Dear Stress, Let's break up
Your alarm clock springs to life shocking you awake from your deep sleep…
The shriek of glass splintering on the kitchen tiles rings in your ears…
Your heart pounds in your chest after you walk through a spider web…
You stomach drops as you nearly miss another car by a few inches…
You feel tears burning in your eyes as you argue again with a family member…
These are All immediate stressors which elicit an immediate response within your body.
Most commonly know as the FLIGHT or FIGHT response…
Our bodies, as well as most animals, have an intelligent response to stress in the form of an adrenaline and stress hormone cortisol release.
We all know what Fight or Flight feels like.. your muscle tense, heart rate and breathing increase, pupils dilate, palms sweat and blood rushes to the periphery (arms and legs).
On a deeper level your blood pressure is increased alongside your breathing to drive more oxygenated blood to your brain, your immune and digestive systems are suppressed and your liver produces extra blood sugar to give you a boost of energy.
This is an entirely appropriate response to stress and the bodies desire to survive.
This process evolves over minutes and develops into shock in the form of tremors, cold extremities, constricted pupils and fainting.
So what does that all mean for you?
We all deal with different stress, past, present, external and internal, every. single. day.
Your work deadline looming and due in 3 day’s time.
The CONSTANT to do list, all of which seems urgent.
Time constraints with family, work, friends and relationship responsibilities.
Work posture (sitting is stressful on the body!).
Traffic jams, breakdowns, financial stress, health stress… the list can seem endless!
Our bodies respond in the same way as above, EXCEPT, there is little to no resolution.
We stay in fight or flight with adrenaline and cortisol coursing through our veins. When this happens our brain and body becomes overloaded and overwhelmed.
When our brain is overwhelmed with alarm signals it starts selectively ignoring them.
It says… Only the important things first and survival mode is what you become.
Our bodies end up tense, rigid and full of muscle tension.
It takes a lot of energy to sustain your body throughout the day.
Living in constant FIGHT or FLIGHT means you grow excessively tired, have on going headaches, your muscle ache and feel tight, you find breathing difficult, start having vision problems.
Then comes insomnia and the inability to switch off, muscle tears, slipped disc, tendonitis, knee pain, hip pain, random pain, sciatica and chronic health problems start to develop like type 2 diabetes, chronic fatigue, adrenal burnout.. the list can be endless…
Such doom and gloom we know…
That’s why we love Network Chiropractic, as it helps reverse the stress cycle. Gently easing the tension on the nervous system and enabling your body and mind to process and deal with your past and present stress and move beyond fight or flight and back into balance.
When you are free of the stress response life gets better.
You have clarity. You can breathe deeper. You feel peaceful, food digests better, sleep becomes restful. Your muscles feel free and supple. Your face actually remembers how to laugh and smile.
Make it official, it is time to break up with stress.
Book in and break the cycle.
**Yours in Health,
The Elements Chiropractic Team.**
