Do you ever wonder how your stress level affects your body?
Let me tell ya, sis, your stress level shouldn’t be taken lightly. According to the American Medical Association over 60% of disease has stress at the core of its creation. Some propose it’s as high as 90%. In our current climate that may prove to carry more weight.
The thing is, your body doesn’t know if the stress is big (aka a Tiger trying to eat you) or small (someone didn’t replace the empty toilet paper roll). To your body all stress is equal. A typical stress reaction, which may happen to you several times a day, begins with over 1,200 biochemical responses. If you continue on this path and leave your stress levels unchecked then you’ll start to see the fallout.
This may start showing up in ways that you’re seeing first hand.
Some of those ways include:
- Tension in your jaw/teeth grinding
Headaches
Brain fog
Digestive disorders (your gut/brain connection)
Weight gain
Increased heart rate
Insomnia
Muscle pain
Ulcers
Immune system dysfunction
Depression
Anxiety
Here’s part of what’s happening. You may be feeling a real energy imbalance because you aren’t able to participate in the things that filled your energy cup, like church, family get-togethers, birthday parties…you get what I’m saying.
Have you been wondering how you can use mindfulness to get on top of stress? According to tons of studies, mindfulness is a great way to manage your stress levels and reduce anxiety. It’s also super effective for overcoming negative thinking too.
Not sure how to easily fit mindfulness into your life and get started with reaping the benefits? Let’s talk about 5 easy ways to use mindfulness for stress-busting:
Focus On Your Breathing
Concentrating on your breath is a great way to be in the present and push negative thoughts aside. When you’re stressed, it can be really easy to get stuck in thoughts about the past or future but focusing on the present helps you to break away from this. It shifts your body from a fight-or-flight response to a relaxation response.
Mindful Walking
Getting out in nature is another great move for emotional well-being – even more so when you combine it with mindfulness.
Mindful walking involves really immersing yourself in the sights and sounds that nature has to offer as you walk.
Mindful Coloring
Adult coloring books have become super popular and they are effectively another form of mindfulness. If you’re being really careful and precise, there’s no room for negative thoughts!
Journaling
Journaling can be a great way to make sense of your thoughts and get yourself in a calmer place. Gratitude journals can be effective for boosting your mood and encouraging more positive thoughts or you may prefer to write about your stressors to work through them in your mind. Whatever you choose journaling regularly has been shown to have the biggest benefits.
Remember, now is a time to give yourself grace, space, and love.
Until next time!
Health & Hugs
Jo Pate
jo@jopate.com
jopate.com
This is for educational purposes only and should not be construed as professional mental advice or medical advice, nor is the information a substitute for professional mental health advice or treatment, or medical advice or treatment. If you have a medical or mental health concern you should consult with your health care provider or seek other professional medical or mental health treatment. Never disregard professional treatment because of something you read on this blog. If you feel you have an emergency situation, seek professional help immediately.
