De-Stress for the Holidays!

The Holiday season can be stressful for many people. Not only the busyness of shopping and social activities, but also the mental and emotional stresses that very often are exacerbated by the Season. 
Most people coming into this office have experienced the "Stress Busting" effects of Network care. I wanted to take a moment and go a little further into the effects that stress has on us and what we can do about it.

Stress comes in many forms, physical, mental, emotional, and chemical. Very often your conscious mind is not even aware of these stresses. Your Autonomic nervous system, the part of you that keeps everything running in the background, breathing, heart beat, digestion, etc... is acutely aware and responds to these stressors as it was designed to, i.e. Fight or Flight. This part of your nervous system works really well at keeping you alive! Basically you have three options when confronted by a stress (think of a Tiger about to eat you!):
1) Fight him off
2) Run away
3) Get eaten
That's it! Your nervous system should reset itself in 20 minutes or less. Now imagine that you are living in modern times confronting all kinds of stressors with your nervous system responding as it was meant to (i.e. Fight or Flight), but you never get to reset the system. You walk around day in and day out locked in this fight or flight response. Think about how that would affect your health! Every cell, organ, and tissue is wired up for survival, constantly waiting for the next attack! This response is especially true of your brain, where under sympathetic response (fight or flight) blood flow is diminished to your frontal cortex. You can't think or even concentrate! 
Check out this list of top health conditions in the USA today:

• Heart Disease. For both men and women, heart disease kills the largest number of Americans per year. ...
• Cancer. ...
• Stroke. ...
• Respiratory Diseases. ...
• Injuries. ...
• Diabetes. ...
• Alzheimer's Disease. ...
• Influenza and Pneumonia.

What is common to all these conditions?

Stress is responsible for 75 to 90% of all health conditions!!!
Here is a link for more info:
www.healthline.com/health-news/mental-eight-ways-stress-harms-your-health-082713#1
Ok, take a deep breath......
I don't want you to go into stress physiology just reading this article!
So what can we do?
First I want to say that all stress is not bad.
Here is an example:
You gain benefit from exercising due to the positive effects of stress on your body. Stress helps us to grow, change, and adapt.
The key is whether you have enough available energy and resources to experience the stress and rise to meet the challenge.
Think: Energy Poor, Energy Neutral, or Energy Rich. (More on this later)

Can you reset your Nervous system out of "Fight or Flight" and back to "Rest and Digest", (parasympathetic)? Since these responses are happening on an unconscious level, how do we turn the switch off?
The best way I know is Network care. This is basically how it works. (This includes SRI as well)
So if you are not under Network care, find someone and get yourself going! 
Here is a link to locate a practitioner near you:
www.reorganizational.org/referral
​For those of you that are under care here at this office, you can see why it is so important to follow your doctors recommendations for care, even when the pain goes away!

Here are some other suggestions according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America:

• Take a time-out. Practice yoga, listen to music, meditate, get a massage, or learn relaxation techniques. Stepping back from the problem helps clear your head.
• Eat well-balanced meals. Do not skip any meals. Do keep healthful, energy-boosting snacks on hand.
• Limit alcohol and caffeine, which can aggravate anxiety and trigger panic attacks.
• Get enough sleep. When stressed, your body needs additional sleep and rest.
• Exercise daily to help you feel good and maintain your health. 
• Take deep breaths. Inhale and exhale slowly.
• Count to 10 slowly. Repeat, and count to 20 if necessary.
• Do your best. Instead of aiming for perfection, which isn't possible, be proud of however close you get.
• Accept that you cannot control everything. Put your stress in perspective: Is it really as bad as you think?
• Welcome humor. A good laugh goes a long way.
• Maintain a positive attitude. Make an effort to replace negative thoughts with positive ones.
• Get involved. Volunteer or find another way to be active in your community, which creates a support network and gives you a break from everyday stress.
• Learn what triggers your anxiety. Is it work, family, school, or something else you can identify? Write in a journal when you’re feeling stressed or anxious, and look for a pattern.
• Talk to someone. Tell friends and family you’re feeling overwhelmed, and let them know how they can help you. Talk to a physician or therapist for professional help.

Here is a link for more info:
www.adaa.org/tips-manage-anxiety-and-stress

​So to some it all up;
​The effects of Stress are more global and far reaching in nature than most of us realize. Stress is the root cause of 75 to 90% of all health problems and will likely exacerbate any current health conditions.
Our modern lives are basically Sressful!
One persons stress is another persons excitement. The difference is the energy state in which you experience it! (Energy poor, energy neutral, energy rich) In other words, do you have enough energy and resources to thrive and come alive during stress? Or do you minimize, contract, downsize, and try to gain more control over those things that you cannot control?
The difference is how much Energy you have.
This is what makes Network care unique. We are not trying to minimize, fix, or control your symptoms. We are turning those symptoms into unbound energy for you to use in your growth and transformation.
Can you say Energy Rich? The choice is up to you.
We are here to help.

Yours in Health,
​Dr. Rick Munn