Stress and anxiety has almost become an accepted part of todays’ – modern day life, and society. But it doesn’t and shouldn’t have to be.
This is not the way we were meant to live!
In a government survey, by the HSE, for the year 2020/21 (published Dec 2021) work-related stress, depression or anxiety accounted for 50% of all self-reported work-related ill health absence in Great Britain. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, about 31% of adults in the U.S will have an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives. In a recent survey by the Mental Health Foundation, UK it was found that 74% of people surveyed have experienced stress to the extent that they have felt overwhelmed or unable to cope.
Typically, more women are affected (or are reported to be) by anxiety disorders than men.
The statistics speak for themselves, we know that this is an ever increasing and common problem in today’s society. The fast-paced world we live in now is very different to the way we used to live. Everything is instant, we are under constant pressure to keep up, respond to messages, juggle several tasks all at once, have never ending to do lists, incessant phone messages, calls, emails and so on. We are constantly “plugged in” to our phones, devices, social media and bombarded with a perpetual external “noise”. Our systems are like finely tuned instruments and not designed to live like this. With all the noise, constant distraction, electromagnetic fields of our devices, light and noise pollution, lack of sleep and so on, it is very easy for us to become out of sync with the natural rhythms of nature. In turn our sensitive internal systems, become disrupted and imbalanced – on all levels, physical, mental, emotional, spiritual.
Our Nervous System – and the Fight or Flight Response
The parasympathetic nervous system is part of the body’s autonomic nervous system. It works together with the sympathetic nervous system, which control’s the body’s fight or flight response.
The parasympathetic nervous system controls the body’s ability to relax, as well as recover from a stressor. It is often referred to as the “rest and digest” state. It helps maintain functions such as the resting heart rate; metabolism; and resting bronchial constriction, which affects the rate of breathing. It essentially keeps one in a relaxed and regulated state.
When we have experienced an external stressor, as soon as the threat of danger / stressor is removed, our parasympathetic nervous system is designed to downregulate our system via the vagus nerve to bring us back to a normal, relaxed, balanced state.
In days of old this is likely to have been a relatively quick process and once the threat/ danger or stressor subsided our system will regulate and return to normal again.
However, in todays’ world, when we find ourselves in a constant state of stress, our heart rate, blood pressure can remain elevated rather than calming down and keeping everything in our bodies on “high alert” for abnormally long, if not ongoing periods of time. This plays havoc with the sympathetic nervous system, and can also mean that cortisol (stress hormone) levels stay high, which can have a knock on effect, leading to many other health implications.
Chronically high levels of cortisol can increase the risk of a variety of health issues, as well as cause sleep disturbances, digestive issues, depression, and weight gain. Excess cortisol can also lead to weight gain, particularly around the abdomen.
The long-term activation of the fight-or-flight response and high cortisol levels can lead to many health issues, including:
- Difficulty concentrating/brain fog
- Getting sick more often/immune weakness/auto immune disorders
- High blood pressure
- Insomnia or trouble sleeping
- Digestive trouble like diarrhoea, Irritable Bowl Syndrome (IBS) and /or malabsorption issues
- Irritability
- Changes in mood
- Weight gain or loss (often due to hormonal changes)
- Sugar and carbohydrate cravings
- Teeth grinding
- Fatigue
- Mental health issues
- Obsessive or compulsive behaviours
