Stop the Stress!

We all know about stress, but what is it really doing to us?

Your mind and body are designed very cleverly by nature to react to stress. Our bodies have done this since the primal beginning - there’s a predator chasing me, so I need to act now! Breathing increases, heart beats faster, blood pressure rises, and hormones are released so that we can react.
What type of stress do we react to in our modern world? Certainly not being chased by sabre tooth tigers! Instead, we shoulder a huge workload, worry about not having enough, many families are disconnected, we work long hours and try to fit in as much as we can for the day. The morning run, keeping up with the world news, kids to school, emails, work, travel, after school activities, shopping, errands, and then when we finally sit down to eat at night – there’s important text messages and a plethora of social networking to catch up on too!
Your body treats these constant so-called minor hassles as stresses. As a result you may feel as if you're constantly under pressure. And no wonder! What you’re reacting to is the ‘flight-fight’ response. Just like the primal stress – breathing increases, heart beats faster, blood pressure rises, stress hormones like cortisol are released. Can you start to imagine what is happening to your body long term, when you experience this every day?
Part of Cortisol’s role is to also stop functions that are not needed in a fight-or-flight situation. It alters immune system responses and inhibits the digestive system, the reproductive system and growth processes. So when the stressors of your life are always present, that fight-flight reaction stays turned on. 

The long-term activation of the stress-response system, and therefore overexposure to cortisol and other stress hormones, can disrupt almost all your body systems. This increases your risk of:

• Heart Disease

• Poor immunity

• Poor memory

• Sleep problems

• Digestive problems

• Anxiety

• Obesity

• Infertility

• Learning difficulty

What can I do each day to calm down?

One very powerful and quick short term remedy is to activate your Emotional Stress Release (ESR) Points.

1. Find the ESR Points in the middle of your forehead, above your eyebrows.

2. Hold each ESR Point with two fingers. (Or ask someone to do it for you). 

3. You may feel a very light pulsing or energy beneath the fingertips.

4. Hold the points until you feel like you are calm, and/or the points are pulsing steadily and even.

This is a highly effective way to calm down in emergencies, manage general stress, manage exams or interviews, and works very well for children who have had a fright. Even your palm laid over their forehead can be quick and effective. I have used ESR’s many times myself, and often teach clients the method.
So start using your ESR’s! Teach your family and friends, and take care of each other.

What about long term stress?

I believe it’s about finding a true life balance with coping with stress. It’s important to question the very reasons why you choose to become stressful in the first place. I have found that Kinesiology as a gentle complementary therapy, can help to find the unique answers to these questions. 
Kinesiology addresses the deeper causes, or reasons why we think and behave a certain way. The approach is for long term change to better health, understanding ourselves, and taking back control over our wellbeing. 

Taryn McKerrow practises Kinesiology at Healing Well on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. She can be reached on (0400) 166 662.