Stress – The Cause and how to Manage it before Stress Manages you

by Dr. Dennis Maness, HealthWalk MindSoul Division

The Fundamentals of Stress:
The body’s response to stress is different in each person. For some, it may manifest as stomach pain, muscle tension, headache, nervous tension, back pain and for others it can come in the form of diarrhea, heartburn, nausea or other system reactions. Stress comes in many shapes and forms. It can be triggered by paying bills, from a near accident, a traumatic event, fear of loss or any perceived threat.

Adrenaline and Cortisol are released in the body when we react to stress. Adrenaline is a hormone which also acts as a neurotransmitter which gives us energy on a daily basis. However when you don’t release or resolve the stress, the adrenaline and other hormones build up in your system and results in various negative consequences which I will outline below.

Adrenaline:
Adrenaline speeds up heart rate, sending blood to the big muscles to tackle a "fight or flight" situation, such as enabling you to escape the mean ‘ol saber tooth tiger. Today’s Saber Tooth Tigers can be on the job stress, family stress and anything in between.

Adrenaline stimulates shallow, rapid breathing for short-term survival sending the oxygen to survival muscles in the body so you can outrun the Saber Tooth Tiger. It conserves energy by stopping digestion, as digestion is a waste of energy when you are trying to outrun the Saber Tooth Tiger.

Adrenaline also dilates the pupils of the eyes for maximum light, directs the eyes peripherally to see danger and creates a difficulty with convergent focus. It also limits oxygen to the brain, as this is needed to supply energy to the survival muscles.

Lack of oxygen to the brain for prolonged periods of time can cause a multitude of problems ranging from lack of focus to headache to chemical imbalances that lead to another litany of problems including the production of excess cortisol.

Cortisol:
Cortisol is a hormone produced by the adrenal gland. It is also involved in response to stress and often referred to as the stress hormone. In normal release, cortisol has widespread actions which help restore balance after stress. In response to stress, cortisol causes a release of glucose (from liver) and fat into the blood stream to supply muscles with nutrients to "fight or flee".

Excess cortisol is a real threat to your health when produced in large quantities. When stress is not released, excess cortisol can put you in danger of developing blocked coronary arteries; leading to high blood pressure, heart attack and increased fat around the waist and hips resulting in obesity. Cortisol also inhibits protein absorption and processing which can result in body weakness, fatigue, infertility and depression. Prolonged overproduction of cortisol blocks efficient metabolism of glucose and it depresses the immune system. Cortisol is deemed the most violent immune system depressant known to man and is implicated in AIDS, MS, diabetes, cancer, coronary artery disease, Alzheimer’s disease and decreased learning and memory.

Measuring Your Stress Response:
At HealthWalk™, we can accurately measure your stress level by timing your response time from thought to a neuromuscular reaction. We can determine the frequency and timing of stress thoughts and then support their resolution and teach how you to control them before they have the opportunity to manifest in your body.

Stress Crutches:
Some of us rely on quick fixes to alleviate the symptoms of stress. Prescription drugs, over the counter drugs and certain substances found in food sources such as soda and coffee. Some of these substances can become addictive and do nothing to solve the problem of redirecting stress. In fact with ongoing use they hinder the body’s ability to resolve stress.

One of the most effective means to catch stress before it manifests is to learn how to drive/control your own brain just as you learn how to tie your shoes, ride a bike or drive a car. We teach you this at HealthWalk™ through our MindSoul Brain Entrainment programs

What Happens When You Are Not in Control of Your Brain Responses:
When you are not in control of your brain responses, your body senses this as a danger and reacts. When you take a drug or additive, you are simply masking the problem and the stress will soon return. Quick fixes result in the dulling of your senses therefore postponing any real solution to reversing symptoms.

A comparative scenario is when the red light on the dashboard says your car is overheating - the car is not fixed by placing a piece of tape over the warning light. When you take a numbing substance, you are placing a piece of tape over the warning light. That little piece of tape didn't fix the overheated car; it will only mask it. How many miles will you drive your overheated car before it breaks down? How many more miles will you go on taking the substance to mask your stress before you break down or burn out?

The Wrong Stress Response:
The wrong response is to continue to allow stressful situations to fester which leaves your body constantly switched on to the effects of stress. Doing so causes you to think from a survival mode. We make our best decisions when we use the executive center of our brain. When stress is switched on, our fight or flight is also switched on, causing us to think in survival mode and this changes the neuro chemical balance of our brain. We often end up making the wrong decisions and taking action that is not beneficial to our true and natural sense of being. The solution is to learn how to deal with the stress as we are bound to experience more stressful situations in life.

Children and Stress:
Children experience stresses the same as an adult. The primary difference is adults have often learned more coping skills already. The child doesn’t have these avenues so readily available. Stress can come from school, the playground or the home, through peers, siblings or teachers. It is important to watch for signs. These signs can manifest through periodic obstinate behavior, low self esteem, frequent crying, difficulty remembering things, or whining and complaining. Often this stress and low self-esteem is triggered in the classroom. You can help by allowing the child to share about their frustration in a safe setting and to allow them to understand that they are inherently good and outside situations which may be challenging can be learning experiences instead of being threatening.

Learning to control stress early is vital to your health. At HealthWalk™, we can help you regain control of your brain and you will learn how to become calm, intercept the intruding stress thoughts and manage them before they become manifested as dis-eases in your body. You can be well and on your way to proper stress management starting with your first MindSoul Brain Entrainment session at HealthWalk™.