Getting a Handle on Stress
Stress is something that follows you everywhere. Whether it be work, school, marriage, kids, deadlines, money… the list goes on. Is it an unrealistic goal to say “just eliminate it?” Probably yes. So, for gut sake, getting a handle on your stress is understanding why it is so important for overall health. Controlling its effects, and minimizing it, results in positive outcomes.
Idea? Set your goals based on how YOU handle stress.
Let’s talk stress
Fall season. A time associated with transitions, celebrations, and changes. From kids heading back to school or heading off to university for the first time, to Thanksgiving get togethers, or just simply trying to get into a groove with the holidays fast approaching. Whatever it is that’s giving you restless sleeps, a stiff neck, a short temper. . . Who me? No, never!
Stress is present, no matter how little you think it affects you. Our bodies sometimes react to things we aren’t even aware of.
Short-term vs. long-term stress
Short-term stress can have potential benefits: it boosts your immune system, makes you more social, improves learning and may improve memory.
But – more importantly, chronic stress isn’t ever a good thing.
Below are 3 good reasons – for gut sake – to get in the driver’s seat and get a handle on your stress!
1) Disruption in Gut Flora
Unfortunately, stress can hinder our gut flora quite easily. In fact, a stress disruption can upset your normal, balanced internal environment and can rid the body of friendly bacteria. A disruption in gut flora is unfavorable due to the increased possibility of overgrowth in bad bacteria, setting the stage for inflammation and imbalance, ultimately leading to disease. Ensuring you are eating a healthy, diversified, whole food diet is essential to maintaining good flora. Diversified means eating at least 30 different kinds of vegetables and herbs, nuts and legumes, and fruits, weekly. Sounds impossible? Not at all. It’s surprising how quickly it adds up.
2) Leaky Gut
Stress can increase the permeability of the intestine. Permeability allows foreign substances to enter and essential substances to exit the intestine. Leaky gut often results in the body attacking what would otherwise be harmless substances such as food particles. This initiates inflammation and an allergy-like response, eventually causing the body to attack itself.
3) Disease
Think about it, have you ever had an extremely stressful day at work? So stressful that by the time you get home you don’t have energy? You can’t make dinner and you fall asleep on the couch before 7:00?
The body is magnificent! The hardest working, most compensating and complex machine on this planet. But, like anything else, it can only work hard for so long before it starts to deteriorate.
Stress is a major contributor to deterioration. It is responsible for a significantly large percentage of illness and disease today – we need to be able to recognize, identify, and cope properly to avoid deterioration.
For your gut sake…
We live in a fast-paced, high-stress world. So, for gut sake, recognize your source(s) of stress, control and/or eliminate some and better cope with that which you cannot discard. This is crucial not only for optimal gut health but more importantly, a healthy, happy and long life in general.
