Vital Force Naturals

Everyone has stress, we need it to survive, but what do you do when it all gets too much and overwhelming and you can’t concentrate or function properly?

We all have a different perception of what’s stressful. Some people seem to sail through life without a care in the world while for others everything is an obstacle to be negotiated. Thing is we all have mountains to climb, just some people see it as an adventure and some as a chore. You can’t avoid it. It’s all around you, there’s a lot of fear and uncertainty. But what you can do is change the way you think about it.

How does stress affect the body?

Your fight or flight mechanism kicks in. The liver dumps fat and sugar into the bloodstream for fuel, breathing deepens to get more oxygen to your heart and your heartrate speeds up to deliver it all to your muscles and brain. Your pupils dilate and your hearing sharpens and adrenalin and cortisol pump round the body to help muscles use energy more effectively. Great when you’re running away from a sabre toothed tiger, but not many of those in Sheffield these days.

So what can we do about it?

Rather than trying to avoid stress, how about rethinking it? Instead of feeling nervous and threatened, how about changing it to feeling excited and challenged? We’re often stressed because we care, because things are important to us. So what’s the cost of avoiding it? What could you be missing out on – opportunities, experiences, goals, aspirations. Does it limit your future? Do you have avoidance strategies? Think about the kind of impact you want to have on those around you, what do you want to create or contribute. Stress gives us meaning and values so rather than feeling that something is not worth doing because it’s ‘too stressful’, rethink it. Does it inspire you? Is it a means to an end? By doing it are you helping others?

We all know that stress can be harmful – debilitating, inhibiting, depleting and negative which means we avoid it, find distractions, ignore emotions, withdraw and turn to addictions and substances to escape. But see it in a different way and it changes how you act. See it as enhancing performance and productivity, improving health and vitality, facilitating growth and learning and as a positive and should be utilised. Accept and acknowledge it and you can then think a little clearer, plan a strategy, seek help, take steps and make the best of the situation.

The stress won’t change, so maybe you need to change your mindset.

Interestingly certain stress also releases oxytocin – the ‘love’ hormone! This response is primarily to protect offspring, and whenever you help others you activate this state. We’ve all heard stories of brave acts of kindness and heroism when faced with a disaster or trauma, stress at it’s highest. This is when the ‘tend and befriend’ response kicks in, it makes you brave, smart and social, it reduces fear and gives you courage and hope. And it doesn’t end there. This response is actually good for cardiovascular health – it strengthens your heart. So helping others makes you stronger and more resilient.

Of course the main problem these days is that we’re all running at a high stress level and our bodies have become accustomed to it. It’s become the norm. Rather than ‘acute’ stress, like getting out of the way of a charging elephant (or bus) we have ‘chronic’ stress, where it’s our jobs, money, relationships and family that stresses us, all the ongoing stuff that you can’t run away from. On top of that there’s various lifestyle habits that stress the body without us even realising. Dehydration is the biggest stress on the body, and stress is the biggest dehydrator. Most of us don’t drink enough, even when we think we do. ‘Bad’ foods can be hard for the body to recognise, digest and assimilate. Choose foods as close to nature as possible, makes for less work (for more nutritional help see here). Deep breathing is one of the quickest ways to ‘destress’. Inhale through the nose for 5 and exhale through the mouth for 8. Go for a massage. (I would say that!) Relaxes tight muscles, increases circulation and improves concentration ( for information about massage in the workplace see here). And if you feel yourself becoming overwhelmed – heart pounding, sweating, breathing quicker go for a brisk walk or run up and down the stairs. This mimics the ‘flight’ response and helps to use up the adrenalin coursing through your veins.

So stress is more than just a basic survival instinct. It’s built into how we operate, relate to one another and navigate our way in the world. We can use it to our advantage if we understand that it’s not to be feared but should be appreciated, harnessed and trusted.

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