Submitted by Elisabeth_Davies on
· Most Americans are suffering from moderate to high levels of stress, in fact 44% of Americans report that their stress levels have increased over the past 5 years! Financial stress seems to rate the highest for Americans, with 75% reporting that money is their number one stressor. Work is the second most reported stressor for Americans (70%) Relationships and family responsibilities also rank high as a stressor for 58% of Americans.*
Do your finances, job, or relationships cause any stress for you? These seem to me like adult obligations that come with managing our life. How does this stress affect our physical and emotional well being?
Stress affects us physically by increasing our blood pressure and heart rate. If our stress is chronic it can damage our heart muscles and blood vessels. Stress can cause problems with our digestive system, with illnesses such as irritable bowel syndrome. Sustained stress can also affect our reproductive systemby decreasing ovulation, or increasing erectile dysfunction. Furthermore, stress can impair our immune system defenses, resulting in more frequent and severe cases of diseases.
Stress affects us psychologically by contributing to mental health disorders. Robert Sapolsky, Ph.D. a professor from Stanford University, says the 3 most common mental health disorders that can occur from continued stress, are depression (not enjoying our life), anxiety (chronic worry), and addictions ( continued participation with unhealthy substances or habits, despite negative consequences).**
How do we manage our life and stay resilient to stress?
One way to do this is through exercise. When we are stressed out, a hormone called cortisol is released by our adrenal gland. Exercise burns off cortisol, causing our body to have a better response to stress. Exercise also has psychological benefits. Thirty minutes of moderate exercise several days a week has been shown to be more effective than taking an antidepressant, when it comes to treating patients with depression. ***
Meditation is another effective way to manage stress and anxiety. Psychologically, meditation helps calm stressful thoughts, by bringing our mind to the present moment. I teach clients a form of meditation I call ‘sleep breathing,’ which is the way our body breathes for us when we are sleeping. Focusing on how our body breathes all by itself without any assistance from us, is physically beneficial in lowering our heart rate, releasing muscle tension, and calming our central nervous system activity. It allows our mental thoughts to become less dominant, as our breathing takes over, by tricking our body into thinking we are getting ready to move into sleep mode. Practicing ‘sleep breathing’ several minutes throughout each day allows us to anchor into peace, as we carry out our responsibilities of work, finances and relationship obligations that come with effectively managing our daily life.
Taking 30 + minutes each day to decrease our stress can help create a mind and body that becomes more resilient to managing the stressors of life. Try it and you will notice the benefits
Written by: Elisabeth Davies, MC
* http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2011/impact.aspx
** http://www.thegreatcourses.com/tgc/courses/course_detail.aspx?cid=1585
*** http://www.livestrong.com/article/86687-exercise-cortisol-levels/
**** http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/meditation/HQ01070
Posted in Exercise, Meditation, Peace, Stress, well-being
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