I help a lot of people suffering with stress, anxiety and depression. I thought it important to share with you the lessons I’ve learnt and how happiness can and has been achieved. Firstly we must understand there is a science behind stress, also that humans are all the same, we all experience levels of stress and we are all capable of recovering from mental unease. While some stress is detrimental for your health, there is such thing as good stress. Understanding the difference between the two is what will turn your life from misery to happiness.
Acute stress is the energy rush, the excitement, the butterflies. Chronic stress is the lethargy, sadness, depleted, exhausted feeling. The hormones that control stress are secreted from the endocrine system and create the ‘fight or flight response’. The two basic hormones are Noradrenalin (good – energizing, anti-inflammatory, boosts immune system) and Cortisol (bad– stress, anxiety, increases fat storage, suppresses immune system). During prolonged times of stress due to loss, grief, fear, boredom, anger and poor management of these feelings lead to stress, anxiety and depression. All which make you feel empty, sad, lost, unwell and unhappy.
On a physiological (inside your body) level it is the depletion of your adrenal glands which secrete these hormones which is the actual cause of stress symptoms mentioned above. Depletion can also be caused by caffeine, poor nutrition (over eating/bingeing/starving/poor nutrients), sleep deprivation, medication and physical or mental trauma. So the question is how do we increase good stress and what are the skills and tools to prevent, recover and cope with stress, anxiety and depression!?
Heal through exercise that strengthens, increases fitness and releases good stress and happy endorphins.
Learn to laugh, take time to laugh and be at peace.
Practice good nutrition, increase omega 3 intake, avoid stimulants like caffeine in coffee, chocolate, soft drinks, energy drinks, drugs, cigarettes and depressants like alcohol.
Participate in counseling relative to your level of stress and cause.
Learn about changing your limiting beliefs and have a positive attitude and mindset every day.
Appreciate what you do have. Look from a different perspective on your situation and try to find the positive lessons that can be learnt from our traumatic experiences. A loss of a friend means we had a friend to lose, cherish the memories that we get to create with them, celebrate the life we got to share with them and know that we can now have a deeper appreciation of the circle of life and death.
Stress, anxiety and depression is not all in your head, it is the result of your full body being at dis-ease! It is your over worked adrenal glands, your depleted immune system and your unhappy state of mind from a combination of external stressors (eg. Trauma, caffeine, lifestyle, poor nutrition, attitude).
If you believe yourself or someone you know is suffering from stress, anxiety or depression please feel free to contact me for more help.
