Stress & Well-Being

 

Which of the above images is you and can you change it? What’s the relationship between stress & health?

Stress is a part of everyday life for most of us but I’m also going to argue that stress is necessary to health! “What???” I can hear you asking. I would argue that stress in your life means there are things that are important to you that are out of alignment with your views. Understanding this & taking steps to put changes in place is a key part of growth and happiness. Both of which are crucial to health. It’s only when the stressors in life are things that we have little or no control over that stress becomes an issue that can have negative effects.

Here’s another thing: certain stresses can be good & revitalizing for us as well. Planning a wedding, for example, can be a very stressful process but we all know it’s necessary for a positive outcome. Running a marathon is an incredible stress on your body, we also know there are positive aspects to it. What about mountain climbing or other risky activities? So it’s useful to remember there are, broadly speaking, 2 types of stress: distress and eustress. The dictionary defines eustress as “stress that is deemed healthful or giving one the feeling of fulfillment.” It is from the Greek eu ‘well, good’ + stress, modeled on distress. It’s such an uncommon word, my website’s dictionary keeps trying to tell me it’s spelled wrong! Distress, on the other hand, we ALL know. It’s out of alignment and something we need to find steps to rectify or it will effect our health & well-being. Long term distress increases cortisol levels which can raise blood pressure & blood sugar levels, lead to the increased production of fat and more! Yes! Stress can make you gain weight!

So part of my job as a wellness coach is helping you examine that and what you can do about it. Is there a boundary issue in a relationship? A key thing for many women who have been brought up to take care of everyone (else). Is money a source of stress in a relationship? Is that stress really a hidden power struggle with a mate? Is your body stressed because you’re not taking proper care of it some way? Are you over-stressed because you don’t take time to attend your mental-emotional well-being? Examining where the build up of stress is emanating from and choosing a response that’s more in alignment with you values will diminish the stress and bring a peace that will have a positive effect on your well-being.

For more insights call me to book a 30 minutes intro session & see if you could benefit from coaching.