How Does Stress Affect the Body?
“Stress is the killer”, we hear. Stress wreaks havoc on our health. If not addressed, it will affect your body’s ability to regulate inflammation, promoting the development of heart disease, asthma, digestive and skin disorders, among others. Prolonged stress has also been shown to lower our immunity, and makes us vulnerable to frequent infections, allergies, and fatigue, to name a few.
So when you hear “stress is the killer”, the way I see it is that stress may not kill you abruptly, but it will sure kill your joie de vivre and ability to engage in life fully, bit by bit. And since we all want to live happy and productive lives (right!?), we’ve got to get to the bottom of this.
Where Does Stress Come From?
From a holistic medicine standpoint we can only eliminate a problem for good if we know where it originates from. Yet the root cause of stress is seldom talked about. Most of us think of stress as feeling overwhelmed or overworked, and as a result suffering from muscle pain, headaches or insomnia. For that I could suggest you breathe deeply, get regular massages or learn to prioritize, but I won’t. I won’t because in my opinion this would not address the root cause of stress, only its symptoms, merely giving you short-term benefits.
Now, as much as I believe stress is at the source of most chronic ailments, I believe it is within everyone’s reach to live stress-free lives, regardless of circumstances, once we understand where stress truly comes from. So what could this one and only cause of stress possibly be…?
One word: RESISTANCE
Resistance to what happens. Resistance to what is. Resistance to life!
Are You Trying to Control the Uncontrollable?
How much control do you really have over what happens in your life? As far as I’m concerned, the only thing I know for sure is that the sun’s going to rise tomorrow morning. Other than that, thinking we can control events and people in our lives and attempting to do so takes up a ton of energy and is bound to make us feel overwhelmed, discontented and depleted. This is a major illusion human beings hold, something all spiritual traditions tell us is impossible, yet something we foolishly believe we can manage: to control life.
“There is one thing we can control 100% and that’s how we respond to life.”
Think about it…
Can you change what’s happening when it’s already happening? No. Can you alter your perception of, and/or response to what’s happening? Absolutely! The choice is yours, at all times. We can either say yes to life no matter what, an attitude that generates harmony and a sense of flowing with life. Or we can say no, this should not be, can’t be, must no be. When we do, life becomes a struggle and peace is nowhere to be found.
“Stress begins and ends in the mind.”
Ah the mind. Some wise beings have argued that’s where all problems start.
Imagine this situation (you may have been in it before). You’re waiting in a long line at the supermarket. And the one open cashier is very, very slow. This lovely lady is being over the top friendly with each customer, making small chat, and having a good time. Just not working very fast. You observe the customers ahead of you. A gentleman is absorbed in a magazine, hardly noticing whether the line is moving or not. He couldn’t be bothered. Behind him, a couple friends are having an animated exchange, catching up on each other’s life stories. The feeling there is light and joyous. And then there’s a middle-age woman. She is pacing back and forth, sighing, repeatedly glancing at her watch, while searching around for validation in other people’s eyes. You can feel her impatience and frustration. And there’s you. How are you handling this situation? Because this is nothing other than a situation. As the great spiritual teacher, Paramahansa Yogananda once said:
“All circumstances in life are fundamentally neutral.”
It is how we perceive life events that turns them into a problem, or not, as seen in the above story. Resistance causes us to clench and hold our breaths. Acceptance invites an opening of the heart and relaxation. Which one do you choose?
“To live without stress is to live without resistance.”
Respond More, React Less
Acceptance of “what is” is the only solid foundation for stress-free living. How can you get to that place, able to embrace each and every moment as it comes? Well, there’s actually no “getting there”, no process. All it takes is a shift in attitude, and it can happen in a second. Yes, radical acceptance is an attitude. That said, one practice that can help enormously is meditation. Over the years, meditation has helped me apprehend a new reality, one in which I exist apart from my thoughts and feelings, beyond my likes and dislikes, while providing greater access to a part of me that is ever calm and unaffected. The natural result of this has been a much easier time accepting myself as I am, others as they are, life as it is. From that state, it’s easier to practice equanimity, and choose acceptance over resistance.
If you like the idea of nipping stress in the bud (in your own mind!), this is what I suggest you do: meditate daily. Start with five minutes a day. To quote from the Bhagavad Gita:
“Even a little practice of meditation will save one from dire fears and colossal sufferings.”
Take care,
Sylvie