Caring for our selves and finding ways to handle
our stresses are clearly important practices for
assuring our long-term health. They are definitely key
aspects of Preventive Medicine, Along With the right nutrition
and exercise programs for our body, getting proper sleep, and
maintaining a positive attitude toward our self, others, and
the world. Learning the individual lifestyle path that generates
health rather than disease is really the finest art of medicine and
personal development, and an extremely important process in
which to invest. Let's look at ways to protect our body and heart
from the negative effects of stress and to create better health.
One of the first steps in stress reduction is an honest inventory
of where we are. Ask yourself:
For most of us, the key life challenges are in areas of:
- What is my biggest life challenge now?
- Is anything very out of balance in my life? If so, what is upsetting me?
- Why don't I feel fully relaxed, happy, and able to sleep well?
- What do I need to do to restore balance?
- Is there anything I can do something about?
- Health–how we care for ourselves and the result we hu-manifest,
- Career–what we share with the world and the support that is returned, and
- Relationships–how we give and receive love.
If we can master these three primary areas of life, some might
say we're near enlightenment.
One of the sources of stress is inner tension between what we
expect of ourselves and what actually happens. Often these
expectations are quite unconscious. It's important to identify
unspoken expectations or attachments. Sometimes we need to
work a little harder to bring reality in line with our expectations—
and to really go for our dream.
At other times, we need to develop more detachment to let
go of counter-productive thoughts or desires. In this effort, a
meditation practice can be very valuable. All the major religions
of the world include some type of meditation or prayer. Your
practice can be aligned with your spiritual beliefs.
Types of Stress(adapted from the Anti-Stress Program of
Staying Healthy with Nutrition textbook)
Stress comes in many forms. For example, many of us are
surprised to learn that intense joy is a source of stress, but since
it requires more of our body and mind, it genuinely qualifies as stress (with an increased heart rate and the manufacture of
certain neurotransmitters, such as adrenaline). Exercise can
also be a stressor even though it is great for us. This is because
of the repetitive movement in certain areas of the body, and
because we create and release more free radicals and toxins
into the blood and tissues. This biochemical process can best
be handled by being sure you drink enough water and take
antioxidant nutrients, such as vitamins A and C. According
to researchers on stress, the most optimal combination for
vitamin C is to pair it with the bioflavonoid, quercetin.
The various types of stress and some of the factors that
contribute to them include:
- Mental—high responsibility; financial or career pressures; working long hours at mental tasks, perfectionism, anxiety, and worry
- Emotional—attitude toward self; issues or imbalances in our relationships; anger, fear, frustration, sadness, betrayal, and bereavement
- Psycho-Spiritual—issues of life goals; spiritual alignment, imbalance, or lack of spiritual nurturing; general state of contentment
- Physical—exercise and physical labor; pregnancy and giving birth; developmental or life changes (adolescence, menopause, and aging)
- Traumatic—infection, injury, burns, surgery, and extreme weather and temperatures
- Biochemical—deficiencies of vitamins, minerals, specific amino acids, protein, or fats and fatty acids; food allergies; genetic errors in metabolism that can result in alcoholism, other addictions, or mental illness
- Toxic—environmental pollutants such as pesticides, cleaning solvents, and other toxins; non-organic foods with additives; and the use of chemicals such as prescription and OTC drugs, in cosmetic and hair products, and overuse/abuse of sugar, alcohol, caffeine, or nicotine
What is Stress?
Please realize that stress is not dictated by situations or
incidents themselves; rather, real stress comes from the way
we react to the issues of our lives. For stress to negatively
influence our health, we must experience something as danger.
If we experience a threat as stress, we may go into fight-or-flight
mode, which shifts us into the sympathetic (adrenaline) side
of our nervous system. That means our body actually prepares
to battle or run, i.e. "fight or flight." Our circulation slows and
there may be greater muscle tension; our digestion slows down,
heart rate goes up, and we begin using up important nutrients.
Often immune function is affected—our level of T-cells may
even be depressed. And clearly then, we are more prone to
become ill or "catch whatever's going around."
Sometimes there's no way around stress. For example, when
a child falls on the playground, or we're putting out a fire, our body
prepares us for the emergency so we can respond immediately.
That's the way it should be as this level of response/reaction
allows us to be more alert and ready for action.
But sometimes stress is subtler—and it may be more
psychological or emotional. When there really is no physical
danger, our body may still react as if there is. Then, if there's no
physical activity to provide an outlet for the increased internal
activity, the response may remain inward and play havoc with
our physiology and organs, as well as with our emotions and our
mind. At that point, we run the risk of exhausting the adrenal
glands and flooding our body with metabolic toxins, such as
damaging free radicals (associated with the aging process and
diseases such as heart disease and cancer). This example also
shows the reason why "a walk to cool down" really is a good idea.
When we're under emotional or mental stress, and still stay
in a relaxed mode, we can respond more calmly and experience
less emotional and biochemical wear-and-tear. Then our body
doesn't shift into full battle mode and begin pouring out the
chemical signals that we're in danger and must react. This
relaxed approach usually leads to a better outcome as well.
Many anti-stress formulas are based on the B-complex
vitamins and vitamin C because these important nutrients are
all significantly depleted by stress. In addition, stress-related
problems may be compounded by deficiencies resulting from
generally poor nutrition. All of the B vitamins are important
here—especially pantothenic acid (B5). B5, folic acid, and
vitamin C are essential for the functioning of our adrenal
glands. The adrenals carry perhaps the greatest load when our
body is under stress.
The B-complex vitamins are ideally taken two or three times
a day, particularly when we are under a lot of stress. This is
especially important if the stress lasts over a period of months—
for example from a big project at work or a challenging job,
a chronically ill child or parent, unemployment, divorce—any
of the life events that tend to deplete us over time. It's best
to take the B-vitamins before dark so that we don't become
over-stimulated when it's time to wind down and relax. I do
suggest more minerals in the evening, as they tend to help with
relaxation, especially a calcium and magnesium supplement.
However, most vitamins and minerals are best assimilated if
they're taken with a meal.
Note: Prolonged stress or lack of sleep can lead to a myriad of health
problems. If these issues do not resolve with home treatment, you may
need to see your doctor or other health professional.