We talk about stress a lot. How bad it is, and how full of it we are – see what I did there? – and you can even find advice for how to deal with it. There is no doubt that our lives are stressful. We are constantly running around, and adding new stresses every day. Our jobs are stressful, our families are stressful, worrying about money can be stressful, kids are stressful. We are so stressed we can’t relax, and we are stressed about not being able to relax. Life is hard. Life is stressful. It’s the natural way we live now. So why should we do something about it?
Stress affects the body on a cellular level. Cortisol, the primary stress hormone, protects the body and mind from stressors, allowing you to get away (i.e. run away from the tiger). When your body realizes a threat, cortisol and adrenaline are released in the bloodstream by the adrenal glands (two small organs that sit above your kidneys and are part of the endocrine system) to help the body react quickly, rushing blood to the brain, heart, and muscles. Corticosteroids are also released which will increase sugars in the bloodstream, alter the immune system responses, suppresses the digestive system and the reproductive system. This “natural alarm system” communicates with regions of your brain that control mood, motivation and fear. Once the initial stress has passed, the body’s processes return to normal.
Most of us may not be getting chased by tigers daily, but our bodies react the same way to all stressors. What happens if we are always stressed? All day, every day. You wake up in the morning, and you start thinking about that To-Do list, or you have to deal with traffic on the way to work, or maybe your job itself is a 9+ hour day of constant stress? If that fight-or-flight response stays turned on, full throttle all the time, the subsequent constant overexposure to cortisol and adrenaline will disrupt all your body’s processes and your adrenal glands can get worn out. [1, 2]
Depending on how you deal with stresses in your life, this can all have a very negative effect on you and your well-being. Stress in our society is such a typical part of life, we tend to normalize unhealthy ways of dealing with it. It’s very natural in our society to “self-medicate” with alcohol, drugs or food to deal with stress, because its readily available and makes you feel better instantly for a few short moments.
Six months ago, I hit a wall. I had been going full throttle for years, like most people, balancing life, work, side projects, kids and I didn’t notice how stressed I was. After a while, I lost the ability to handle even the smallest of bad things. The funny thing was, I didn’t even notice it was happening, I was so busy just trying keep my head above water. One night, my body had enough and I had a panic attack. Though it was a terrifying night, it was a real eye-opener, and I knew that things had to change. Of all the things I had been juggling, I knew that I couldn’t really drop any. The one thing that I knew I could do was change my attitude about all of it. See here for I “de-stress”.
Another thing that really worked for me was this product. It’s a natural product that simply offers adrenal support. I only took it for one month (one bottle) and it really was a lifesaver. It didn’t take the stress away, but it took the edge off and allowed my body to heal itself and finally process the stress hormones. It helped to restore my body’s natural stress response. (I don’t recommend products that I don’t personally love. If you are stressed and nothing else is working, you might want to give it a try).
If you are stressed, and let’s face it we all are, you have to do something about it. Doing nothing means you put yourself at risk for chronic issues. You can’t get rid of all the stressors in your life. We know you are stuck with your family, even if they drive you crazy, and you do have to work to make ends meet. You have to take the time to de-stress your life, even if all you can do is change your attitude about it. Don’t put it off.
[1] https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress/art-20046037
[2] https://draxe.com/3-steps-to-heal-adrenal-fatigue/
[3] https://shop.drberg.com/adrenal-cortisol-regular
