Stressed?

There has been an additional load of stress buzzing around our lives recently.  The way we approach stress or even perceive it can impact us in a myriad of ways.  To be clear, not all stress is negative.  Some stress called ‘eustress’ has a positive effect on our lives, it leads us to accomplish goals, pursue interests, and learn new things.  This type of stress is temporary and perceived as manageable, it leaves us with a sense of focus, resilience, and contentment.  We need and want this stress in our lives.  On the flipside are the chronic stressors that lead to depletion.  Overwork and overcommitment, busy family life, school deadlines, social pressures, politics, traffic, jobs, and past traumas are a few things that contribute to the load of stress we each individually carry.  These chronic stressors may be manageable when they are present singularly, but as stressors add up over a long period of time they can wreak havoc on our nervous system and lead to physiological responses leaving us fatigued, increase our blood sugar levels, lead to insomnia, brain fog, and a host of other physical repercussions.   

So, what do we do with this chronic stress when we can’t avoid it?  Stress management is multifactorial and individual.  It can be a combination of psychology, physical movement and breath, and if needed additional support in the form of herbal adaptogens.  Seeking support is the first step to any stress management therapy.    

Counseling:  A counselor can help you address past trauma.  These big T and little t traumas stay present leaving an underlying tension behind changing the way we perceive the world.  We are constantly scanning our environment, relationships, and social situation asking, either consciously or subconsciously “Am I safe?”.   Those with a high ACEs score (Adverse Childhood Experiences) or a history of smaller past traumas will more likely perceive the world as unsafe, putting their nervous system into a chronic state of fight or flight. 

Movement:  Physical movement is a key component of stress management, improving mood, and overall health.  Aim for 150 min of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week.  Walking, running, yoga, weight training are all options to reduce stress and improve resilience.  It is beneficial in reducing tension, stabilizing sleep, improving blood glucose/insulin resistance, and releasing feel good endorphins. 

Breath: The way you breath can often be affected by increased stress.  When the body perceives stress it may go into a fight or flight mode, if you are not breathing diaphragmatically then you may begin to experience chronic hyperventilation that results from shallow chest breathing.  Training yourself to breath with your diaphragm will improve your oxygen and cardon dioxide transfer to optimize your body’s ability to provide adequate oxygen to all your cells.   

Adaptogens:  There are numerous herbs within botanical medicine that are thought to be adaptogens.  Adaptogenic herbs help support normal physiologic processes and adapt to and resist the impact of stressors.  A few of these types of herbs include Ashwagandha, Holy Basil, Rhodiola, American Ginseng, and Astragalus.  *If you are interested in implementing these herbs into your toolbox to address chronic stress, please see a naturopathic physician as they may impact various health conditions and medications.* 

Complete the Stress Cycle: Oftentimes our physical body maintains a stress response even after the stressor is removed.  There are numerous ways to work through a stress cycle and resolve the physical response.  In the wild, animals resolve the stress of being chased by a predator by shaking or shivering.  We can similarly resolve our stress cycle.  Dancing, laughing, crying, shaking it out, venting, and journaling are all tools for your toolbox to finish the stress cycle and release the physical response to the stressor. 

When stress is not managed it can lead to physical manifestations of a nervous system that is set in sympathetic tone, always ready to fight or flee which increases the release of adrenaline, cortisol, and glucose in the blood stream.  Chronic stress then presents as ongoing fatigue, hormonal imbalance, gastrointestinal dysfunction, elevated blood pressure and heart attacks, insomnia, aches and pains, headaches/migraines, infertility, low libido, and/or panic attacks.  Each of these concerns require a full work up that may include labs, physical exam, and medical history before determining the underlying cause, but stress can be a contributor to the symptoms.   Your symptoms may be coming from something more than stress, so let’s find that out together and provide you with tools to address what is causing your distress. 

If you’re finding yourself feeling the results of chronic stress and needing support, give our clinic a call to schedule an appointment.