Stress is defined as anything that disrupts homeostasis. There are 2 types and they are- Eustress which is positive stress and Distress which is negative stress. An example of the first type of stress is exercise. It challenges you but does not overwhelm you unless of course you over do it. An example of the 2nd type is something that challenges and adversely affects your internal homeostasis, can be psychological-trauma, PTSD or physical-Medical/health issues. Studies show that there are 3 components to stress response, the Alarm response, the Resistance response and finally the Exhaustion stage. The last stage is when the body has become so depleted that one can develop stress related disorders. Stress related disorders develop when the stress is activated too frequently or for prolonged periods of time. It particularly affects the heart, blood vessels, and sudden failure of major organs can also occur. It’s really important to know what causes your stress, and learn how to manage it before it manages you. So how do you handle stress?
Several modalities helps with stress reduction. Positive ways to reduce stress include:
1- Psychotherapy-
2- Relaxation techniques such as Meditation, guided relaxations, breathing exercises
3- Biofeedback- this involves training yourself to control physiological processes such as muscle tension, blood pressure, or heart rate.
4- Exercise- Any kind. Name it- Cardio, walking, running, Weightlifting, yoga
5- Massage- This modality helps with decreasing sympathetic nervous system tone and increasing parasympathetic nervous system tone, decreases anxiety, decreases the level of Cortisol and catecholamine chemicals circulating in your body as a result of the initial stress response, helps increase circulation, decreases the need for analgesics to name a few.
Take care of your health. Because Health is Wealth.
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