In today’s fast paced environment we are constantly pulled in multiple directions. Our energy and attention is stretched thin so that we can do as many things at once as humanly possible and for some reason we call these multi-taskers ‘superhuman’ when really they are just scattered and inefficient. Did you know that multi-tasking is scientifically impossible? well, it’s possible! but the efficiency and overall effectiveness of the tasks being performed decrease as a person adds more to the equation. So stop trying to do everything at once and be everything to everybody. Do one thing at once and live in the moment.
Stress occurs when we try to do to much. Stress is overloading the body with weight and expecting it to carry us across the finish line without it affecting us or our health. It’s not reasonable! When was the last time you were stressed out and felt happy, blissful and in the moment? When you feel out of the moment, stressed, overworked, tired and dysfunctional it’s probably time to take a break. Learning to know when to take a break is a skill that you acquire that gives you your life back. It gives you ease, instead of dis-ease.
Stress is a silent killer, especially in America. Stress impacts our whole bodies from head to toe and it’s something we are in complete control of for the most part. Stress can cause heart attacks, cardiovascular diseases, cancer and more. Stress can affect your health slowly over time causing cells to be in a dis-eased state in an environment that is prime for disease. So what happens when we are stressed anyway?
When you are stressed your body goes to the adrenal glands for the first source of relief from the tension. The adrenal glands produce hormones to deal and cope with stress such as adrenaline (in extremely stressful situations) as well as cortisol. The adrenal glands are responsible for the fight or flight response. When we were living in primitive times and we saw a wild bear or wild lion our bodies would change quickly. The fight or flight response kicked in and our bodies took blood from the intestines, and other areas of the body to use it in the arms and legs for running or fighting.
Our bodies still respond to stress in a very primitive way because that’s how our bodies evolved. The only problem with this is that it raises blood pressure, strains the heart and stresses all of our organs and body as a whole each time this happens. We no longer need to worry about a bear in the wild, or a Lion in the wild. We are generally safe and do not need to worry about being eaten anymore thankfully!
Today though, many overworked individuals (hopefully not yourself) have put their adrenal glands in an interesting predicament. Their adrenal glands are producing stress hormones and because their adrenal glands are constantly overworked they have adrenal gland fatigue. Not only that but because their adrenal glands are using more blood, nutrition and resources their bodies are taking that from the intestines and digestive system. So stress can lead to intestinal problems, digestive issues and a weakened immune system. Remember, 80% of the immune system is in the gut! So being in a state of constant stress will hamper the immune system and hamper your ability to fight the flu, colds, viruses, infections etc.
We know being stressed isn’t healthy or beneficial in any way, but what can we do about it to give our bodies some rest, some ease and some much needed peace? I think perspective is one of the most important assets any person can have, so what is your perspective on this? I personally think that stress is a choice. We choose to be stressed about money, about traffic, about our relationships, about school, work, the economy, the bad things happening in the world (that happen to be out of our control btw) so why worry and stress about them?
When’s the last time you didn’t have enough to eat? When’s the last time work or school or something like that turned out to be as bad as you had built it up in your head to be? Most times that we worry we are worrying and stressing about events that haven’t even OCCURRED at all. We are worrying and stressing about the future and affecting our health in the NOW. Doesn’t sound like a good investment of our time does it? I think not.
Think of stress like playing volleyball. Someone will always be serving (stress) and your job is to deflect and send it back to where it came from. Stress is a mindset, stress is a choice. Peace is also a mindset and a choice. When you are at peace, at ease (not dis-ease) your cells are relaxed, your body is relaxed and your adrenal glands and immune system get time to find balance and to heal. But if you are in a constant state of stress and worry they are not able to do that.
Stay at peace, and stay at ease! Life is too short not too.
~ Pura Vida ~
– David Benjamin
P.S. “The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” – William James
P.P.S. Make sure to also have a diet rich in magnesium, your diet should be rich in magnesium because it’s a relaxing mineral and helps to give your body more peace and ease. There’s also an herbal blend that I like called Calmazon that I like that contains Lemon balm, passion flower and other herbs for calming the nervous system and body. There’s one ingredient in this herbal blend that actually eats cortisol in the body, I believe Mulungu is that herb but not 100% sure! I just remember hearing that this blend has it. Think of it like pacman, when it’s in your bloodstream it just eats cortisol! how cool is that? love these herbs.
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