St. Francis Health Ministry Topic of the Month
Understanding and Managing your Stress
Our world is full of constant noise, needs, emails, phone calls, work deadlines, texts, tweets, things that stress us out. The question is how do we manage stress and how does it affect our bodies? Stress releases a hormone in our body called cortisol which in turn causes a response that triggers our body to act. Maybe you have experienced disruptions in your sleep, mood changes, short term memory deficits, headaches or migraines. Clenching your jaw, grinding your teeth, dry mouth all signs of stress. Have you ever experienced muscle tension, shakiness, have you had a tight chest pain and or increased heartbeat. The urge to overeat or loss of appetite all are your body's response to stress. So now you have identified what is causing your heart to thump in your chest and why your mouth is so dry, what do you do to help relieve stress?
Regular exercise and physical activity are the platforms to stress reduction. A well balanced diet, a good nights' sleep, staying organized and learning to say no also are stress relievers. A positive outlook helps, instead of saying it is so cold out, say I can wear my warm sweaters and make soup. Take a walk everyday with friends, sit down and enjoy that cup of tea, make time to enjoy your children, your spouse, and practice random acts of kindness. These healthy activities will release the naturally occurring "pain relievers" in your body called Endorphins. Endorphins make us happy, well balanced, in addition to decreased feelings of pain, secretion of endorphins leads to feelings of euphoria, modulation of appetite, release of sex hormones, and enhancement of the immune response. With high endorphin levels, we feel less pain and fewer negative effects of stress. Endorphins have been suggested as modulators of the so-called "runner's high" that athletes achieve with prolonged exercise. While the role of endorphins and other compounds as potential triggers of this euphoric response has been debated extensively by doctors and scientists, it is at least known that the body does produce endorphins in response to prolonged, continuous exercise.
So if you want less stress move more, do things you enjoy and spend time with those you love! The phone calls can wait, the laundry will still be in the basket, the e mails will get responded to, but your child will treasure the time you spent building the Lego, your friend will enjoy the cup of tea you shared with him/her , and your spouse will appreciate the time you had on your date night!
For more information on stress reduction join us at our upcoming Health Expo
March 15, 2015 presented by The St. Francis Health Ministry.
