Posted On 29 Jun 2020

Did you know that normally, as many as 90% of all visits to healthcare providers in the United States are considered to be stress-related?  This was very surprising to me, but if you think about it we are all under stress from everyday living.

But now we’re not living in “normal” times, are we?

What effect do you think stress will have on society after COVID19?

Stress does not discriminate!

It doesn’t care about your race, sex, income, or education level.

Stress affects every aspect of the body, mind, and spirit, resulting in a wide range of symptoms from headaches or stomach ailments to heart disease or death.

But stress is difficult to define because it varies from individual to individual. But stress is not what happens to someone — those outside forces are the stressors. What matters is how a person reacts to the stressor. A person’s internal responses to external forces are a major factor in disease and health (Pelletier, 1993).

How are YOU reacting to what stresses you in your life?

For example, if the workplace is the stressor, the body has to maintain a heightened state of readiness (the body produces hormones that make organs work overtime), eventually, it reaches a stage of exhaustion. It is unable to sustain the workload required by constant vigilance and fails. Illness and possibly death can ensue.

One such hormone is cortisol.  Cortisol levels rise quickly. When cortisol levels remain high for long periods of time, immune system function decreases or may shut down altogether. This can result in mild to severe or even life-threatening conditions such as allergies and autoimmune diseases, and it has even been linked to cancer.

Now, let’s take it down to our lives.  What has been happening in our lives in the last 2 to 6 months?

Exactly…we have been under threat for our lives…our existence.  Additionally, some have been without a job which means no money coming in the home to pay for the roof over their heads and food on the table.  These are the basic needs people have.

The more stress people experience, the more we have this:

• Physical challenges
• Mental challenges
• Relationship challenges
• Sleep challenges
• Domestic violence
• Road Rage
• School problems

Ways to reduce stress in your life:

• Turn off the news
• Take a walk in a park, field, or anywhere that has natural elements
• Walk the dog more often and watch how much fun he or she has exploring the smells and sounds of nature
• If getting outside is challenging, watch a nature video.
• Accept what is under your control and what is not.
• Listen to soothing music
• Laughter (watch funny videos, etc)

Our team is ready and available to work with you in individual consultations or stress management workshops and teach you stress management techniques so that you can use them any time, any place you need them.