A little stress is required for us to feel motivated and productive, get on our day and crush big goals. Otherwise, we’d be sinking out butts on the couch and eating bonbons every day. There’s a sweet spot in the optimal amount of stress we need to excel in our work and performance. It’s what I call “energetic stress”
On the other hand, when we get into the territory of chronic stress that takes a toll on our physical body and mental health. That’s what I call “survival stress”.
When we get into survival stress, everything changes. You get tired faster, have chronic low energy, make poor food choices, experience restless sleep, drink more. New symptoms pop up all the time, you even get sick more often, experience poor memory slowed down the operational speed in the brain. Why?
Because your body’s so preoccupied with SURVIVAL, it’s trying to patch up all the dysregulations in the body to keep you alive. Stress not only affects all the symptoms listed above, but it also affects your gene expression. Crazy right?
The release of glucocorticoids (hormones released during stress) alters gene expression and our everyday behavior. Epigenetics- the study of how our environment turns on and off our genes has been studying the effect of stress on the expression of our genes for a long time. If you’re a busy professional/ entrepreneur who’s been slaying away, spending long hours every day in front of your computers that it’s time to check in with your body and see which kind of stress you’re experiencing. Our innovative care strategies at For Health’s Sake will help you find quick relief.
Is it energetic stress or survival stress? How does your body feel?
The reason why meditation, body scans, and breathing practices are often recommended is that our mind tells us stories based on our long-time biases and old patterns, even if we know they don’t serve us. But the body and our senses can only live in the present, there’s nowhere else for it to go. As you check in with your body, notice how each part of your body feels.
Where do you tense up? When do you breathe shallow? Where are you trying to avoid visiting?
Stress hormones, physiological changes, and gene expression change whether you consciously recognize it or not. Just like the heart continues to pump without you having to consciously command it to. The organs change based on the stress exerted by the internal and external environment. It’s better to recognize and reverse it than to brush it under the carpet and have it eventually show up like Godzilla (don’t pretend you didn’t see it coming). Our highly trained physical therapist at For Health’s Sake will create a therapy treatment plan that is better for you.
By: Deanna Rose- Certified Sports Nutritionist, Naturopath and Strength Conditioning Specialist