Stress Management and Your Health

You are Stressed!

In life there are good stresses and there are bad stresses, but whether you think you are or not, everyone is stressed.  Stress is good for the body in that it helps you adapt to change and get stronger.  When you get more stress than it can handle however, it has negative consequences and will always lead to a decrease in health.

The 3 Stresses

There are 3 main stresses that everyone encounters, physical, chemical, and emotional stress.  When most people think of stress, they often think of emotional ones, which could include but are not limited to family, financial, and social concerns.  Physical stresses are ones that are done on the body such as falls, injuries, accidents.  Repetitive injury however, is also a physical stress such as overuse of a particular movement (computer work leading to carpal tunnel), poor posture or poor lifting habits or exercise techniques.  A sedentary lifestyle is also a stress on the body due to inactivity.  Chemical stress is the least often thought of, but consists of all the types of substances we put on our in our bodies.  The obvious negative stresses are alcohol, nicotine, drugs, junk food, and to some extent caffeine.  Lack of the right nutrients is also a chemical stress and pollution is definitely one, albeit one we can’t really control.  Finally beauty products is one that most people don’t consider, but many of the things we put on our skin is absorbed through it.  Deodorant is a very common product, but did you know that the #1 active ingredient in it is aluminum, a neurotoxin (chemical that negatively affects the brain)?

Stress and your Health

Obviously it is impossible to avoid all these stresses in your life.  The body is able to handle a certain amount of it, some people more than others.  It is the function of your nervous system to filter the stresses coming in and adapt your body to handle them.  If your nervous system can keep up with the amount of stress coming in, you should not experience any negative side effects, and you will be healthy.

Managing your stress is thus very important.  It is a good idea to look inward and identify the stresses you experience and how you can decrease or control the amount coming in.  It is also a good idea to increase your stress handling capacity, which generally can be done by living a healthy lifestyle.  Chiropractic is great for helping people handle stress and encourages patients to also live healthy lifestyles.  Take an active role in handling your stress and creating a healthier version of you!

Related Articles:
What is Health?
The Three Parts of your Nervous System
How the Nervous System Affects your Health