Though “life happens,” stress can be lessened
W hen it comes to stress our bodies and emotions take a hit on a daily basis. However we vary in the ways that hit affects us. In any family there may be someone who gets headaches under stress while another gets stomachaches or backaches. A third may get colds sinus troubles or strep throats. Some people get very anxious panicky and overwhelmed when stressed and for some their irritability goes through the roof.
Each person has one physiological system that’s particularly vulnerable — something inherited at birth — and it’s affected first — but a constant barrage of stress can cause an assault on the entire mind-body system eventually leading to major physical or emotional dysfunction.
My Dad has Parkinson’s disease. When he’s stressed his symptoms worsen dramatically. We can actually see how stress affects him because his shaking becomes much more intense. I don’t have Parkinson’s so no one can see how stress is affecting me — my “shaking” is internal. I know that when too many upsetting things are going on I have trouble sleeping and I start feeling anxious. If I don’t act to reduce my stress I’ll start getting panic attacks. At those times I’ll feel like everything’s falling apart and I can’t cope.
Reducing Vulnerability
An overdose of stress will trigger symptoms — whether that will be a flare-up of an autoimmune disorder an increase of vocal tics or something else. Knowing how to reduce vulnerability and teaching that skill to your children can help you have a more productive happier and healthier life. Utilizing this skill also has a positive impact on family life since each person’s wellbeing affects the entire household.
