Physical Symptoms and Severe Stress

People suffering with physical symptoms of severe stress can describe the steps along their paths that got them where they are at. They each have a story of what they believed their main cause of stress was. And, in their own way, they each spoke about the little ways they "knew" how stress had gotten the best of them. That initial sense of "knowing" started presenting itself in them physically. How ironic it is that stress, in and of itself, is such a normal part of each of our lives. And, it actually can be a good part of our lives when it is working properly. The stress response is part of the autonomic nervous system of the brain...things that our body does without thinking about it...like breathing. Within the autonomic nervous system, there are two options that will have an impact on whether the physical symptoms of stress become severe, or not. There is the: • "fight or flight" stress response - the sympathetic nervous system • and the relaxation response - the parasympathetic nervous system Think of these two systems as one of the most important innate relationships the body has. And, just like in any healthy relationship there is a need for balance to exist between them. Because of the way the brain responds to stress, there is a natural ebb and flow that exists between the stress response and the relaxation response throughout the day. Under normal conditions, that flow from being stressed to being relaxed...coming back into balance... is what is supposed to happen. It is within this natural movement that the body regains the balance that it needs to function optimally. It is almost magical how the body just "knows" how to do create that balance for us. What is so challenging is that the body can only be stressed or relaxed. It cannot function out of both systems at the same time. It is kind of like if you think of your computer and how you can only search for one thing at a time. Over the years, many of my clients would say, "I feel like I have lost control over my life...I want my life back." After awhile, most of them found themselves dealing with a combination of the following symptoms of chronic stress: chronic headaches, neck and back pains, muscle tension, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, skin problems, arthritis, depression, anxiety, elevated heart rate, sleep deprivation, substance abuse, fatigue, can't get pregnant, losing or gaining weight, dizziness, nausea. It is often when physical symptoms of severe stress become severe becomes the call for taking action. The physical stress symptom becomes too hard to live with. The line between, "Is this stress, or am I having a heart attack" becomes very thin. That us a very scary place to be. I believe in the healing that balance can bring... Even if you have been out of balance for a long time and your physical symptoms of stress are severe, you CAN learn to regain your innate balance. You CAN learn how to have a positive impact on your stress and health while, in the midst of your demanding lives and no one know that you are doing anything differently, but you WILL begin to feel better.