What even IS stress?!

No matter how healthy you eat or how much exercise you do, if you are feeling stressed, you will not reap the full benefits of all of your hard work!

I thought this to be appropriate to talk about at the turn of a new decade as many people are setting big goals and aspirations for their health, wealth and life.

This week on Let's Start Health podcast, I go into detail all about stress. I'm excited to be able to share this article with you based on this week's episode! Link to the episode in the comments below.

What even is STRESS?

Stress is a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances. We can experience stress as a short term, acute experience OR, as seen very typically in today's go-go culture, we can experience stress as a very long term, chronic state.

The stress response is activated by the central nervous system. At the basic level when we are triggered by stress our heart rate speeds up, our eyes dilate, our respiration quickens and shortens, adrenaline and cortisol is pumped into our bloodstream, blood flows away from our organs and into our hands, arms, legs, and our deep core muscles like the psoas muscle.

The scientific term for this stress response is the Sympathetic Nervous Response. This is one branch of the autonomic nervous system of our body, which is responsible for the unconscious functions of our body such as breathing, digesting, and our heart beating. The reason why stress is so important to focus on in regards to our gut health is that during this sympathetic response, AKA the Fight, Flight or Freeze mode, DIGESTION IS THE FIRST SYSTEM TO SHUT DOWN!

Yep, you heard it right. When we are stressed, we go into survival mode and messages are sent to the brain for operations management: aka, stop digesting and get ready to run!

The second branch of the autonomic nervous system is the lovely Parasympathetic Nervous Response. This is also known more casually as the "Rest and Digest" state, though many of us have never even heard of it termed this.

During this phase, our respiration slows down, blood pressure lowers, blood flows back to our organs again and, luckily, digestion turns back on.

Let's talk a bit about Gut Health Science.

When "digestion turns off," our stomach stops producing hydrochloric acid (HCl). The exact enzymes that we NEED in our belly for efficient food breakdown and nutrient absorption.

If we are not producing enough HCl in our body, no matter how healthy the food is that we’re eating we will not be able to assimilate the nutrients and properly eliminate toxins. How do we make sure we’re producing enough HCl? We have to come back to a place of rest and digest. When we recalibrate and create a new baseline for health our body does what it does best and our digestion turns back on.

In our society, we praise the “go go go.” We end up comparing and despairing, which adds to our state of chronic stress and it feeds the system of the “go go go” mindset. We have created a baseline of health as an 8 out of 10 on the stress level. The adrenaline and stress hormones that are running through our bodies create productivity. However, it's important to consider the effects of chronic stress on the body.

A few important effects to point out are increased cortisol production, adrenal fatigue, increased salt retention, decrease in thyroid hormones, increased cholesterol, decreased libido, slow or irregular bowel movements, increased food allergies, insulin resistance, and many more.

What have you become dependent on to make it through your day? What would it be like to live a life of optimal health?

What would it be like if we operated from the parasympathetic nervous system of rest and digest?

It's also very important to note that the brain cannot differentiate between real or imagined stress. 

In other words, my body will react the same way as when my boss is yelling at me AND when I remember that conversation later on in the day.

There is no doubt that chronic stress will lead to dis-ease in the body. It's not a matter of "if" anymore.

4 ways people experience stress in their body:

1. Biological chemically: the physiological processes inside our body ie. Shortness of breath, dilated eyes, increased blood pressure
2. Mental and emotionally: our thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. We’re stuck in the story, reliving the trauma. What are the feelings you are feeling every day? What are you doing to cope with those emotions? Are you self soothing in a way that is kind and nourishing or are you numbing because you’re not quite sure what to do with those emotions? This is where depression and anxiety come into play.
3. Spiritually: Stress can create a wedge between you and that which is greater than you.
4. Structurally: in our bones and our muscles. Maybe you feel stiff and chronically achy or sore.

Where is stress landing in your body?

For 2020, let’s create intentions that will drive us for the new year and let's be sure to zoom out and get curious about how stress is truly affecting us.

If we don’t sort out our stress, all of our efforts will be in vain.

One stress management technique that you can utilize at ANY time: 4444 box breath. Simply inhale to a count of four, hold it at the top for four, slowly exhale for four, hold it at the bottom for four, inhale again. Repeat this box breath as many times as necessary.

This breathing technique is a back-door into the central nervous system to short circuit the Sympathetic Nervous Response: Fight or Flight mode and right into Para-Sympathetic Nervous Response: Rest and Digest. 

You can do this while driving, in a meeting, and I highly suggest you try doing this breath before you eat for maximum digestion and gut health.

I hope this article is of service to you. Please have a listen to the full episode of Let's Start Health anywhere you find podcasts. There is also a link in the comments below.

If you are really struggling with the effects of chronic stress, PLEASE reach out to me at [email protected]. I'd love to get to know you and see how I may be of service to you.