Is Stress Management the Most Important Aspect of Health?

Most people are aware that stress is a very important factor in health.  Stress is a main factor in both health and disease.

In the most basic terms in regards to humans, we can be subjected to stress on a physical, chemical, or psychological level.  We can either become adapted to the stress or we will burnout.  If the stress we are experiencing is big enough and long enough, we will feel an “alarm” stage followed by adaptation.  If the stress is too much, we will suffer a large amount of health problems, which can lead to death.  Whoa.  That is heavy stuff.  However, it is so incredibly important to become aware of.

Yes, it is well known that humans need a certain amount of stress in their lives to maintain health, but once some clear thresholds are passed, we can develop many problems, some being: weight gain, sickness, disease, increased inflammation, and a weak immune system.

Have you ever though to yourself, “That person eats so healthy and is so fit, how in the heck did they become sick?”  The answer is simple:  Stress.

What Can Cause Stress:

1. Exercise

a. Too much exercise.  Not letting your body recover.

b. Too little exercise.  Living a very sedentary lifestyle.

2. Eating too much of the wrong foods

a. This can include eating foods that you are allergic too, most commonly, dairy and gluten.

3. Lack of sleep

4. Work Stressors

5. Relationship Stressors

Good news guys, most of the time, stress is of our own making. We actually have a lot of control over the stress in our lives.   Believe it or not, the difference to whether or not stress affects us positively or negatively largely depends on our perceptions.

Need some real life examples?  Here are two from my own personal collection.

1. I like to get errands, tasks, and chores done and finished.  Correction – I get obsessed with errands and tasks left undone to a fault.  For example, the yard work.  I hate yard work and leave mowing, weed killing, weed whipping, etc. to my husband.  However, in previous years I would STRESS about the yard work not being done, and this would lead me to nag and nag at him, leaving us in an argument and definitely not having fun.  In the end I hired our yard work out.  I understand that not everyone can do this.  But for the little bit of extra money it costs us every summer, we are happier, more relaxed AND we have more time to have fun on the weekends.

2. I used to get really upset with myself in the gym.  I would come home very upset when I couldn’t accomplish a skill others were able to do, I would shed tears over my poor mobility when it comes to squats, and I would snap at my husband (the head coach of our CrossFit gym!) when he tried to help me move better.   Since having a child, I have made a very serious effort to love myself more and not be so hard on myself.  I am very conscious of using POSTIVE language with myself and my workout logs.  Instead of saying “Ugh, this was a terrible workout, my push-ups were so slow and I couldn’t do the heavy weights I wanted,” I log “I am so happy I got my workout in this morning!  I was feeling tired, but man it feels good to work on my push-ups so I keep getting stronger and stronger.”

The language you use with yourself directly affects your stress levels.  Ask yourself, “Is this really a problem?” or “If I relax, is that going to make this situation easier or harder?”

Another big issue to tackle in your life when it comes to stress is “Keeping Up With The Joneses” AKA “Finances.” If you sat down to make a list of the stressors you face most often, finances is number one on most people’s lists.  Although you might not like to hear this, most people face financial stress because they live beyond their means.  More house, higher end vehicles, boats, and vacations – if this is causing you to go into debt, your stuff owns you.  You don’t own your stuff.  Trust me, I am aware this is a very sensitive topic, and it is definitely uncomfortable to talk about.  However, if this part of your life is not bang on, it will negatively affect your life, your stress levels, and therefore your health.

The last major issue that will affect your stress levels is loneliness or social isolation.  It is so important to have loving, meaningful relationships with other people.  The fact is, you NEED to make time for friendships and families no matter how busy your work life gets.  Online interactions:  twitter, Instagram, snap chat, Facebook DO NOT provide the same benefits of real life interactions.  If you need help in this area join a class: yoga, CrossFit, group fitness, pottery, painting, martial arts.  Do some volunteer work.

Make time to take notes and really understand on a deeper level what stressors in your life are negatively affecting you. Your health depends on it.