Sneaky Stress

Did you know that 75-90% of doctor visits are for stress-related ailments (WebMD)? And yet, unmanaged stress is wildly rampant in our culture. Our society has normalized and even glorifies multitasking, constant distractions, relying on coffee to power you through your day and pushing ourselves to our limits mentally and physically. Stress has become synonymous with modern life.

The gut is especially vulnerable to chronic stress. When we experience stress, our bodies switch into a sympathetic state (aka the “fight or flight” response) , pushing blood and energy away from the digestive system and to the muscles and brain so we can react faster to threats.

“Your brain and body don’t know the difference between having an actual experience in your life and just thinking about the experience—neurochemically, it’s the same.” -Joe Dispenza

When this happens, spasms and movement in the digestive system are disrupted, gastric fluids are decreased, etc. Indigestion, leaky gut, inflammation and unhealthy gut flora are just a few of a massive number of issues that arise when stress continues on unmanaged. Stress also affects your cardiovascular, respiratory and immune systems and interferes with our ability to show up as our best selves.

When you’re feeling stuck, a major and often unappreciated stressor is goals. They can create excessive pressure and make you feel bad when you don’t reach them. This is particularly true if they’re unrealistic or if you don’t have a solid, workable plan in place. When we fall short of the goals we set for ourselves, we are vulnerable to turning to those very habits we’re looking to break to cope. Working alongside a coach is an effective way to establish the optimal goals and action plan to keep you moving forward. While setbacks are a normal part of any path forward, we’ll extract learnings, refine and reframe to keep you moving in the direction you want to go.