BELARÔME

What is stress?

Stress is a term used to describe the wear and tear the body experiences in reaction to everyday tensions and pressures. Change - such as loss of a loved one, illness, or career and lifestyle changes - is a common cause of stress to most. However, it’s the pressure and tension we feel in response to the little everyday hassles—like rush hour traffic, waiting in line, too many emails, and even the nightly news— that do the most damage.

How does stress affect health?

Stress affects people physically, mentally and emotionally. According to the American Institute of Stress, up to 90% of all health problems are related to stress. Too much stress can contribute to and agitate many health problems including heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, depression, sleep disorders, and far more serious problems, including increased heart rate and blood pressure, palpitations and ultimately cardiac arrest. 

What can I do about it?

We will never eliminate stress from our lives, but we can learn to manage and reverse its damage. It’s not the events that do the harm, it’s how you respond to those events. Exercise, a good diet, and relaxation are all important aspects of any stress prevention program, but without emotional management, they are only part of the solution. When you’re stressed, your body is out of sync. Typical negative emotions we feel when stressed - anger, frustration, anxiety and worry - lead to increased disorder, known as incoherence, in the heart’s rhythms and in the nervous system. In contrast, positive emotions - joy, appreciation, care and kindness not only feel good but they are good for you. They create synchronization, called, coherence, in the heart’s rhythms and the nervous system.  The key to reducing the negative impact of stress on the body is to shift your negative reactions in the moment they occur - not an hour later at the gym, a week later at the beach or three months later on vacation.