Stress

Stress is a very enigmatic factor that can play a huge role in life. Sometimes stress can be so overwhelming that it is likely to subconsciously invoke certain behaviors to counteract the stress, but the reactions can have detrimental effects on other aspects of health. It is even possible for the body to display physical symptoms in relation to stress, and a person may not realize that it is not a physical issue, but a symptom of stress.

Stress is very powerful in the body that the body actually works to protect the most vital bodily functions and can shut down, or scale back, thus causing ailments that can simply be avoided by destressing the body and putting the body in a state of ease.

Do you know the “fight or flight” reaction? Simply put, it is the body’s physiological response to a factor that poses risk or harm. The reaction the body has, is a sudden rush of endorphins, one which most people know, adrenaline. Today, we normally aren’t put into situations that invoke this reaction for our survival, like our early ancestors, but we are faced with “stress” that invokes a similar reaction from the body. This response from the body is not to cause harm, but to help us get out of a bad situation quickly, as if we were having to run for our lives from a ferocious tiger looking for it’s next meal. The body will shut down any unnecessary functions to facilitate faster breathing, and better muscle reactions. In the case of stress, the shutting down of necessary body functions occurs in just the same way and causes our bodies to scale down the functions that are running because of the endorphines coursing through the body. Strange concept, but it’s true. To deal with stressful situations, it is necessary to rid the body of excess endorphines, so the best bet is to do physical activity to trick your body into thinking that the battle for survival is won, and you can clear your mind to find the best solution to your problem(s). Since most normally aren’t face with situations where the “fight or flight” respnse is needed, it’s not harmful to resort to physical activity to combat stress and keep physical and emotional disturbances at bay. However, this is informaion is not intended to replace the care of a licensed physician, and you should see a doctor if any problems are persistent.

Do you resort to physical activities to combat stress? Are there any other tips you have to fight stress?

May you and your family continue to be hearty and hale!
Thanks!

Tagged as: Activities, fight or flight, hale, managing stress, stress, stress relief, yoga