The topic of stress may be the most important thing I ever write about. Nothing impacts my personal health, my clients’ health, and your health more than stress. In this series, I’ll define stress, differentiate between types of stress, and tell you the best ways to recover from the vast effects of chronic stress. Here’s part 1:
A long time ago in this same galaxy and same planet… (My last attempt at a Star Wars joke)…
Stress was an every day part of life. Think of the cavemen chasing after food or running from predators. Either of those are stressful situations. They get your heart beating faster and prepare you for action. Now, we still have these same reactions today. Imagine running to catch a bus or swerving to get out of an accident (not your fault, of course). These are acute stressors (i.e. short term).
Chronic Stress
However, in modern times, we are under what is known as chronic stress. Think about your day: You wake up to an annoying alarm, you’re rushing to get out the door, traffic sucks, there’s a ton of deadlines at work, you have to worry about what’s for dinner, you sit in traffic again to get home, you lie awake in bed thinking about money problems and how this whole process will start again tomorrow. None of these examples pose imminent danger the way being chased by a lion does, BUT they elicit the same reaction in your body. Let’s talk about that reaction.
