UNITED STATES—We’ve had the discussion in the past how stress is something that we all encounter in our daily lives. We have also discussed various tactics and things that we can do to alleviate such stress. However, we have not yet had the conversation on what impact stress actually has on one’s body. This is IMPORTANT people! Why, the more you stress, the more it impacts your health. Yes, being stressed can actually make you sick.
Take myself for example; I’m someone who deals with multiple stressors on a daily basis. Some days are much better than others, but there are those days where the body is just beyond exhausted. People are surprised when I tell them that I rarely get sick. I know it sounds crazy, but it’s true. When I do get sick it always seems to take place during the hot summer months, what’s worse: I’m always stressed to my limit! I tend to allow things to build up and it gets to a point where the build-up is so big that I can no longer do anything to alleviate it, but to just relax.
If you don’t allow your body to rest and re-energize, your body will do it for you. Just because you suspect you’re unstoppable in the world of business, work, family or all things social, think again. There are only 24 hours in a day; there is a reason you’re expected to get 8 hours of sleep at night, because the other 16 hours we’re in constant motion, the body has to have time to recharge those batteries, to let muscles relax, to let stressors disappear. I mean haven’t you thought about why when you really SLEEP things are good? Your mind is not worried about anything, which is no easy feat to achieve people.
Many people have heard the phrase, “You’re so stressed you’re going to have a heart-attack.” And for some people that is quite true. The arteries in the body can harden from stress; it can impact your body’s immune system, your sleep can be impacted affecting your appetite. Yes, it sounds crazy, but when you don’t attain adequate amounts of sleep, it impacts what you eat, when you eat and how much you eat. All signs that can lead to diabetes, high blood pressure and bad cholesterol.
Stress is indeed inescapable people, but learning when to tell that body it’s time to decompress is important. I’m learning as I get older, I simply cannot do it all anymore, even if I do, the body fights. It tells me slow down, you’re doing too much, take a break! Of course, we can make the argument that stressors vary for most people based on age, race, culture, environment and social economic status.
For most people the two biggest stressors are: money and work. I’d like to think mine is money, but I actually think its work. When you’re stressed about money it’s usually related to work. Find a better paying job and that stress will find a way to flounder from your lives. Even if it’s temporarily, it’s better to have no stress than any stress at all. Stress is a part of our lives; it’s not going anywhere, but its key we learn what is actually ‘stress’ and what we’re complaining about that isn’t as impactful as we think.
