Stress

 I've been studying stress a lot lately. I've studied it in the past, but my most recent course has brought me some new information and new ideas about where stress comes from and how we deal with it. Now I know what you're thinking, "Doreen, I already know what stresses me. It's my job, or it's my kids, my elderly parents, my S/O, and don't even get me started on traffic jams!" The truth of the matter that these external factors are not the root cause of stress. 

But let me back up a bit. First of all, Why do we have "stress"? Well, we have an automatic response to danger. You've probably already have heard about the "fight or flight" response. Way back when a wooly mammoth was chasing us, our sympathetic nervous system responded by producing a hormone (really a group of hormones, but to keep it simple, we'll just say the primary one, cortisol). Our bodies would then temporarily shut down other non-essential organs or systems, like digestion, for example. This fight or flight response would give us the energy we needed to get the heck out of there and fast! But this response system was meant to be for short spurts of quick action and for a short period of time. A lot of the stressors that we experience today are psychological. But our bodies respond to it in the same way as if it were in imminent danger. Only this time, our bodies are in this mode for days, weeks, even months, and that is when it deteriorates. Our bodies become sick. The system was not intended to last more than short spurts of time. Reducing stress is not just essential for our recovery from alcohol and drugs; it is vital in reducing risks of diseases like cancer, heart disease, and type two diabetes- just to name a few.

Learn more about stress and how you can reduce stress and live an amazing life at https://app.mastermind.com/masterminds/3562 

For a limited time, the course is free. So check it out today!