How Stress Manifests in the Body

⚡️ April is Stress Awareness Month ⚡️

In hopes of bringing attention to this topic, I'm sharing a weekly STRESS LESS post on how it manifests itself in the body, tips on how to manage, and foods that can help to calm the systems.

STRESS LESS Series

Week 1 - 🧠How Stress Manifests in the BODY

In response to everyday stressors like sitting in traffic or arriving late to a meeting your hypothalamus sends a message to the adrenal glands to release the stress hormones, adrenaline + cortisol - which activate the "fight or flight" response in the body. Your heart races, breath quickens...

Maybe you're already aware of this, but this response was initially designed for cavemen to prepare for real emergencies like being attacked by a lion, and in some instances is a good thing. However, when it keeps firing day after day, it puts your health at risk.

In our modern society we have adapted to living in a constant state of stress ❌ Chronic stress can cause many symptoms across the central nervous, cardiovascular, digestive, muscular, sexual/reproductive and immune systems

INCLUDING:

🔺Headaches

🔺Increased depression, anxiety, irritability

🔺Heartburn or acid reflux

🔺Insomnia

🔺Weakened immune system

🔺Risk of heart attack

🔺High blood pressure, blood sugar

🔺Low sex drive, fertility problems, erectile dysfunction

🔺Overeating or not eating

🔺Substance abuse

Stress isn't always a bad thing - It's all about your mindset - accepting that you can't control everything and trying to find ways you can let go of worries in situations you cannot change. Next week, I’ll be sharing more tips for how to cope.