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Effects of Chronic Stress
The body doesn’t distinguish between physical and psychological threats. When you’re stressed over a busy schedule, an argument with a friend, a traffic jam, or a mountain of bills, your body reacts just as strongly as if you were facing a life-or-death situation. If you have a lot of responsibilities and worries, your emergency stress response may be “on” most of the time. The more your body’s stress system is activated, the easier it is to trip and the harder it is to shut off.
Long-term exposure to stress can lead to serious health problems. Chronic stress disrupts nearly every system in your body. It can raise blood pressure, suppress the immune system, increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, contribute to infertility, and speed up the aging process. Long-term stress can even rewire the brain, leaving you more vulnerable to anxiety and depression.
Stress Symptoms
Difficulty falling asleep
Restless sleep
Difficulty Waking up
Excessive sleeping
Heavy use of caffeine
Nervous eating
Loss of appetite
PMS
Fatigue
Low energy
Disorganization
Decreased productivity
Procrastination
Weight loss/gain
Accident proneness
Increased conflict with others
Muscle Spams
Neck aches
Backaches
Tight Shoulders
Leg Cramps
Headaches
Tight Jaw
Teeth Grinding (Bruxism)
Muscular tension
Nervous Tics
Tremors
Hostility
Irritability
Anger
Sadness and/or crying spells
Discouragement
Temper outbursts
Fear
Frustration
Distraction
Poor concentration
Racing mind
Obsessive thinking
Forgetfulness, preoccupation
Racing thoughts
Confusion
Worry
Indecision
Weak memory
When you perceive a threat, your nervous system responds by releasing a flood of stress hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones rouse the body for emergency action.
Your heart pounds faster, muscles tighten, blood pressure rises, breath quickens, and your senses become sharper. These physical changes increase your strength and stamina, speed your reaction time, and enhance your focus – preparing you to either fight or flee from the danger at hand.
Reset your brain’s activation level
With constant stress, your brain doesn’t have a chance to reset back to an unstressed level. It constantly stays in that “fight or flight” state which results in an over-activated brain. You know that expression “you’re on my last nerve!” That’s a highly over-activated brain that can’t take much more. By lowering your brain’s activation level, you lower your stress set-point and increase your tolerance and resilience to stress. Most people find that this feels really good!
Teach your brain how to shift into a relaxed state
Teach you how to read and increase control of your body’s physiological stress response through biofeedback
Tue-Fri 9am - 6pm
Sat 9pm - 3pm
• Arlington VA
• Burke VA
• Global virtual training