According to the World Health Organization by 2020, stress will be, one of the (if not the biggest) contributor to human morbidity and mortality. Scary prediction.
Essentially, stress is your body’s way of responding to any kind of demand or threat. When you sense danger, the body’s defences becomes activated into high gear in a rapid, automatic process known as the ‘fight-or-flight’ reaction.
However, when it comes to stress, not all of them is bad. In fact, there is such a thing as good stress, known as ‘eustress’. In particular, eustress gets things done and this rises to a peak point of optimum efficiency. It is however when we push past this peak and we run into ‘distress’, which is damaging to us.
What does bad stress do to us?
- At a cognitive level, it affects memory, our ability to judge, our concentration (brain fog), indecision, self-doubt
- At an emotional level, it causes or contributes to, overwhelm, panic, anxiety, catastrophisation, depression and low moods, fatalistic thinking, cynicism, frustration and anger
- At a physical level, high blood pressure, chest pains, rapid pulse, skin disorders, pain (emotional and physical), depressed immune system leading to illness, coughs and colds, etc. Stress also causes inflammation, and most illness has a starting point of inflammation.
- At a behavioural level, sleeping too little or too much, feeling demotivated,
loss of humour, moving into isolation, self medication with addictions,
food, caffeine, alcohol, smoking, recreational and hard drugs, prescribed
drugs and their side effects
We can all agree that none of the above is good for you. However, rather than focus, as so many do, on the problem, I’d like to offer you a solution to stress and how to choose, if you decide to, to never have to be inappropriately stressed again.
Up for it? Try the exercise show below.
Using the Lemniscate figure, place your fingers on your forehead for 20–30 seconds. What is
happening is by stimulating the ‘third eye’ point we are activating both the pituitary
gland and the pineal gland, which will result in oxytocin being released.
Oxytocin is the ‘antidote’ to cortisol, which is the stress chemical and cancels it out immediately. Cortisol and oxytocin have been shown to interact in both the regulation of stress responses.
This is one of the most powerful techniques I have discovered to maintain a stress-free life. The technique is simple and as such both we, and our clients have no excuse not to apply it.
This exercise will be the first element of our forthcoming app, designed to handle many areas of mental health issues.
To find out more please call 0845 127 8888 or email zenpower@medigold-health.com
Kevin Laye is an international trainer and public speaker. Kevin runs a therapy clinic in Harley Street in London and has developed a successful practice and excellent reputation.
