The Stress Factor
I have way too much experience in this subject matter. My symptoms gradually escalated throughout the years, until they finally struck an intense amount of fear in me. The bouts of brain fog began to intensify, and frequented my life all too often. I would regularly be driving somewhere, and completely blank on where I was going half way through my drive. Losing my train of thought was a regular occurrence. And then the anxiety grew daily. Not only did my vision become blurry, my heart couldn’t cope with the high amount of stress I placed on it by never saying no. My heart palpitations grew so obnoxious, they would keep me up at night attempting to jar me out of bed to finish the unaccomplished tasks of the day before. Needless to say, I was brain dead and exhausted…not a great combo for my overall health. So, what did I do to help myself come out of this self permitted version of crazy?
The Realization
This is the hardest part for pretty much everyone to fully embrace, including myself. Realizing that there is something wrong, and no one but YOU can fix it. I would talk with my friends on occasion about my symptoms, and I am so glad I used my voice. A friend of mine introduced me to the world of naturopathic medicine. Sitting in a room with a doctor that would discuss my health and lifestyle habits for close to an hour, made me finally feel as though I was in control of my health. She gave me confidence that I wasn’t crazy…my symptoms were my bodies way of warning me there was something wrong. So many times we ignore the pain or emotions we feel because we have so much going on. It was after this visit that I became dedicated to listening to the signals my body was sending me.
The Action of Listening
Reoccurring headache. Heart palpitations. Shaking hands. Brain fog. Forgetfulness. Insomnia. Irregular menstrual cycles. These are just some of the symptoms that high amounts of stress can lead to and cause. These are all signals from your body. Think of them as warning signs telling you, “Hey something is wrong!” Ignoring these signals, or masking them, can lead to chronic illnesses, autoimmune diseases, mental disorders, or cancer. Actively listening to your bodies signals is the first step towards preventative care for you, and your loved ones. Instead of popping NSAIDs, antibiotics (which sometimes are the best course to take…but I need to write an entire blog on that!), and other over the counter medications, alternative and natural practices present healthier and more sustainable options for your present and future health. Finding a naturopathic doctor, or a functional doctor, will assist you in finding the root cause of your symptoms, so you can attack the “the afflicter” itself. That’s not to say the symptoms will never appear again, but having the knowledge of what causes your symptoms is key to healing your body properly. This is the difference between “actively listening” to your body and just “taking care of the symptom”.
Healing Stress Factors
So, all your labs came back normal, or maybe not. Either way, your doctor tells you, based on your lifestyle and schedule, you need to find ways to destress, or take more self care time. This can be:
*Meditation/Relaxation/Breathing Exercises
*Technology Cleanse
*Massage
*Yoga/Tai Chi/Slow movement practices
*Hot/Cold Therapy
*Herbal Remedies
Many utilize physical remedies to induce stress relief, but herbal remedies give your body an extra boost to enhance mental function and physical health. Discussing supplements with your naturopathic or functional doctor will benefit your body and mind ten fold. There are many ancient remedies that are still used in multiple cultures that are just as, if not more potent than modern medicines. Discuss these remedies with your doctor, you will be amazed at what you learn.
Personal Choice
We all have the ability to choose what we will put up with. So many have become complacent in going to their annual visit to the doctor, chatting for about 10 minutes, and saying see ya next year; ignoring regularly occurring symptoms because over the counter medications “do the trick quickly”. We spend years placing more and more stress on our bodies through poor nutrition, fast paced lifestyle, and never healing properly. The fact that we never allow our bodies time to heal and reset is becoming the leading cause of many chronic illnesses. Chronic Stress is dominating the underlying cause of mental disorders, autoimmune diseases, and even cancer. So far, the over the counter meds, NSAIDs, and antibiotics that have been dealt out like candy the last few decades, are proving highly ineffective. In fact they are proving to be more destructive on human health than anything else.
The idea of slowing down and removing stress factors scares most people, but it is the most important factor of living a balanced and healthy life. It is up to you to embrace stress free moments and environments in order to reduce symptoms of stress. Understanding what is causing your symptoms, and treating them with nature’s medicine cabinet, will heal and enhance your health the way nature intended.
Learn how your body responds to stress. Learn what your body needs. Learn what your body craves for comfort. Learn about ancient remedies. Keep the antibiotics, NSAIDs, and other prescriptions for when you absolutely need them, not every time! And above all, just breathe once in a while!
