Has anyone ever told you to shake it off?
Maybe you were physically or emotionally hurt or angry or embarrassed.
These are all emotions that can trigger stress hormones to flow through our bodies.
Those stress hormones have an important purpose.
They were meant to trigger a flight or fight response.
Flight means run!
Fight means fight!
Both are very physical, life-saving reactions.
Your brain is telling your body to move.
Exactly what we needed to survive.
However, in our modern-day, we don’t have many reasons to physically run or fight, but your brain doesn’t know that.
So, when it perceives real or imagined threats, it still sends those stress hormoes into your body.
The problem is, if you don’t run or fight, your body can’t process the stress hormones in a healthy way, and over time it can lead to a variety of health issues such as:
Anxiety
Depression
Digestive problems
Headaches
Muscle tension and pain
Heart disease, heart attack, high blood pressure, and stroke
Sleep problems
Weight gain
Thinking and memory problems
Skin conditions, such as eczema
Chronic stress also affects how we choose to live and experience our daily lives.
It affects the quality of our relationships and often leads to a lack of time and money which creates more stress and a cycle that’s hard to break.
There are many ways to deal with chronic stress.
Connecting and talking with a safe person.
Meditation
Healthy food, exercise, and sleep
Journaling
Gratitude practice
Mindset work
But “shaking it off” is also a great way to complete the stress cycle.
You perceive danger. Your body releases stress hormones.
Your heart rate goes up, blood pressure rises, muscles tighten, blood flow moves into your limbs, ready for physical action.
You can give your body and brain what it needs in that moment.
Take some deep breaths.
Jump up and down.
Shake your arms.
Stomp your feet.
Punch or scream into a pillow.
Go for a brisk walk or run.
Allow the emotion and the chemicals to physically move through and out of your body.
And once the calm returns, look at your thoughts. Thoughts create stress.
Was that thought true? Is thinking that thought helpful?
Are those thoughts helping you live a life of peace, purpose, and prosperity?
Be curious, question everything. All your thoughts are optional.
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