Do you get sick often?
Do you tend to overeat and crave lots of sweets?
Do you tend to forget the simplest things?
Is it hard for you to digest your foods properly?
Do you get regular headaches or insomnia?
Do you have low energy?
Do you get easily agitated or frustrated?
Do you feel lonely or think bad of yourself?
These could be symptoms of chronic stress.
Liza Lim shares her top 5 ways to relax in a stressful enviroment.
According to a 20-year study led by researchers at the University of London, unmanaged reactions to stress were a more dangerous risk factor for cancer and heart disease than smoking or high cholesterol foods. The saying that stress is a silent killer is not an understatement, especially in modern times with high demands in daily life.
High levels of stress can come along with pressures to keep your position at work, finding a job to take care of your family, social pressures to keep up an image to fit in with a crowd (even documented now by using social media), feeling at a loss in family or other relationships.
When we are operating from this place of long-term stress, the havoc it creates on our bodies should not go unnoticed.
During times of stress, the body releases steroid hormone called cortisol. High amounts of cortisol in the body threaten the immune system by:
· Increasing chances of impaired cognitive performance
· Suppressing thyroid function
· Creating blood sugar imbalances such as hyperglycemia
· Decreasing bone density
· Decreasing muscle tissue
· Higher blood pressure
· Increasing abdominal fat
But do not fear (that will only create more stress!)! There are ways to decrease your levels of stress. You may not be able to control what is happening outside of you, but you certainly can partake how you respond to those stresses.
To get the body and mind back to a state of relaxation, create a relaxation plan. Choose a few or all mentioned below to get your ideal plan going.
Relaxation Plan:
Meditation: Meditation helps you cultivate mindfulness, also known as awareness. In this state, you can become more aware of the patterns or response that you experience during stress. By meditating regularly, you can learn to let go of unhealthy emotional states.
Deep breathing: Shallow, upper chest breathing is part of the typical stress response. By breathing deeply, you can control the nervous system better and encourage the body to relax. Allow the belly to expand like a balloon and fill the lungs up, then release slowly emptying the air out in the belly.
Massage: Massage stimulates the parasympathetic system, which will bring balance to a stressed body. When the parasympathetic system is activated, peristalsis is increased, blood pressure is lowered, and pain receptors are ignored or reduced in the blood stream. Blood circulation is increased to the internal organs, which speeds digestion.
Exercise: Exercise pumps up the production of neurotransmitters called endorphins. Other feel-good chemicals released during exercise are dopamine and serotonin. Regular exercise can help improve your mood, increase self-confidence, and improve sleep, which can often be compromised when you are stressed.
Connection and intimacy: When we find intimate connection with others, a safe place to be vulnerable, we feel safe. Not feeling safe is one of the biggest reasons why people disengage, separate, or find coping mechanisms that help them feel safe in a crazy environment. One way to find connection can be to confide in someone you trust, do some research online and put yourself out there to get support, or write in a journal and connect to yourself.
Liza Lim is the owner of a massage and well-being company called Revive Touch and is midway through her health coaching program at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. She has 15 years of studying loving touch, mind-body connection, meditation, yoga, whole foods, and a detoxification lifestyle. These tools are what helped her turn her life around and how she assists others to turn their life around. www.revivetouch.com
Do you have low energy?
Do you get easily agitated or frustrated?
Do you feel lonely or think bad of yourself?
These could be symptoms of chronic stress.
Liza Lim shares her top 5 ways to relax in a stressful enviroment.
According to a 20-year study led by researchers at the University of London, unmanaged reactions to stress were a more dangerous risk factor for cancer and heart disease than smoking or high cholesterol foods. The saying that stress is a silent killer is not an understatement, especially in modern times with high demands in daily life.
High levels of stress can come along with pressures to keep your position at work, finding a job to take care of your family, social pressures to keep up an image to fit in with a crowd (even documented now by using social media), feeling at a loss in family or other relationships.
When we are operating from this place of long-term stress, the havoc it creates on our bodies should not go unnoticed.
During times of stress, the body releases steroid hormone called cortisol. High amounts of cortisol in the body threaten the immune system by:
· Increasing chances of impaired cognitive performance
· Suppressing thyroid function
· Creating blood sugar imbalances such as hyperglycemia
· Decreasing bone density
· Decreasing muscle tissue
· Higher blood pressure
· Increasing abdominal fat
But do not fear (that will only create more stress!)! There are ways to decrease your levels of stress. You may not be able to control what is happening outside of you, but you certainly can partake how you respond to those stresses.
To get the body and mind back to a state of relaxation, create a relaxation plan. Choose a few or all mentioned below to get your ideal plan going.
Relaxation Plan:
Meditation: Meditation helps you cultivate mindfulness, also known as awareness. In this state, you can become more aware of the patterns or response that you experience during stress. By meditating regularly, you can learn to let go of unhealthy emotional states.
Deep breathing: Shallow, upper chest breathing is part of the typical stress response. By breathing deeply, you can control the nervous system better and encourage the body to relax. Allow the belly to expand like a balloon and fill the lungs up, then release slowly emptying the air out in the belly.
Massage: Massage stimulates the parasympathetic system, which will bring balance to a stressed body. When the parasympathetic system is activated, peristalsis is increased, blood pressure is lowered, and pain receptors are ignored or reduced in the blood stream. Blood circulation is increased to the internal organs, which speeds digestion.
Exercise: Exercise pumps up the production of neurotransmitters called endorphins. Other feel-good chemicals released during exercise are dopamine and serotonin. Regular exercise can help improve your mood, increase self-confidence, and improve sleep, which can often be compromised when you are stressed.
Connection and intimacy: When we find intimate connection with others, a safe place to be vulnerable, we feel safe. Not feeling safe is one of the biggest reasons why people disengage, separate, or find coping mechanisms that help them feel safe in a crazy environment. One way to find connection can be to confide in someone you trust, do some research online and put yourself out there to get support, or write in a journal and connect to yourself.
Liza Lim is the owner of a massage and well-being company called Revive Touch and is midway through her health coaching program at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. She has 15 years of studying loving touch, mind-body connection, meditation, yoga, whole foods, and a detoxification lifestyle. These tools are what helped her turn her life around and how she assists others to turn their life around. www.revivetouch.com
