It is well known that stress affects health but often we may not realise how much of a ticking time bomb that can potentially be.
It can start with fairly mild yet uncomfortable symptoms such as headaches, muscle tension, being unable to sleep, having an upset tummy, tense muscles and fatigue.
However continued stress over time can take its toll on the heart, leading to more serious issues such as high blood pressure, strokes and health conditions such as diabetes.
It affects not only our body but also the kind of thoughts that are going through our head which tend to be more negative and this in turn affects our feelings. We may become anxious or irritable, angry or depressed.
It also has a knock-on effect on our behaviour. We may start to comfort eat or to not eat enough, to become lethargic and stop exercising and we may develop addictive behaviours such as smoking or drinking which of course only serves to worsen the problem.
A large contributor to stress is the way we perceive what is happening to us on the outside and how we interpret it.
For example we may be in a relationship where the other person blames us for something. Do we automatically feel like a victim, that we are being oppressed, that it’s not fair, that we have to start defending ourselves and maybe fight back? All of this adds to the stress.
Or do we not take it on board and actually believe in ourselves enough to know that we are not to blame. The other person may be trying to put the blame on us because they don’t want to take responsibility for the way they are feeling.
There are a large number of stressors that can contribute to us having a stress response, such as the loss of a loved one, divorce, been involved in an accident, or suffering abuse or neglect
Psychiatrists, Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe, in the late 60’s established a causal link between stress and illness. They drew up a list of life events in order of the stress levels they caused, with the highest stress levels at the top (death of a spouse score 100) and lower scores as you go down the list. Some of them are included here .
The more stressors you experience the bigger your risk.
- Death of a spouse
- Divorce
- Marital separation
- Imprisonment
- Death of a close family member
- Personal injury or illness
- Marriage
- Dismissal from work
- Marital reconciliation
- Retirement
- Change in health of family member
- Pregnancy
- Trouble with boss
- Change in sleeping habits
However being at a high risk of an illness does not necessarily mean that you will automatically become ill since we also need to consider our inner state and level of resilience
There are things that we can do about it to reverse the effects so that they do not have long-term or serious health consequences.
One of the things that I have found to be very powerful in my own journey to wellness is to engage in mindful awareness and inner journey work which reduces and transforms and can even render totally irrelevant the impact of any outside stresses. The shock to the system can be released as you connect at a deep level to inner strength, peace, clarity, compassion, wisdom, joy, understanding the bigger picture and as this re-connection resets your neurology
You can get in touch with a true experience of inner happiness, well-being and joy that doesn’t depend on anything from the outside for its existence and which has a positive relaxing effect on the body
So these things can be turned around.
When you understand the duality of things in this life you come to understand that what might appear on the outside to be negative, disruptive, traumatic, violent or abusive, aggressive, beyond our control … can actually serve a positive purpose. It can serve as a contrast, as a way of understanding its opposite, of developing discernment and as a foundation for making empowering choices and becoming super resilient!
You can let go of whatever is stressing you. You can understand, choose and appreciate the value of loving, kind, gentle, positive, harmonious, abundant and healthy ways of living and being. And your risk of illness dramatically declines.
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Our supportive Telegram community ‘Truly Transformational’ is full of resources for handling stress and moving towards vibrant health and well being.
“Since I joined the group, I have learned how to slow my thoughts through simple breathing techniques, and then connect my breathing to my heart. I’ve learnt how to quieten my mind enough to hear and listen to my heart. I’ve learnt that I am enough, and I have always been enough, I am loved, and I have always been loved and am love. I have always been… I had just forgotten. Now I am learning to remember. The best thing of all that I have learnt, is that I always have a choice. I can choose whatever I like. I am learning to become an observer of my thoughts and reactions, which is enabling me to realise that there are other options, other thoughts to think… which create other feelings… I can choose to feel happy whenever I wish, no matter what I might have previously automatically thought. I love this feeling – it feels like being free… to be me… to be happy and loved… and to love x Joy, much love and gratitude to you… Today, I am remembering, and my wish is that I remember this every single day of my life xxx” Liz Fleming
