Stress can cause all sorts of unexpected physical problems. Sometimes your body is sending your brain a message, and the better you understand the message, the more effectively you will respond to it. It’s never wise to self-diagnose, if in doubt see a doctor, but if you are under a great deal of pressure and experiencing uncharacteristic physical symptoms, be aware that managing your stress might be the key to feeling better.
When we don’t handle stress well, the body’s defences break down, we feel pretty icky and we become more susceptible to illness and disease.
Stress may turn out to be the cause of your physical symptoms, but if so, that doesn’t mean you should shrug them off as ‘just stress’ and do nothing to treat them, this can be serious stuff people!
So, what happens to our bodies when we become stressed? Well, our brain thinks we are stressed because we are under attack or in danger and so our adrenaline kicks in. During this process the brain sends messages to the other systems in our bodies to protect and prepare us:
· Glucose and fats are released from our liver for extra energy and power
· Our bronchial tubes dilate to allow extra oxygen in to our bodies
· Our blood thickens in our veins so its able to clot faster if we are wounded
· Our digestion system slows or stops altogether
· We may need to urinate and/or defecate to make us lighter to enable us to run if needs be
We are now prepared for a short burst of heightened activity such as attacking the threat (chaaarrrge!!) or fleeing for our lives (run away!). This is known as ‘fight or flight’ If we don’t end up running for or lives or doing some other form of physical activity once our body has triggered it's stress response, our body retains the excess fats, glucose and adrenaline. Over time retaining the excess will deplete essential vitamins and minerals from our systems, such as Vitamins B and C, which are important for the function of the immune system.
Long-term the function of the digestive system can be damaged, blood pressure can be affected and our arteries could be clogged with fatty deposits which could cause cardiovascular diseases. (Surprised? - I did tell you this was serious!)
So how do we stop this happening? Well, the antidote to the state of alert, generated by the stress response, is relaxation. As you know I am a big advocate of reflexology being the key to relaxation and a relaxed and balanced body can heal itself. A completely relaxed body can’t feel panic or fear, so your body won’t rev up it’s stress response. Something to think about when Fiona from accounts is being a jobsworth again isn’t it? (Disclaimer: apologies to anyone called Fiona who works in accounts and is passionate about her job – this is a completely made up scenario)
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