From the time you get up to the time you go to bed, some form of stress will have an impact on your wellness. However, it’s not just your emotional health that takes a hit from life’s daily worries; chronic stress contributes to all illness, and can threaten your overall wellbeing.
In the medical literature section of the Library of Congress, there are over 18,000 publications and research articles on the link between stress and chronic disease. However, what’s disappointing is that there are only 6,000 articles on stress-reduction therapies, and a measly 600 publications on stress-reduction therapies and chronic disease. It seems like scientists love to measure stress, but aren’t so fussed about doing anything to stop it.
Long-term stress can wreak havoc on your body, as no creature has been designed to handle chronic stress without injuring its health. There are links between chronic stress and high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, insomnia, bowel issues, stroke, anxiety, depression, lowered immunity and even may increase the risk of certain cancers. Chronic stress also hinders your cognitive abilities, as you can experience problems with memory and everyday thinking, and students who report chronic stress tend to have lower academic test scores. In fact, stress is implicated in 60% to 90% of all illnesses.
So what can you do to handle chronic stress more effectively, and implement a plan for stress reduction? Firstly, it is recommended that you limit your time spent sat in front of a screen soaking up the media, and instead get outside for some regular, relaxing exercise. When you eat, it’s not just healthy foods that are important but also taking the time to enjoy your food. Having regular massages increases the mood-elevating hormones, called endorphins, in your brain, while taking certain supplements of vitamins and minerals is advised to replenish the levels in your body that stress reduces. Aside from this, it’s important to have some fun and really play every day, to get yourself out of that stress mindset. If you need help changing things up, try something different like energy healing, such as Reiki, which is very relaxing.