What do we know about stress?
Everyone is familiar with the negative aspects of stress, but few people know that it is also a necessary response that gives our life meaning and diversity. Stress can also help us to protect ourselves and respond appropriately to an ever-changing environment.
How does stress affect the body?
Hans Selye, a Hungarian endocrinologist, studied stress and was the first to come up with a scientific explanation of its mechanisms. Dr. Selye identified a pattern of stress stimuli and its resulting effect on a person’s system, calling it General Adaptation Syndrome. This system separates the the effect of stress in three stages: Alarm, Resistance, and Exhaustion
Stage 1: Alarm
This is your first and immediate stress response. In this primary stage the body’s fight or flight mechanism is activated to help it engage the threat stimulus. A person’s senses are put on high alert, increasing focus and awareness. This process helps them to fight or run from danger as it redirects blood flow to the heart, muscles and brain, away from the gastrointestinal tract and digestive processes. The hormones released during this stage also suppress the immune system, compromising its function.
Stage 2: Resistance
This second stage occurs when a body is adapting to the stimulus of the alarm response and beginning to combat high levels of stress. In this stage the systems return to normal function but continue expending large amounts of energy to keep the stress response minimized and maintain a person’s ability to adapt.
Stage 3: Exhaustion
By this third and final stage, the body’s resources have become exhausted through lengthy exposure to ongoing stressors. This occurs when working long hours, not sleeping enough, eating poorly, and drinking to excess. Over time this exhaustion can lead to illness as it compromises the critical functions of a body, leaving it vulnerable to disease and dysfunction in a variety of manifestations.
When you repeatedly experience the fight or flight stress response in your daily life, it can have significant ramifications for your system’s function, including:
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So how do we decrease stress?
Massage therapy can reduce muscle tension, helping to decrease a variety of physical discomfort such as headaches and back pain. The reduction of tension in the body can help to improve quality and quantity of sleep and is also helpful in restoring and maintaining balanced digestive function. By promoting relaxation, stress on the nervous system is decreased. This calming effect helps to lessen skin disruptions like eczema, acne, and herpes. Relaxation will also reduce the load on the body’s immune system helping to maintain a healthy balance and minimizing the system’s vulnerability to other diseases.
Massage can successfully decrease a variety of undesirable symptoms of stress such as fatigue, muscle pain, and feelings of anxiety and depression. In addition to manual therapy, we can also integrate other forms of support with supplements and self care exercises. To book your appointment today book here or contact Megan directly with any questions: [email protected].
Want to learn more? Don’t miss Megan at Goodness Me on Nov 16 at 6:30pm. She will be discussing the effects of stress and natural ways to help combat its negative effects.
Register here:
http://education.goodnessme.ca/event/741
Megan Prenty RMT