Energies4Life Newsletter - December 2008

Do you often feel physically drained, tired and stressed out? Do you feel as if you have to run madly to get through everything on your daily list? Do you have problems sleeping soundly through the night? Or perhaps you have problems in concentration during your waking hours? At the moment many of us are seriously worried about our job security and being able to keep up with the mortgage payments and bills in these troubled times. For others, it’s simply a question of getting through daily work pressure and commitments in one piece!

Either way, these days it is safe to say that most of us are stressed in our working lives and also equally in trying to get a balance between work, home, family and social lives. The dangers of being constantly under stress can lead to chronic illness and it is now acknowledged that severe stress can attack us on a cellular level and have very serious consequences indeed. Let’s look at what happens when our bodies trigger a stress response.

In the stress situation, where we perceive a problem, danger or external threat to our well-being, the brain’s hypothalmus sends a signal to the pituitary gland, which in turn sends a signal to the adrenal glands, (known as the HPA Axis), informing them of the need to co-ordinate the body’s flight or fight response. Thus, we prepare for short term action to enable us to deal with the current danger or threat. The sympathetic nervous system (a part of our autonomic nervous system) releases adrenalin and cortisol from the adrenal glands. The body goes into rapid response mode with higher blood pressure, higher heart rate, higher oxygenation through faster breathing, changes in liver function by breaking down fat reserves into sugar/glucose and changes in the thyroid gland, which controls metabolism. In short, we are preparing our bodies to run for their lives. This would be absolutely fine if we were Olympic athletes preparing to compete or pre-historic man in a life-threatening incident with a tiger, but unfortunately it becomes highly problematic when applied to our modern day, chronic stress situations, which are by nature long term.

Now let’s have a look at the other part of our autonomic nervous system. This is called the parasympathetic nervous system and its functions include regulating digestion, sleep, cognitive thinking and healing by the immune system. Unfortunately, when we are in stress mode, the parasympathetic nervous system is suspended in order to make way for the sympathetic “flight or fight” response. This means that cognitive thinking is replaced by reflex thinking, and our digestion and immune system function are put on hold for the duration of the stress response.

So what happens if we are constantly stressed out and triggering this stress response many times throughout the day? Well, this is a major problem. Our physiology simply hasn’t adapted to modern day stress and this is the root cause of many of our physical and emotional problems. Think about some of the main symptoms of stress: bad digestion, poor sleep, brain fog, fatigue, tension, irritability, anxiety and, in worst cases, chronic illness and depression. These symptoms can all be explained by adrenal burn-out and the fact that the healthy functions of the parasympathetic nervous system are being shut down in favour of the fight or flight stress response.

So, what can we do about this? Well, fortunately it isn’t necessary to opt-out of modern living in order to reduce our stress. There are many techniques that we can learn, including the Lightning Process training, which has had remarkable results with stress, burn out and immune system disorders such as ME and chronic fatigue syndrome. You can learn more about the Lightning Process at the end of this article.

There are many other simple lifestyle changes you can make that will immediately reduce your stress levels and we list six of these below:

1) You are what you eat! Watch attentively the food choices that you make; how you nourish your body and when. Avoid processed foods wherever possible and cut back on caffeine and alcohol, which keep us wired. Eat regularly, throughout the day. Skipping meals is one of the worst things that you can do for your body. When you’re hungry your blood sugar drops, stressing your adrenal glands and triggering your sympathetic nervous system. That causes light headedness, cravings, anxiety and fatigue. Make time to eat when you need to, and make it as healthy as you possibly can.

2) Make sure that you always get a good night’s sleep. During sleep your adrenal glands are restored and repaired. Unfortunately most of us place little value on sleep and end up getting less than we need. Chronically stressed-out people will find their sleep patterns are constantly disturbed and so the following techniques should help:
 - Avoid before bed snacks, which will raise blood sugar and inhibit sleep
 - Keep the temperature in the bedroom no higher than 20 degrees Celsius
 - Sleep in complete darkness, or as close as possible to complete darkness
 - Take a hot bath, shower or sauna before bed. When the body temperature is raised in the late evening, it will fall at bedtime, facilitating sleep.
 - Establish a relaxing bedtime routine, which could include meditation, deep breathing, EFT (see below), using aromatherapy or essential oils, or indulging in a massage from your partner, to help you release the days tensions.
 - Wear socks to bed. Due to the fact that they have the poorest circulation, the feet often feel cold before the rest of the body. A study has shown that wearing socks reduces night waking.
 - Avoid using loud alarm clocks. It is very stressful on the body to be awoken suddenly.

3) Start exercising, especially if you need to loose weight.  Everyone benefits from exercise and setting aside 30 minutes a day is a good and realistic starting point. You can always do more on the weekends and, once you get started, it will become something pleasurable to integrate into your life, rather than a chore. Take the time to choose carefully the exercise program that suits you best and stick to it.

4) Meditation or deep relaxation techniques. Set some time aside everyday for this. If you find the idea of meditation difficult, try investigating the various brainwave synchronization technology CDs. This is audio technology using harmonically layered frequencies to create binaural beats, inducing specific brainwave states and patterns when listened to through headphones. These brainwave states are conducive to higher consciousness, profoundly deep meditation, enhanced clarity and concentration and improved cognitive functioning. A mere 20 minutes daily can induce a deep relaxation and inner peace. I personally use the Insight CD, which is available to buy on the products page of this website.

5) Remove negative emotions and physical tension with Emotional Freedom Techniques or EFT. This is an amazing self help tool, using the Chinese energy meridians of the body; a sort of psychological acupuncture, without the needles. It is simple to learn the various ends of meridian points (mainly on the face and hands) and we tap on these gently with the fingertips whilst focusing on the issue to be addressed. It provokes a deep sense of relaxation and calm and can also be a wonderful aid in helping insomnia and other sleep disorders. See the EFT page for more details on this wonderfully effective technique.

6) Spend time outside in nature as often as you can. This is a wonderful stress reliever as it puts us firmly in the present moment and connects us to a different and powerful reality; the natural world, of which we are all a part. It seems that we may have forgotten this fact, with our fast paced lifestyles and all our technology, although reconnecting with it again can help give our lives a different perspective and can reduce chronic stress enormously. Even the most hardened city-slicker can make the time to walk through the park or do some gardening, even if it’s just window boxes in his high rise apartment. Try driving to the country on weekends and going for long walks, whatever the weather. Organise a trip to the seaside or a picnic in the local park. Grow some herbs on your balcony or, if you’re lucky enough to have one, get out in the garden and muck in! Just enjoy breathing the fresh air and being a part of it all!