Did you know that April is National Stress Awareness month, and the 16th is National Stress Awareness Day? Or, have you been too stressed to notice?
Stress is no laughing matter… it’s killing people everyday. Long term stress has been tied to a compromised immune systems, and Heart disease, asthma, obesity, diabetes, headaches, depression and anxiety, gastrointestinal issues and even Alzheimers have all been linked to stress.
The challenge is that many of us don’t even know we’re stressed. Sure, we get headaches, have trouble sleeping, have digestion issues, get sick all the time, have back and neck pain, lack patience, feel exhausted, have heart palpitations, and can’t focus on anything… but everyone feels that way, right?
When we are stressed, our fight or flight hormones kick in, and cortisol and adrenaline course through our veins. Our heart beats faster, our blood pressure increases, and our blood goes out to our extremities to help us RUN or turn and FIGHT. This state of heightened vigilance that was meant for short term use for survival purposed has become our “state of being”, and our bodies are suffering the consequences.
So, what do we do?
First, as “stress awareness day” implies, we need to become aware… and start to notice all the ways in which we are living in a state of stress and accepting it as the norm. Then, once we begin to see that we have our shoulders up to our ears, our breath is shallow, and we are lost in thoughts about a fearful future, we can take actions to change these behaviors.
Yoga, meditation and massage are all excellent tools for slowing down our minds so we can begin to recognize the crazy merry go round of our stressful thoughts and activities. The focus on breath that Yoga and Meditation facilitate, actually shifts our nervous system from “fight or flight” to the healing and relaxing parasympathetic nervous system, where our heart rate slows, and our muscles relax.
This weekend, make a decision to slow down enough to notice how you are feeling. Try a meditation or a yoga class at the Gentle Place, and see how it makes you feel. And then, make a CHOICE to do it regularly.
And remember, It doesn’t just feel good to be more relaxed, it could save your life.