Stress is, unfortunately, an unavoidable fact of life! Since coronavirus has become a part of our everyday life, you may feel more stressed than ever before.

But can you actually get sick from stress? The short answer is YES!!!

Stress can contribute to many health issues. In fact, almost 99% of the health conditions we are facing in the world today have stress as one of the most important causes

You must have heard this at your doctor’s office… don’t worry it’s just stress! Calm down and take it easy dear!

If you feel like life isn’t turning out how you’d dreamed, and stress is overwhelming your work-life balance, then you are not alone. More and more people these days are struggling in life in some way or the other. We live in a fast-paced culture and our lives can be filled with daily stressors. Being busy has become a status symbol! It is almost impossible to be stress-free in today’s world! It is quite clear that being busy all the time is detrimental to long-term physical and mental health. Regaining control over stress and then modulating the stress response is “Crucial”!

Luckily, there is a lot that can be done.

First, you need to learn about the depth and intensity of the physiology of stress and how it has the potential of causing disease in any part of your body. Only then you will realize how crucial it is to manage stress right now.  Only then you will be able to take the next step i.e. to work consciously in managing your stress and dealing with stressful situations in your life! Let’s begin with getting to know – what exactly is stress.

What’s the definition of stress?

Stress is just our body’s way of responding to a threat that has the potential of throwing us out of balance. So, whether you sense danger, whether it’s a tiger chasing you or whether you have to do a presentation or give an exam, whether it is real or imaginary, the body’s defense mechanisms kick into high gear in a rapid autonomic process known as the stress response. You have probably heard of it as the fight or flight or sometimes freeze response.

Official definition of stress: –

A physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes physical or mental tension and may be a factor in the cause of disease.

In other words, when life’s demands exceed your ability to meet those demands, you feel the effects of stress! 

It’s different for each one of us. It is really about mindset and perception.

Rollercoaster analogy:

When we observe passengers on a rollercoaster, some are hunched down in their seats, eyes shut, jaws clenched and they can’t wait for the ride to end! Others are up at the front, wide-eyed, thrill seekers, laughing, and totally enjoying themselves.

What distinguishes passengers up at the front and having a great time is the sense of control they felt over the event.

Stress is simply a response to life’s demands. Whenever we feel stressed this simply means that the pressure of the situation exceeds all our available resources or our capacity to deal with that situation.

Any factor or event that causes stress is called a stressor. Stressors can be of many types: –

• Physical/physiological
• Environment
• Life events
• Behaviors

Even an unreal (imaginary) situation can act as a stressor. It is very important how we perceive an event or a situation.

What’s a Normal stress response?

See, whenever the brain perceives danger….. the body quickly paces itself through a series of neurological, biological, hormonal & physiological actions. Each of these actions is designed to give you the energy that will make you either run away from the danger or try and fight out the situation! And believe me these series of neurological, biological, hormonal & physiological actions need a lot of reserves in terms of nutrients. So unless you learn to replenish your reserves, you are sure to move down the road of deteriorating health!

In a normal stressful situation, after you have been able to manage the situation and now you feel that you are safe, the hormones return to normal and the story ends!

Animals face short-term/acute stress. For example, imagine a tiger chasing a zebra – this is a typical picture that comes to our mind when we think of short-term stress! The short-term stress response is VITAL FOR SURVIVAL! The zebra at this time will definitely be facing short term stress response when all the stress hormones (Cortisol & adrenaline) are high, doing their best to provide the zebra with all that is needed to run from the attack of the tiger. Once the zebra feels safe, the hormones return to normal.

Humans routinely face long-term/chronic stress. Long-term stress is DETRIMENTAL TO OUR HEALTH! Unfortunately, in today’s world, our daily stressors come from things that are much scarier than this tiger! It is not easy to escape these modern-day stressors! ( Bills, mortgages, kids, relationships, work deadlines, finances, health…. and the list goes on…). These day to day stressors keep our stress hormones high all the time! Over time these elevated stress hormones start damaging our body’s own cells & tissues!

The goal is NOT to remove stress altogether! Short-term, acute stress is not the problem. The body is meant to deal with moderate amounts of stress.  This type of stress can actually be helpful – it actually motivates us to get things done! Chronic stress is the problem.

