In student clinic over the last couple months, all of my clients seemed to have one thing in common: S T R E S S.

And not just any old stress; but intense, big energy, all consuming and overwhelming stress.

These women were all presenting with a range of symptoms from: anxiety, exhaustion, palpitations, sweating, weight gain, and insomnia, to bloating, digestive issues, constipation, dizziness and more. So... was their stress 'normal'? And more importantly, is YOUR stress normal? (Because, let's face it - it's a rare person nowadays that doesn't experience the dreaded stress mayhem!)

In simple terms, stress is the body's reaction to any change that requires an adjustment or response. So every single one of us experiences stress, and our body reacts physically, mentally and emotionally. Stress will come from our environment, our body, thoughts… and even good things (a new job, a baby!) will produce it.

So really, it’s important to understand that our bodies are designed to experience stress - and respond to it. Stress is what keeps us alert and motivated, it’s what helps us stay alive and grow! But the key for us in dealing with it, to get a little nerdy on you, is for the body’s autonomic nervous system to be allowed to rest and chill between stressors. You know, to get back to baseline. To release and find relief from that flood of chemical reactions that made you run for your life (to meet that deadline, to cross the road, to be aware of your surroundings).

So really, the question isn’t “is your stress normal?” but rather, “is your pattern or stress normal or chronic?” Because chronic and unrelenting stress is where the danger lies - when we have no relief, no respite, and our baseline keeps getting nudged further and further off centre.

Chronic stress (with no return to baseline) is going to mess up our body’s balance and lead to a host of problems -->

headaches
digestive issues (upset tummies and bloating)
immune issues (are you getting sick a lot?)
reproductive issues (periods being haywire, or painful)
high blood pressure (your poor heart!)
depression
panic attacks
anxiety

And in real terms, in real life people like you and I, this looks like dizziness, teeth grinding, indigestion, muscle tension, sleeping issues, exhaustion, weight gain or loss and more. Sounds familiar, right?

And research shows that stress is currently linked to 6 of the leading causes of death: heart disease, cancer, lung ailments, accidents, liver cirrhosis, and suicide. So what are we to do?

Part 2 coming up shortly xo

SOURCES:

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/11874-stress#:~:text=Stress%20is%20the%20body's%20reaction,your%20body%2C%20and%20your%20thoughts.