Dear Anon, I think DianeP gave you wonderful advice and suggested great links for you to visit. I just have a couple of suggestions for you. You may not like what I have to say, but stress is a state of mind that you can choose to dwell on or make the best of.
Stress has been with humanity for thousands of years. It is a natural state of self-preservation. A biochemical programming in our cells, a mechanism that allow humans to survive situations of real danger as it used to be during the cavemen times. This "fight or flight" biological response is not longer adequate to face today's threats. Instead, modern bodies (which by the way does not recognize the difference in threat levels) will react the same way as they did millions of years ago, even if the threat is just a mosquitoe flying over our head.
To understand "stress" you must learn to understand your body. The Human Body has the sympathetic nervous system ( the accelerator) and the parasympathetic division (the brake). The sympathetic system responds to stimulus that require quick responses. The parasympathetic system is your "calming self" and does not require immediate reaction. The main actions of the parasympathetic nervous system are summarized by the phrase "rest and repose" or "rest and digest" (in contrast to the "fight-or-flight" of the sympathetic nervous system).
You need to learn to bring up the parasympathetic response when you feel stress. There are many ways to achieve this: deep breathing exercises, meditation, contemplation, chanting, prayer, self-tak, etc will active the parasympathetic response whenever you begin to feel the sympathetic response which results on high adrenaline response, high cortisol production, loss of sleep, etc.
There are natural supplements that can help you, I take Rhodiola, Ashwagandha, 5-HTP in addition to meditation and breathing exercises. With a dying husband and as a caregiver, you bet I have enough stress in my life, but my philosophy as a wellness coach has allowed me to take advantage of natural way of dealing with stress without resorting to prescription drugs.
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Dear Anon, I think DianeP gave you wonderful advice and suggested great links for you to visit. I just have a couple of suggestions for you. You may not like what I have to say, but stress is a state of mind that you can choose to dwell on or make the best of.
Stress has been with humanity for thousands of years. It is a natural state of self-preservation. A biochemical programming in our cells, a mechanism that allow humans to survive situations of real danger as it used to be during the cavemen times. This "fight or flight" biological response is not longer adequate to face today's threats. Instead, modern bodies (which by the way does not recognize the difference in threat levels) will react the same way as they did millions of years ago, even if the threat is just a mosquitoe flying over our head.
To understand "stress" you must learn to understand your body. The Human Body has the sympathetic nervous system ( the accelerator) and the parasympathetic division (the brake). The sympathetic system responds to stimulus that require quick responses. The parasympathetic system is your "calming self" and does not require immediate reaction. The main actions of the parasympathetic nervous system are summarized by the phrase "rest and repose" or "rest and digest" (in contrast to the "fight-or-flight" of the sympathetic nervous system).
You need to learn to bring up the parasympathetic response when you feel stress. There are many ways to achieve this: deep breathing exercises, meditation, contemplation, chanting, prayer, self-tak, etc will active the parasympathetic response whenever you begin to feel the sympathetic response which results on high adrenaline response, high cortisol production, loss of sleep, etc.
There are natural supplements that can help you, I take Rhodiola, Ashwagandha, 5-HTP in addition to meditation and breathing exercises. With a dying husband and as a caregiver, you bet I have enough stress in my life, but my philosophy as a wellness coach has allowed me to take advantage of natural way of dealing with stress without resorting to prescription drugs.
I wish you well.
June 15, 2009 - 9:50pmThis Comment
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