| What Does Stress have to do with Personal Health and Wellness
Most people understand that there is some vague connection between how we respond to challenging events in our environment and the effect that response has on our body. But I don’t think we really appreciate the direct correlation that exists in all of us. Yeah, we know that a busy traveling schedule or a week of late nights at the office to finish a project is occasionally followed by a cold or that "run down feeling". But what about the effects of ongoing stress that we all experience on a daily basis?
Our body’s immediate response to an environmental challenge is the "fight or flight" response. We quickly assess the situation and determine if it’s worth fighting the fight.
This worked well in prehistoric times but in our current fast paced world personal and professional success is often based on the ability to manage small and large confrontations effectively.
As we encounter challenge our body experiences a surge of adrenaline that results in changes that prepare us for battle. Our pupils constrict to provide better vision. Our heart speeds and contracts more forcefully so that we may run faster. Blood is shunted from our gut to more vital organs like the heart, brain and fighting muscles. Even our bladder will lose tone to accommodate a larger volume. After all, no one needs a small bladder in battle.
Physiologically, the adrenaline surge causes an increase in blood sugar which provokes an output of insulin. Over a very short period of time this response is helpful. The problem is that this prehistoric protective mechanism may go awry when our body’s are repeatedly assaulted with environmental insults. You’re just about to go to work when your son says that he’ll need $5,000 today to meet the deadline for camp. Your daughter’s teacher calls to say that she is performing poorly in math after scoring well the first semester. You’re racing to work thinking about these issues when you become ensnarled in a 5 mile rubber neck traffic delay on Interstate 95. You arrive at work just in time for your secretary to tell you that your regional manager phone earlier and wants to set up a meaning with you. "And oh yeah…He didn’t sound to happy"
The problem is the more you step out into the world and attempt to achieve, the more obstacles you will encounter and the more potential stress. Left unchecked prolonged stress causes increased cortisol levels, increased blood sugars, a decrease in growth hormone, peptic ulcers, increased fat deposition and chronic inflammation to name just a few of the biochemically verifiable changes.
Bottom line: Unchecked stress is a bad thing and to ignore the impact that it can have on personal health is remiss. We incorporate mindfulness as an important component of our proprietary Optimal Health System™ at The Institute. The Optimal Health System™ is an innovative integrated approach to individual health that can be used individually or as part of a larger corporate wellness program.
We also offer individual and group classes taught by Kathleen Ohara, a renowned expert in mindfulness and stress management. Contact us to see how you or your group might benefit from our leading edge programs |
