Stress, depression and anxiety are intimately linked with chronic pain. Fatigue and feelings of withdrawal are also linked. Imagine how many functions of the body are stress-related… When we’re stressed our digestive functions shut down, are bowel functions can be hindered (either constipation or diarrhoea), our thyroid function or immune function can be lowered, in order to allow the body’s adrenalin and cortisol levels to be higher than normal, for a prolonged period. The sad thing is, we feel out of control while all of this is going on in our lives.
How to get rid of stress: 3 quick tips…
- Take a walk every day. Walking increases serotonin and dopamine (our happy, feel-good hormones) and therefore reduces our cortisol and adrenalin levels (our stress and pain hormones). It increases circulation, increases the quality of our muscle mass (and therefore improves thyroid function as there’s a direct relationship) and supports the immune system by getting vitamin D from the sun!
- Join a social group. We all need a way to get out of our daily grind. Join a local speaking club, an amateur musical or drama society, or a sporting club. There’s nothing like open friendships on a different level to family (we all have those patterns within our family that make us feel like an 8 year old in trouble)… It also increases our feel-good hormones and relieves depression and anxiety, as well as chronic pain.
- Learn some self-help techniques using touch for health kinesiology or reiki (or something similar). I’ll be putting some small videos together to teach some basic techniques in the near future! One simple technique is ESR emotional stress release: gently holding your hands on your forehead (as shown below) and holding there until you feel a pulse on both sides of the forehead. At this point there is blood supply in both the left and right sides of the brain (yep, the logic and gestalt (creative) sides of the brain). Think about the problems going on in your life WHILE holding these points and you will soon come up with a creative, logical solution. Cool huh??? More kinesiology tools - watch this space! Madonna Guy ND New Leaf Natural Therapies
