All of us experience stress at some point in our lives, if not daily. BUT have you ever considered that your stress could be the PRIMARY contributor to your pain?
If you consider for a moment that your physical body is like your mind in 3D. What you THINK about can often manifest in a PHYSICAL way.
Let’s dive into this for a moment …
Imagine you are driving on the freeway and are running late for an appointment. Because of this you have your foot on the accelerator and are cruising along 10km over the speed limit. You look in your revision mirror and see a police car with it’s blue and red flashing lights behind you … what PHYSICALLY happens to your body at this time?!
You may notice:
- You grip the steering wheel tighter and your shoulders elevate
- Your heart starts to race or might skip a beat
- You sweat
- You hold your breath
Within a split second your body goes into a STRESS response; what we call the ‘Fight or flight’ or ‘Sympathetic’ part of your nervous system. This is a primitive response designed to keep you out of danger and help you survive!
Instantly, blood will begin diverting away from your reproductive organs and digestive system and go to the big muscles like your chest and legs so that you can ‘flee’ or ‘fight’.
Your heart rate will increase to feed these muscle groups + pump blood around your body and your pupils will dilate so you can see far and wide … and potentially escape from the threat (however we wouldn’t recommend trying to out run a police car he-he)
Within a second this stress response happens in your body.
THEN the police car drives past and was for the person in front of you!
The point we are trying to make here is that your body responds PHYSICALLY to thoughts or a perceived threat/stress, regardless of whether or not that stress is actually reality.
And with today’s financial pressures, long work weeks and big to-do lists, this prolonged stress can become chronic, resulting in muscle tension sometimes felt as a stiff, achy neck or back.
Not to mention the impacts that stress will have on inflammation in your body! (You can read more about it in this article on inflammation)
The good news is if this is you, there is plenty you can do about it.
The first step is to have AWARENESS.
It is important to tune in to your body and catch stress when it starts to build.
We like to recommend writing in a journal before bed or a creating a pain diary that will allow you to track exactly how stress in your life is impacting your pain.
The second step is to start to UNWIND YOUR STRESS
Things like;
- Meditation
- Yin Yoga
- Deep breathing
- Qi Gong
- Adequate sleep
- Magnesium and adrenal support supplements
- Exercise
Are all brilliant ways to unwind the negative impact your stress is having on your body and pain.
And the third step is to create a LIFESTYLE that SUPPORTS your well being.
This might look like;
- Creating more boundaries around what you say ‘yes’ to and how you manage your time
- Eating well and feeding your body adequate nutrition
- Spending more time with friends and family
- Asking for help and support when life gets overwhelming
- Speaking to a professional
It is these simply things done consistently that will not only reduce your pain, but INCREASE your quality of life.
That is it from us today, but before you head off to your busy lives we would love to share with you our newest FREEBIE offering!
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Yours in great health,
Dr Andy & Dr Jacinta x
