As #mentalhealthawarenessweek continues, let’s talk about the most common mental health issue, #stress.
I’m guessing we’ve all felt it at some point. Maybe just before that important meeting or when we look at the To Do list and wish for more hours in the day.
Short burst of stress are fine. Our bodies’ react by releasing hormones like adrenaline to help us cope. These hormones are efficiently used as we react and we soon return to normal.
But, they are created in the same way and in the same quantity regardless of whether the event is real and happening now, are an imagined worse case scenario of the future or a memory of the past. When there is no action the hormones have no use and nowhere to go, and that has a dramatic and detrimental affect on health.
If stress continues over a prolonged period it affects everything from our mood to our immunity. Our #mentalhealth plummets and our physical health soon follows, to potentially dangerous degrees.
So, what can we do?
There are many techniques that can help, but today is World Meditation Day. If you’re anything like I was you may dismiss #meditation as a load of old baloney. It was only when I swallowed my pride and tried it that I discovered how simple yet and powerful it is.
Why not give it a go? Today is a good day to start.