STRESS!

We all have it, we all hate it, and it is the number one cause of disease...it's stress! The thing about stress is that we can do very simple things to relieve, decrease, and virtually eliminate the stress in our lives, but we choose not to.

Back in the days of the Mr. Caveman, he would be minding his business getting some water at the river, when all of a sudden, here comes the king of the jungle, Mr. Lion. This would stimulate the stress response in Mr. Caveman, as he would need to be prepared to fight Mr. Lion or flee the scene as quickly as possible.

Today, however, Mr. Lion comes in the form of an angry boss, traffic, overwhelm, violence, pesticides, drugs, etc. and Mr. Caveman feel she must use his "fight or flight" response daily. Without getting too technical, this causes an extreme imbalance in the chemical make-up of our physical bodies. That is why the number one cause of disease is either chemical, emotional, or physical stress.

Chemical stressors come in the form of pesticides, herbicides, drugs (prescription and non), perfumes, additives, artificial sweeteners, pollution, and many, many others. We are constantly bombarded with these things on a daily basis.

Emotional stressors include everything from the annoyance of traffic jams to the death of a loved one. This is what we typically associate with the word stress, but many of us do not realize all the minor stressors in our lives as we focus solely on the major ones.

Physical stress and chemical stress can overlap simply because the chemicals can cause physical problems which then exacerbate the problem. Physical stressors would include anything that physically harmed the body such as a car accident, surgery, or emergency-type problem.

Start relieving your stress by making an "annoyance list" of any little thing that bothers you, from the picture that is crooked on the wall, to the unfinished project, to the fact that you aren't happy with your job. One by one, go through that list and fix it. You will feel an enormous amount of relief as you check off the items one by one and the stressor will no longer be there!

Also, make sure you take time to be still. What do I mean by that? Take at least 5 minutes out of your day to turn off the T.V., turn off the phone, close your eyes, and just be still. Concentrate on your breathing and try not to let your thoughts wander to anything else.

These two exercises will do wonders for your health and your happiness.

Here's to a life without stress!

In Love and Stress-free Gratitude~

Erin