, cause much dis-ease.  On the other hand, even though the biochemical reactions are the same, stress in limited amounts, and at appropriate times can actually help us.  We have all heard of the fight or flight response.  When you’re in danger stress can help you to take immediate action.  Stress can also help you to take action toward accomplishing important goals (final exam or big work project).  There is even stress associated with positive events (wedding or birth of a child).  These temporary stressors are not the ones we are referring to here.  It is the prolonged stress from negative, fearful, and doomsday thinking that causes us the most harm.

In the cases of both “good” and “bad” stress, the adrenal glands are activated to provide mental alertness and physical energy.  These glands secrete adrenaline in response to what the hypothalamus in the brain communicates.  Cortisol is released at the same time to keep the body in homeostatis (balance) and according to the Mayo Clinic, "...curbs functions that would be nonessential or detrimental in a fight-or-flight situations". (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress/SR00001).  As mentioned previously, this biochemical reaction is an important survival mechanism of the human body to propel you into action.  However, when the body is forced to continually produce adrenaline and cortisol in response to ongoing stress messages from the hypothalamus a number of negative things begin to happen.  First, the adrenal glands become tired and then exhausted.  Further, cortisol, when continuously dripping in response to stress, becomes like a poison in the body….drip, drip, drip.  The result is dis-ease. 

Many conditions and symptoms are now attributed to stress and the resulting adrenal fatigue/adrenal exhaustion condition.  These include, but are not limited to, hypothyroidism, chronic fatigue, high blood pressure, fibromyalgia, digestive and eliminative problems, menstrual and hormonal problems, bone loss, a weakened immune system, weak heart and muscles, neurally mediated hypotension (low blood pressure upon standing), blood sugar imbalances, insomnia or interrupted sleep, unrefreshing sleep, pains of all kind, autoimmune disorders, and many other corollary health issues.    

There is much more to say on this issue and on how stress impacts the body, but the bottom line is that we all need to find ways to manage the stress in our lives so that it doesn’t negatively affect our health.  Ask yourself what thoughts you’re thinking that cause you the most stress.  What about your schedule or your life is causing you stress?  Begin to take steps to change your circumstances or your thoughts about your circumstances.  Your thoughts control every aspect of your life, even your health.  Your thoughts are both the cause of and the cure for stress.  That’s really good news, because your thinking is the one thing over which you DO have control.

(If you need a 3-minute mini vacation from stressful thoughts, watch http://www.thelaughtermovie.com).