Stress

We all know how damaging stress can be to our health and well-being. Beat stress now and regain your health. Are you feeling close to tears much of the time, experiencing irrational thoughts, feeling low or depressed sometimes or feeling manic some of the time? If so, you are probably highly stressed.

Stress — just what is it?Stress arises when someone feels overwhelmed and unable to cope. It is a normal physical reaction to our perception of reality; that we are under threat. This occurs when our basic human needs are not being met in some way. This physical reaction takes the form of increased adrenalin in the bloodstream, closing down of the higher thinking functions in the brain, reduction in sexual drive, poor digestion of food or lack of interest in food etc. Many people become so used to feeling stressed that they think of it as normal, until a physical or emotional problem arises that requires medical or therapeutic intervention. Stress takes its toll on the body, which in turn produces more stress as performance drops. Anti-depressant medication can relieve stress temporarily, in some people, but it is only removing the symptoms and not the causes.

“Stress and negative emotions are often stored in the body’s smooth muscles, which function automatically, without our conscious control. Stress stored in smooth muscles of blood vessels going to the head might produce a migraine headache, while stress stored in smooth muscles of air passages of the lungs can produce asthma, and stress stored in smooth muscles of the digestive tract can produce Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Stored emotions also affect our immune systems.” Eric Robbins, MD