When we think about stress, we often think only about external stressors such as traffic jams, physical injury, financial worries, arguments at home or work, etc. But we also
experience something deemed as internal stress which FDNs call the HIDDEN stressors.
These include stress or dysfunction related to the (h)ormone, (i)mmune, (d)igestion,
(d)etoxification, (e)nergy production, and (n)ervous systems.
Is all stress bad?
The clear answer is “no.” There is a difference between eustress and distress. Eustress is the good kind of stress that makes things happen, move forward, grow, and develop. Sunlight is a type of eustress on a flower that makes it suck nutrients out of the ground in order to grow and bloom. Eustress is the force of nature that makes a butterfly break out of its chrysalis, expand its new wings, and take off to find a mate.
Distress, on the other hand, whether mental, physical, or chemical, can be extremely destructive. Distress is any influence that causes or leads to malfunction and, therefore, is involved in all disease. When not addressed properly, this type of stress can ruin one’s mental, emotional, and physical health and cause one to age more rapidly and feel lousy.
While millions of us feel that stress is just something we have to live with and can’t be improved upon, FDNs know this is not the case and can help you discover hidden stressors and eliminate or reduce them.
70 to 80% of all doctor visits are for stress-related illnesses
People who experience high levels of anxiety are 4 to 5 times more likely to die of
a fatal heart attack or stroke
Stress contributes to 50% of all illnesses
Tip #2 - De-stress at home!
Take some time every day to let go of all of the things that cause you stress during the day. Turn off the phone, tell the family you will not be available for a period of time and do something that calms your mind and body. Practices such as yoga, tai chi, qui gong, meditation, walking, sitting in nature, etc., are just a sampling of ideas.
“Stress is any influence, internal or external, that causes or leads to malfunction” ~ Reed Davis - FDN Founder
Tip #3 - Chronic Stress Response
Distress of any kind leads to loss of homeostasis, dysfunction, dis-ease, “Metabolic Chaos”
Weakened state of health and left unchecked leads to symptoms downstream Treating symptoms only leads to worsening of the underlying dis-ease state. HIDDEN stress and imbalances if not soon resolved cascade into other areas
The problem
Metabolic Chaos ensues causing serious dysfunction leading to dis-ease and symptoms
Tip #4 - The Metabolic Chaos Cascade!
Pay attention to your body. Listen to it more. Spend time preening a little. Cut your toenails, give yourself a foot and hand massage, stretch, read something spiritual or inspirational, listen to soothing music, turn down the lights and don’t work or think about work. As you pay more attention, you may get insights as to what makes you healthier.
Tip #5 - Try Emotional Freedom Technique!
Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) is a simple system of tapping on a series of acupressure points in order to reduce the intense emotional responses that impact the mind and body. EFT has the potential to significantly reduce physical and psychological ailments as it releases the body from the stress response.
Chronic Stress Response
Just as with the above suggestions for improving your diet, sleep, and exercise, there is no need to change everything in your life all at once. Even if you do one or two of the suggestions above, you will be doing a great deal to improve your overall health!
If you feel you are doing everything and are still not feeling better, an FDN health detective
can help by identifying stressors and dysfunctions that are preventing you from health
and happiness. Once the healing opportunities are identified, we help you address them
so you can start to feel better!
Schedule a Discovery call with us today to see if you are a good fit for our Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Program.