Twice in my life I have been so stressed that I became really ill. Before I became ill I knew I was stressed but I didn’t really pay attention to it and even when I did on very rare occasions, I certainly wasn’t going to do anything about it! And that’s because my choices and behaviour at the time were giving me way too many benefits.
In a society where productivity is so highly valued, I wanted to be, feel and be known as a productive and capable individual. I wanted to be able to do it all. The fact that I could was actually a source of pride at the time…..…..until I became ill.
I became so ill on both occasions that I struggled to function day to day. My life changed considerably. I physically couldn’t do what I was doing anymore. It simply wasn’t an option. I then had to go through the fairly long process of recovering, which involved reducing my stress levels. I did this by changing my thoughts, my diet and taking supplements, whilst I waited patiently (or not so patiently) to recover.
Before I became ill, I was aware (on occasions) that I felt “a bit stressed”, but I just carried on as I was and told myself that “a little stress” was a price that I was willing to pay, for what I got in return. Unfortunately, my body had other ideas and that “little bit of stress” ended up stopping me in my tracks. My mind wanted to carry on but my body didn’t……and my body won.
I now realise that the reason I became ill was because………I didn’t respect stress. I didn’t give it the respect and attention that it deserved. I simply didn’t know how powerful it could be. I didn’t realise that it could affect me, let alone stop me from functioning properly!
Due to my experiences I now respect the power of stress, so I make sure that I pay attention to my stress levels, and make necessary adjustments at the time, so that I don’t become ill again. I have finally learnt my lesson.
If you are really stressed, please consider making a few adjustments now, before you pay a higher price. It is far easier to make small adjustments now than to travel down the recovery road.
At the time I had no idea how stress could affect me or anyone else, but now that I’m a bit more informed, here are just a few of the problems people may experience, if they continue to lead stressful lives:
Physical Health problems
- Constant tiredness
- Pain in the body somewhere (as the tension affects the body’s ability to work properly)
- Heart problems
- Weight gain
- Insomnia
Digestive issues (of which there are many!)
Mental Health/Cognitive Problems
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Feelings of not being good enough
- Irritability
- Panic attacks
- Feelings of guilt
- Lack of concentration
- Memory problems
Social Problems
- Arguments with partner (which can lead to a painful/expensive breakup/divorce)
- Arguments with children (which can lead to their sadness and your guilt/sadness)
- Arguments with friends and colleagues (which can lead to social isolation)
Other problems
- Drinking alcohol
- Smoking
- Overeating
All of these can lead to a variety of health problems
There are many more problems that stress can either cause, contribute to or stop people from healing from (as people struggle to heal if they are in fight or flight mode). I have just listed a few…….
The good news is that I’ve found a technique that can reduce stress considerably.
A study in 2012 (Church) found a significant reduction in the stress hormone cortisol in those who did EFT tapping, in comparison to those who had talking therapy. Those in the EFT groups reduced their cortisol levels by 24%, whereas those in the talking therapy group reduced their cortisol levels by 14%!
I use EFT every day. It helps me to feel more relaxed, often within just a few minutes. It can be used as part of one to one sessions but also as a self-help tool. So once people learn how to do it and know what to say when they are doing it, they can help themselves to feel better every day…..…at any point! Just imagine having your own stress reduction tool at your very fingertips (literally!) How great is that.
It you would like to know how I can help you to reduce stress using EFT tapping, email me at emma@themindmermaid.com for more details
I hope this has helped
Until next time
Emma x