Stress is in our lives.
Whether we want it or not, it's part of us.
And as we used to say in France: "La nature est bien faite," which translates as "nature does things well," and there is no possible way our bodies were equipped with some toxic and unhealthy functions.
Stress is designed to prepare our body and mind to respond adequately to any challenges we face, whether real or perceived threats.
The best way to describe stress is to compare it to energy.
The way you perceive stress will dictate your body's response to it. So if you believe stress is having a significant impact on your health, it likely is.
A 1998 study involving 30 000 adults in the USA over a period of 8 years shows that 43 % of people who reported having a significant amount of stress the previous year AND believing stress was bad for them had a higher risk of premature death.
Conversely, people who reported experiencing a great amount of stress but did not view stress as harmful to their health had a lower risk of dying than anyone in the study.
Many types of research after this one have been supporting this conclusion.
There are many explanations for these results, but the most important one is the mindset we decide to adopt.
Another study made at the University of Yale by Dr. Alia Crum and Shawn Anchor clearly showed how our thoughts could control our body's response to stress.
Under stress, our body releases many hormones, including Adrenaline, which will increase our heart rate, and elevate our blood pressure; also increase cortisol, which will transform our fat into sugar and suppress some of our functions such as digestion and reproduction to increase our energy, but also DHEA, responsible for balancing our internal hormones and maximizing our feeling of wellbeing.
For example, a higher cortisol level can be associated with depression and anxiety. However, when the DHEA level exceeds the cortisol level (Higher growth index), the risk of anxiety, depression, and heart disease will decrease.
The study led by Dr. Alia Crum clearly showed that how stress was perceived was impacting the Higher growth index.
Two groups of students had been watching two different 3 min videos before going through the same mock interview.
The group watching the first video, "Stress is enhancing," showing all the benefits stress can bring to you, had higher results, was more in control during the interview, and recovered faster from stress.
All the studies and research made these last 30 years keep proving how beneficial stress can be for all of us. It can enhance our performance and productivity, focus our attention, improve our memory, and increase our brain processing speed.
In the 20s, Hans Selye started spreading his theory worldwide, showing that stress was toxic for us; until he realized it was not the stress but the reaction to it that was killing us. But it was too late; the idea was now well-anchored in people's heads. And THAT is creating all the negative consequences we live with every day.
Change your thoughts and start perceiving stress as healthy and beneficial for you, and you will change the impact it has on your health.
At Clear Energy Flow, all our services are designed to increase a positive mindset and promote higher vibrations while removing the excess cortisol and negative energy created by too much stress.
Contact us now for more information regarding stress and anxiety at hello@clearenergyflow.com
We will be happy to assist you!