Stress is the body’s normal reaction to feeling threatened or being unable to cope with mental or emotional pressure. It usually happens when we don’t feel we can control or manage a situation.
Stress is often referred to as the ‘fight, fright or flight’ response and has the ability to protect and support us in emergency situations.
The stress response was a necessity in our past when necessary for our survival, but now we respond to stresses whether they are real or perceived. Our bodies cannot tell the difference. We constantly push ourselves in a world which never seems to stop. Work pressures, unemployment, sitting in traffic, juggling a busy workload with raising a family, bereavement, fertility problems, financial worries, a pandemic, FOMO, addictive social media and screen time, emails, texts, perfection culture, ill health, war…these are all real or perceived as threats to our body.
Stress hormones
It is no surprise we feel like this, if we never have time to rest and recover, we will find it hard to relax and stress hormones flood our body, as our fight or flight mechanism is always on! When we feel stressed our primary stress hormone – cortisol, is high, it speeds up our heartbeat, increases blood pressure and quickens our breathing, it effects our physical, emotional and intellectual responses. But, constant stress makes you feel like you are on the go all the time, tired but wired, busy and overwhelmed.
Cortisol and adrenalin are produced by the adrenal glands which sit on top of the kidneys. With normal levels it helps us get things done, motivates and focuses us and gives us energy. If we are stressed, push ourselves daily and don’t relax, drink lots of coffee and tea to keep going, take stimulant drugs, drink alcohol to relax, don’t have enough sleep, eat junk food etc our health is going to suffer, and the adrenals will become depleted.
There is a big list of complaints that are linked to stress, a few of them are:
Physical – Fatigue and exhaustion. Hormonal problems. Muscle tension or pain. Headaches. Digestive problems. Chest pain or faster heartbeat. Sexual problems. Hair loss. Skin complaints. Insomnia. Low energy. Low immunity and allergies.
Emotional – Anxiety, worry and overthinking. Perfectionism. Depression. Irritability, anger and mood swings. Panic attacks. Loneliness.
Behavioural – Using drugs. Abusing alcohol, tobacco and excessive eating. Loss of appetite. Withdrawing socially. Bad sleep habits.
Mental – Weak memory and poor concentration.
In the long term it can cause feelings of alienation, chronic fatigue and burnout, high blood pressure, metabolic problems, diabetes and even cancer.
Stress reduction and management are key to improving your physical and mental health as is reassessing your lifestyle and consulting a professional for help.
Having a course of homeopathic treatment can help you with this. I’m here to help. Most people find it hard to recognise that stress is the reason they are feeling or behaving differently.
A homeopathic consultation with me enables you to talk about and unravel what is going on in all areas of your life – physically, mentally and emotionally. We will talk about your lifestyle, diet, moods and triggers. I will prescribe homeopathic remedies to support your resilience, boost your natural energy levels, and improve physical symptoms and immunity, helping to calm your nervous system and reduce your anxiety. I will prescribe Homeobotanicals, tissue salts, supplements and foods to help regulate adrenal hormones and replenish depleted vitamins – a Vitamin B complex and magnesium for example.
If this sounds of interest to you and you would like to find out more about how I work or are thinking about booking a consultation please get in touch for a free 20 minute chat. I look forward to hearing from you.
You can find me at The Practice Rooms, Westbury on Trym in Bristol, BS9 3ED practising face to face and online Monday-Wednesday.
