The Positive and Negative Effects of Stress
It’s true. Stress has the power to impact everyone and everything.
Sleep, weight gain, immunity, inflammation, sex hormones, adrenals, thyroid, fat burning, gut health, mood—the list goes on and on. However, gaining a deeper understanding of stress allows you the opportunity to better manage it and maintain optimal wellness.
Two things trigger stress: real situations (a saber-toothed tiger chasing you) and imagined situations (the fear of not waking up to your alarm). Since the nervous system is unable to distinguish between the two, your body reacts to both triggers the same way as a means of protecting you.
Sounds a little scary, right? It can be, but it’s important to remember not all stress is negative. In fact, stress can often be tied to very positive life events, like getting married, buying a house, or having children. Stress can also help you rise to overwhelming challenges through its ability to keep you focused, energetic, and alert. This is particularly crucial in emergency situations, where the benefits of stress can actually save lives.
At some point, however, stress ceases to be helpful and instead begins to deteriorate your quality of life. This often leads to chronic stress, a condition that can disrupt nearly every system in your body, including suppressing your immune system, upsetting your digestive and reproductive systems, and increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke. Chronic stress can even rewire your brain, leaving you more vulnerable to anxiety and depression. When it comes down to it, the more your emergency stress system is activated, the easier it becomes to stimulate and the harder it becomes to turn off.
BELLAGE CAN HELP
While no one can avoid stress completely, it is possible to dramatically reduce its negative effects. Our Wellness & Weight Loss Reset offers various levels of stress support to help your body fully rebalance. We’ll take you beyond the typical “light a candle and breathe” technique, and instead teach you scientifically-proven protocols to protect yourself and learn how to recognize the signs, symptoms, and steps you need to take in order to put a stop to overwhelming stress.
Author: Team Bellage