It is CRUCIAL to learn to manage your stress response if you want to prevent yourself from falling sick down the road!

If you are experiencing stress in your life, regardless of the cause or its intensity, I would highly recommend that you take up our course “THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO STRESS MANAGEMENT.”

This 6-Hour course is carefully designed to educate you on how knowingly or unknowingly you could be developing chronic health conditions due to chronically being in a state of stress. It has all the tools to educate you on how you can support yourself & your loved ones during stressful times. 

BECOME YOUR OWN STRESS MANAGEMENT COACH in less than 6 hours!

In this course, you will learn…

• The Stress – Disease Connection!
• Practical ways of Managing Stress!
• How to use the power of the Right Nutrition, Exercise and Sleep in managing stress.
• How to use herbal (adaptogens) & Nutritional Supplements when needed during times of chronic stress

You will get…

• 6- hours of Invaluable Insights!
• Life-Changing Practical Tips
• Lifetime access to all on-demand videos
• Access on mobile and desktop (Study at your own pace in the comfort of your home!)
• Certificate of completion

Topics covered in this course: –

• What exactly is stress?
• What are the signs of a Stressed-out individual?
• The stress hormone cortisol and what it does to our body?
• Is there a normal Cortisol Rhythm?
• The different types of stress, and the physiology of stress.
• The HPA axis (Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis)
• The SAM axis (Sympathetic-adreno-medullar axis).
• Understand the connection between stress and disease.
• Stress & Weight gain
• Stress & Diabetes
• Stress & Gut Health
• Stress & Heart Health
• Stress & Mental health
• Stress & Sexual Health
• Stress & Immunity
• Stress – Fatigue & Insomnia
• Time-tested Practical tips on stress management
• The 3 Cs- Comparison, Competition and Criticism
• The 3 As- Acceptance, Appreciation and Attention
• The Power of Forgiveness
• Focus on the right things in life!
• The Power of avoiding arguments!
• Simple ways of reducing stress at work
• How we can Delegate things and make our life easier!
• Power of social connections
• Importance of money
• The power of meditation
• Present moment awareness
• Deep breathing / Pranayama for stress management
• The power of positive thinking
• The Attitude of Gratitude
• The power of forgiveness
• The power of letting go
• Spiritual awareness
• Positive affirmations
• The importance of eating healthy
• Why do we need to avoid Coffee and Alcohol during times of stress?
• The importance of staying hydrated
• The importance of keeping blood sugar balanced
• Why do we crave sugar when we are going through a lot of stress?
• The fundamentals of a balanced diet focusing on specific nutrients crucial during times of stress
• The importance of exercise in managing stress and the benefits of staying active
• How much exercise is the right amount of exercise during times of stress?
• Some direct stress-busting benefits of exercise
• Setting smart goals in terms of exercise
• The strategies for improving your sleep quality
• The role of sunlight exposure in regulating your sleep cycle
• How your bedroom environment can influence your sleep
• What’s the right temperature for achieving a sound sleep
• The role of a proper bed, mattress & pillow
• Some time-tested and practical bed-time rituals for a sound sleep
• Herbal & Nutritional Supplements for Stress Management
• Reasons for nutritional deficiencies in general
• How Stress could be one of the major reasons leading to nutritional deficiencies!
• Specific nutrients that get depleted due to chronic stress
• Signs and symptoms of these nutritional deficiencies & how to catch them before it is too late!
• Important roles of these nutrients in the body
• Food sources of these nutrients
• Nutritional supplements available in the market for stress management
• Pros and cons of taking supplements
• Guidelines for choosing nutritional Supplements
• What are Adaptogens?
• How do adaptogens work in the body?
• Guidelines for using adaptogens for stress management.
• Some popular adaptogens and how to use them.

Our courses have the potential of taking you on a healing journey of RESTORING your overall health and RENEWING your vitality and outlook on life by educating and empowering you to take charge of your health and well-being.

Looking forward to connecting with you and helping you in your journey toward better health!

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NAMASTE,

Preeti Syal
M.Sc., R.H.N., Certified Ayurvedic Lifestyle Consultant

The content provided in my blogs are for knowledge sharing purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.