I recently found some new stats on stress. In a survey of 30,000 people in 30 countries,
it was reported that women who work full-time and have children have the
greatest level of stress. Half of the
population reports that their stress level has gone up in the last year. Eighty-one percent of Americans report that
money is their number one source of stress. As I’ve reported in the past, this chronic
stress takes a toll. The six leading
causes of death have been linked to stress including cancer, heart disease,
lung disease, suicide, accidents and cirrhosis of the liver. Add to this the other diseases related to stress (diabetes, stroke, digestive disorders,
depression/anxiety, hormone and reproductive problems and immune disorders) and
stress is the greatest cause of death and disease we are facing. Medical researchers estimate that stress is
the underlying cause of 80% of all illness.
But I somehow doubt this comes as much of a shock to most people.
So what do we do about stress? The first thing is to realize that stress is
a perception that occurs in the brain.
I’ve heard it said, “It’s not the stress, it’s how we respond or react
to the stress.” We need to realize that
the stress response is a programmed reaction that starts in the brain and is
carried through different hormones and chemicals to change our physiology so
that we can better respond to a threat.
This cascade of chemical reactions is measurable, reproducible, and
predictable – it happens to some degree every time we perceive stress. You also need to realize that the stress
response is a perfect reaction! The
response is programmed in all of us in order to increase our chances of
survival. The problem is that when
stress is perceived the process starts and the brain does not know or care
whether we are threatened by money and taxes or confronted by a tiger – the
reaction is the same. The response that
would be of benefit if we were running from a tiger is devastating over time
with daily stresses of modern life. The
other problem is that our brain and nervous system is always learning and
adapting. In the same way that
practicing the piano will make us a better player, practicing the perception of
stress will send us more easily into the stress response. Realize that stress is a habit that must be
interrupted and then retrained and this takes practice. Please check in next week and I will share
several strategies on how to start this process that can make the biggest
difference between health and disease.
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