Do you thrive on tight deadlines, always putting things off until the last minute to complete? When you have a few days off of work for a vacation, do you struggle to get out of that work mindset?
Stress is one of the most universal human experiences, obviously to varying degrees. In this episode, we explore stress as an addiction.
Here are two reasons why you should listen to the full episode.
- Learn the science behind why too much stress is not a good thing.
- Develop an understanding of how to return to your natural equilibrium without feeling like alarm bells are going off inside your head.
Resources
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- Do you need a step-by-step guide to build consistency in your life? Get a copy of The Consistency Code here!
Episode Highlights
How Does Prolonged Stress Affect Our Bodies?
- Physical effects of stress on the human body include cancer risk, heart disease risk, overall increase in heart rate, blood pressure increase, and blood sugar increase.
- Stress can also lead to breakdown of the muscular tissue in the body, leading to fatigue and exhaustion.
How Does Prolonged Stress Affect Our Minds?
- When we are in a state of distress, we can experience higher rates of depression, anxiety, panic attack, and overall feelings of loneliness from social isolation.
If Our Bodies React So Negatively to Stress, Why Do We Pack Our Days Full Of It?
- Stress in itself is highly addictive.
- Stress releases hormones in the brain that reward us and give us energy.
- Dopamine is released to reward us and encourage us to continue the stressful behavior.
- Adrenaline pushes us through the stress and makes us feel energized, especially after we accomplish the stressful task.
- Our identity can become tied to stressful activities, such as when we wrongly believe that the only time we are good enough or worthy enough is when we are working on a project or have an overloaded schedule.
How Can We Expose Ourselves to Less Stress?
- Notice when you find yourself spiraling into distress. Do you feel your heart rate pick up when you’re watching the news? Or when you are hanging out with a certain person?
- We can begin here to start setting time limits and boundaries surrounding the stressful activity. You don’t have to cut it out completely… just limit your time!
5 Powerful Quotes
- “We deserve to relax. Thankfully, you already have the tools to relax at your disposal.”
- “Meditation, yoga, journaling, deep breathing, scheduling ahead of time, making lists…all of these are tools to help you relax and remove the addiction to stress.”
- “It may also help to find other ways to release those “feel good” chemicals in our brain, such as exercising or spending time with a pet.”
- “The bottom line is this: our bodies are not made for existing in a constant state of fight or flight.”
- “Stress kept our ancestors from running into a lion’s den. Today, it helps us slam on our breaks when the car in front of us cuts us off. It keeps us quick on our feet and helps us survive, but we deserve to exist in more than just a state of survival.”
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Hosted By: Gregg Clunis | https://www.instagram.com/greggclunis/
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