How Chronic Stress Destroys Our Health

Stress has its place, but too much of it can destroy the delicate balance of our health. Reduce tension and regain your health today!

Optimal Health and Balance

In order to successfully achieve optimal health, we must think in terms of holistic integration. It is by considering all the major pillars of our life (nutrition, relationships, finances, career, spirituality) that we become more well-rounded and capable of balancing the demands of our lives.

In terms of biochemistry, we seek to achieve a homeostasis of cellular function. This ensures our inner chemistry is not overly or under stimulated to the point we find ourselves in an imbalanced state for too long. This is no different in our daily lives.

We seek to strike the perfect equilibrium through balancing the extremes. Nutrition most likely plays the foundational role in holding up our life pillars. This may constitute 40–50% of the overall picture. When you are properly fueled, each of the other pillars become more capable of standing the test of time, though they still require our focus. This is where love of self and self-mastery come into play. By taking an active role in the self-creation process, you invite unique opportunities for growth and support to light your path.

Destructive Emotions

The most destructive seeds anyone can plant in their life are shame, guilt, and fear. These emotions create chemical signals that actively break down the body through catabolism. When we inundate ourselves in a state of fear, we increase the overt production of cortisol, our bodies’ stress hormone.

In his book Power vs Force, Dr. David Hawkins explains that the emotion of shame represents the absolute lowest state a human being can be in. When we experience shame, guilt, or fear for too long, it causes us to be passive and unable to take action in our lives. Dr. Hawkins says the highest states a human being can be in are love, joy, and bliss. This is when we are actively inviting miraculous possibilities to show up in our lives. This is also when we are centered in our hearts and inspired to act, as opposed to being forced to act out of desperation.

Learning how to simply manage stress is a lost cause. You must learn how to master stress in order to become supremely healthy. Each one of our seven trillion cells can only be in one mode of function at any given time: growth or protection. When we’re in a growth phase, we are taking in information, food, relationships, etc. When we are in a protection phase, we build a wall to deflect us from our outside environment because it does not serve our growth. This is similar to the example of someone running from a tiger. We call this the sympathetic state of our nervous system, or chronic stress/anxiety. If we are constantly in a fight or flight state, this means 100% of our energy production is invested in protecting us from a perceived outside threat. This action literally disengages our immune system because the immune cells are solely dedicated to protecting us from threats to our inner biology. Eventually, this renders our immune system obsolete due to inactivity.

Consider that muscular contraction held perpetually is a sign of not only a physical misalignment but an emotional and psychological one. The traumatic experiences we have been through become trapped in our muscles, causing physical holding patterns. This oftentimes manifests in our stomach as digestive issues from fear or anger. This can also show up as neck tension from shallow breathing and not speaking our truth in life. If we are too stiff, we will be in a state of contraction which does not allow for a life of expansion.

Regain Health

In order to gain invincible health, we must identify these blockages and use the tools provided to us to reduce the tension. Green vegetable juices, citrus fruits, enzymes, deep tissue massage, yoga, and breath work are fantastic ways to alleviate this blocked energy and allow it to flow naturally through the body.

Try any of these relaxation tips to reduce your stress!