STRESS MANAGEMENT FOR MANHATTAN
The “space between our ears” is one of the most significant contributors to the quality of life that we lead. Our thoughts are extremely real and when we become stuck in our circumstances with self-limiting beliefs, it becomes challenging to create a solution. This is why investing the time to better understand what stressors exist in your life and then learning how to live with them, OR remove them, is absolutely essential. Whether the stress surrounds your career, relationships, health, finances, or simply the daily grind, spending time in silence where you have the chance to analyze your life is an investment that is more than worthwhile. Stress is a serious diagnose because it has the potential to kill.
Stress can trigger the body’s response to perceived threat or danger, the Fight-or-Flight response. During this reaction, certain hormones like adrenalin and cortisol are released, speeding the heart rate, slowing digestion, shunting blood flow to major muscle groups, and changing various other autonomic nervous functions, giving the body a burst of energy and strength. Originally named for its ability to enable us to physically fight or run away when faced with danger, it’s now activated in situations where neither response is appropriate, like in traffic or during a stressful day at work. When the perceived threat is gone, systems are designed to return to normal function via the relaxation response, but in our times of chronic stress, this often doesn’t happen enough, causing damage to the body.
When faced with chronic stress and an over-activated autonomic nervous system, people begin to see physical symptoms. The first symptoms are relatively mild, like chronic headaches and increased susceptibility to colds. With more exposure to chronic stress, however, more serious health problems may develop. These stress-influenced conditions include, but are not limited to:
- depression
- diabetes
- hair loss
- heart disease
- hyperthyroidism
- obesity
- obsessive-compulsive or anxiety disorder
- sexual dysfunction
- tooth and gum disease
- ulcers
We have dedicated years of our lives to understand stress and then to help teach people proper techniques that will allow you to either eliminate or learn to live with this challenge in such a way that it no longer plays such a critical role in your life.
– Dr. Jason Piken
