When we are chronically stressed, our body is constantly on high alert. Our brain chemistry is sending signals to the adrenal glans to release adrenaline and cortisol. The adrenaline increases our heart rate, elevates blood pressure and boosts energy supplies. Cortisol increases glucose in the bloodstream, and suppresses other nonessential systems, like digestion and reproduction, to allow fight-or-flight response organs and muscles to have the most energy. It also sends signals to the brain region that gives us motivation, controlling fear.

When this becomes a chronic response, you can already see that it would take a toll on the body and the mind. When those hormones stay present in the bloodstream, one feels like they are constantly under attack and the body is on the ready to respond to a perceived threat. Long-term health problems can include:

– Anxiety
– Depression
– Digestive problems
– Headaches
– Muscle tension and pain
– Heart disease, heart attack, high blood pressure and stroke
– Sleep problems
– Weight gain
– Memory and concentration impairment
– Suicidal ideation

This list is not exhaustive, but it does sound exhausting. The whole system is effected by this on-going increased stress. And if something big, a true threat, does happen while the system has already been on high-alert for an extended period of time, it means our fight-and-flight system won’t be able to respond the way we need in the moment.

So what should you do?

Well, stress is a part of the world we live in. Western society is fast-paced and does not cater to the weak among us. Avoiding stress altogether is not a very realistic goal. That doesn’t mean we can’t take preventative measures and learn how to de-stress ourselves along the way.

Some things that can help:

* Eating a balanced diet, including joyful movement in your schedule, and setting yourself up with a regular sleep routine.
* Practicing mindfulness wherever possible in your day, whether that includes deep breathing, body scans, massage, meditation, yoga, or any other mindful body acts.
* Getting out of your head, using a journal to write about your issues and something like a gratitude journal or affirmations to guide you toward more positive thinking.
* Making time in your daily routine to participate in less-burdensome activities, like reading, listening to music, watching a show, or engaging in slow movement like tai-chi or relaxed swimming.
* Maintaining a good balance of work, social engagements, and downtime.
* Fostering deep connections with friends and family, so you can talk about what is really going on in your world.
* Finding ways to include laughter in your weekly endeavours — whether it be through funny movies, local comedy shows, online memes or just engaging in humour with friends.
* Giving back. This can look like volunteering in your community or participating in a local sports team or sending money to a charity you believe in.
* Leaving time to organize and structure some of your life so that it doesn’t all feel rush-rush-rush. If you can let go of tasks that don’t serve you, or delegate ones that don’t need your direct touch, then do so!
* Remembering that there are professionals out there who can help when things start to go bad — but also places you can turn before that happens. Whether it be a therapist, a psychiatrist, or simply a mentor or coach.

When we learn that not every situation involves a lion, tiger or bear, we begin to quell those hormones in our body back down to normal levels. Our repressed functions begin to work better again, and our brain chemistry levels out. If you find you’ve done all of the above and you’re still feeling stressed all of the time, it is most certainly best practice to involve a medical professional. Relaxation is one tool, but it is not going to work in the face of disease or disorder. Finding out something is wrong is the first step in finding what needs to be done next.

If you’re ready to take on this stress beast head-first but don’t know where to start, feel free to reach out and we’ll make a plan of attack together.