It is Never the Stress

 

Everyone is faced with stress. It becomes a reality of life and the results of stress in our lives ultimately effects our psychological, emotional and physical self.

 

Many people struggle to cope with Holiday stress, or everyday stress by focusing entirely on the idea of stress. It is never the stress that is causing the negative effects on ourselves, but our chronically failed adaptation to stressors.

When we fail to adapt to our stressors it can leave us feeling irritable, anxious, angry, overwhelmed, fatigued and depressed. When we leave ourselves in this chronic state of stress it can affect our entire body. Our respiratory system increases and our endocrine system keeps producing cortisol. Our musculoskeletal system tenses up, leaving us with migraines or body pains that left untreated can cause chronic muscle pains. The nervous system, that is built around our spine, stays in a constant fight or flight mode which further exhausts our body and mind.

Stress resistance is a major component of our overall recuperation. Strength, health and wellbeing in the face of stressors demands resources of adaptation. [1]

 

Where does Chiropractic care play in aiding stress?

As much as Doctor Seals would love to simply cure your stress with one adjustment, it is never that easy. Chiropractic adjustments that relieve joint dysfunctions or restrictions that possibly are inhibiting proper brain-to-body communications can help calm the body’s fight or flight response. Once these are calmed it becomes easier to adapt to our stress on our own.

 

Many people also believe that eating can calm your stress response, but it actually can add more strain to your already tired body. Chiropractors, like Doctor Seals can assist with nutrition counseling which may include supplements your body may need.

 

So, it’s never the stress. We fare so poorly against stress because we see stress as the issue when it’s really only a reflection of the issue: our adaptation to the stressor. Successful resistance to stress comes from controlling the stress responses and supporting within ourselves recuperative strength.

 

 

[1]Stress, Shock, and Adaptation in the Twentieth Century. National Library of Med. (n.d.). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK349158/#:~:text=Defining%20the%20general%20adaptation%20syndrome,general%20adaptation%20syndrome%2C%20and%20theoretical