No Stress Bruh.
By: Jesi Mandagaran
Stress wasn’t really on deck for Blog Topics this week but it was quickly plucked from the bench after some light doses of my own circumstances. Nothing major, just enough to make my scalp tender-red from anxious nail scratching. It is no secret, life can get a little chaotic, from serious life-alternating situations to small daily irritating ones. Either way, dealing with stress is inevitable. Much like a Dementor from Harry Potter’s world, stress can suck the life right out of you and leave you bewitched under dark spells of evil illnesses, mentally and physically.
When I was a child, crying my eyes out, losing my mind over whatever Disney movie of the week, my grandma would often say, “Mi Jita, stop crying like that, you’re going to make yourself sick.” I never understood it, until adulthood took the stage. Working double shifts, with 4 different papers due, and two Finals to study for, an actor’s showcase opening up on Friday night AND your love life crashes into Feces… Three days later, I had the worst Flu of my life, losing sense of time and my health. Could stress really lead to sickness? Yep. My stress was at an all-time high, with no sleep and a cereal-only diet—total Top Shelf
Stress-a-Rita!
Stress. Stress. Stress. What qualifies as stress? Stress:
A state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances. (Thank you Google Dictionary.) Stress is like that Slytherin thug, with a bad attitude and a bad repetition doing bad things. The stress hormone, cortisol is not the grooviest hormone you want roaming in your body. High levels of cortisol weaken the immune system. It also promotes weight gain and sends VIP invitations for heart disease.
Without getting too weird on you, I want add that what you think and how you feel plays a big role on how your body behaves, ranging from affecting the cells within your body to your body language. Think of it as a mirror. The more stress and mental warfare you have, the more you are unintentionally bringing about more stress. Science can back that up, psychoneuroimmunology is saying that mental and emotional thinking affects chemical in the brain and the germ fighting hormones. (See a short YouTube video below) Thus, a well mind is a well body, or a sick mind could bring about a sick body.
Now, stress can come in various forms, not just the angst of running around Target with your head cut off searching for your lost keys. It’s any circumstance that causes your muscles to tighten, headaches, feeling sick—like you could puke any second, blood pressure rising, pulse racing, easily irritated, drained of energy and the list goes on… Needless to say it is important for your Health to identify the stressors in your life and either eliminate or manage them. I must admit cutting out stressors is my favorite metaphoric middle finger. In the decision making of taking charge of your mental/emotional health is freeing all on it’s own. Here’s a common list of possible stressors:
- Co-Workers/Friends/Family/Relationships
- Physical Health Matters
- Work/Home Environment
- Cleanliness/Organization skills
- Finances
- Time
- Social Events/Social Networking
Oh, so you say you can’t just stuff your crabby boss in a trunk and can’t rob a bank? That’s weird. Well, here are some gems for stress management. #1 and #2 have the most bang for your buck. They cast the Good-Guy hormones in your body to help the cell-wizard-war against the Bad-Guy hormones. 2 points for Gryffindor!
- Exercise
- Eat Alkaline foods &/or All Natural Organic Meats
- Drink LOTS of Natural Spring water
- Cut down Caffeine
- Eliminate the “FOMO” apps at night (FaceBook/Instagram)
- Quality Sleep (7-8 hours)
- Don’t Take Work Home With You (Easier said than done, I know)
- Say No, more (Don’t go or do things if you don’t want to! -Silly)
- Mindfulness (Meditation practice or Prayer, whatever you fancy)
- Find a fun hobby away from usual routines
- Create a Positive Happy induced Morning routine (Example, journal 3 things you’re grateful for; big or small)
- Be discipline on timeliness, wake up earlier, leave the house earlier
- Put your phone down and hangout with your family
- Find time and ways to laugh more. Laughing is a form of medicine. (Thank you Pinterest quotes)
- Let go of dumb sh*t people do that you don’t have control of. Your stressing is poisonous to you, not to them.
- Regular sex (Firework show of Positive Hormones being released)
In conclusion, its safe to say our mental health has a lot of say in our body’s physical health. Oooh! Terrific news friends! Because that would mean we hold the power in controlling our mind. It can work for you, or against you—you decide. Along with the elements of SLEEP, EXERCISE and NUTRITION, Stress Management is the Ace in the Hole you want sitting on your bench. Future Blogs will tie into Mental Health, as it is a MVP element in Carl Jung’s keys to Happiness, therefore it is part of the Journey to Total Health. Sounds scrumptious.
So… No Stress Bruh,
Coach Jesi M.
REFERENCES:
YouTube Clip (2min): What is Psychoneuroimmunology
YouTube Clip (2min): Exercise, Stress and the Brain
Why Cortisol is Public Enemy No 1 By: Christopher Bergland- World Class Endurance Athlete
Why Sex is Good For You: The Secret to a Longer Healthier Life By: Natasha Turner [N.D.]
