Stress. It’s not just in your head.
We’ve all heard the phrase, “stress kills” so much that it probably feels like a cliche. But as we’re coming up on two years of a “new normal” that has short-circuited many of our old ways of doing things and rewired our priorities, I don’t want to skip over the part where our nervous systems, our brains, have been under immense pressure and overloaded with demands. So…this was an important topic before we were living through a pandemic, but are you ready to pay attention now?
Do you feel like you’re living in fight or flight?
Your body may be feeling the wear and tear! Stress is connected to 90% of all illnesses and diseases, including cancer and heart disease, because stress triggers chemical reactions and floods the body with cortisol that wreaks havoc on the body.
Here are 3 surprising ways that stress is impacting the physical body.
Let’s talk about priorities, because the body is good at prioritizing. Many physiological functions related to restoration, replenishing or long-term functions are switched OFF in times of an acute stress response. The problem is when the stress problem is NOT short-term, or is just cycling on repeat all day. The kicker? It’s not just the lack of replenishing or rest… stress hormones quite literally DESTROY parts of the immune system. Stress hormones (glucocorticoids) cause destructive proteins to go in and kill our lymphocytes (germ crushers). So not only may stress deplete us, stress hormones can directly sabotage our immune functions.
Blood pressure is acutely impacted by stress, because the heart acts as a pump and as you increase your heart rate quickly, the pump can experience “wear and tear”. Quite literally, the branches of our arteries experience tiny tears which then scar over. Tiny bits of glucose and fatty acids start to get stuck to these scars and build up as plaque, which leads to the disease. Because of this “wear and tear”, chronically high blood pressure due to diet and genetic factors has been found to be LESS impactful on overall health as compared to stress-induced acute high blood pressure.
A klutzy researcher who kept dropping his rats during experiments (Selye) and chasing them around the room found out that over time, the rats developed ulcers and other digestive problems. Turns out, they were stressed and it showed up in their gut! Why? Related to the first point, the stomach is lined with a thick layer of mucus… and the body cuts back on producing that protective barrier when we’re in “fight or flight” mode because it’s a longer-term function… not important if your body thinks you have to survive the next few minutes.
“Ongoing stress makes us susceptible to illness and disease because the brain sends defense signals to the endocrine system, which then releases an array of hormones that not only gets us ready for emergency situations but severely depresses our immunity at the same time.”
Three Easy Stress Relievers
MINDFULNESS AND MEDITATION
Meditation and mindfulness are KEY to stress relief, and this is backed up with research too. Mindfulness can look like simply taking a minute to stop and take care of yourself. For me, this is a huge benefit to using oils. I love walking over to my oils shelf and just asking myself what I need at that moment! What a powerful question, and one we need to keep asking ourselves. Sometimes I see the oils before I realize that I need them… so I also have oils with me! Inhaling your essential oils like Tranquil, Release, Frankincense, can really help you breathe, open up your limbic system and help you relax and settle into the meditative process.
MOVE THAT BODY
Research from 2021 shows that meditation can decrease your blood pressure, lower your heart rate, reduce cortisol levels and disrupt cytokine levels, which are inflammatory proteins in your brain. WORK OUT. Exercise is a CRITICAL release for stress relief. We know that a physical outlet is a great way to move stress hormones through the body and bring in happy hormones in their place. For me, the workout can be a physical outlet for frustration as well. I will be sharing another article about gearing up to get your workout on soon!
CONNECT WITH AND HELP OTHERS
Proactively helping others is a great way to effectively cope with every day worries and emotional strain. "Stressful days usually lead us to have a worse mood and poorer mental health, but our findings suggest that if we do small things for others, such as holding a door open for someone, we won't feel as poorly on stressful days." - said study author Emily Ansell of the Yale University School of Medicine. Tap into communities of interest that make you feel good! Real human connection helps dramatically reduce stress levels. Whether sending a note or gift to a friend, letting someone pass you in traffic, or sharing your oils when you’re using them...we can improve our well-being by bringing a little good cheer to others.
I hope you know how important it is to take steps to reduce your stress, and to start to monitor your own physiological indicators of stress!
SOURCES
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666497621000114
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4465119/
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/12/151214084744.htm