Could It Be Stress?

By Candi Raudebaugh

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Have you been trying to find an explanation for physical symptoms only to be told that nothing is physically wrong? It can be frustrating—and frightening—when something is not right, but no answers are found.

Could it be stress?

Often, we blame an ambiguous concept called "stress." Is it actually possible that this mysterious "stress" can cause anything from heart palpitations, to chronic pain, to memory problems, to numb hands?

Well...yes.

Does this mean that your illness is "all in your head?"

NO.

Not all of these (or other) symptoms are necessarily caused by stress. But if symptoms are caused by stress, it is still a real, physical condition.

Stress exacerbates existing conditions and takes advantage of our vulnerabilities—the body's weakest links. Have you ever noticed that you get colds more often following a stressful time? This does not mean that stress caused the cold (a bacteria or virus did), but stress could have weakened the immune system enough for the cold to begin.

Stress is a real physical response that occurs when the sympathetic nervous system is activated. It is NOT in your head. When the body experiences stress, hormones such as adrenaline are released, muscles tense, heart rate speeds up and blood flow to large muscles increases...the body prepares for action (fighting or fleeing).

This fight-or-flight response is helpful if you really do need to physically respond to danger. If the stress response is activated frequently but not used for physical action, problematic symptoms begin to appear because of the chronic stress. Over time, the symptoms such as increased blood pressure and tense muscles begin to cause pain and illness.

You are not making yourself sick on purpose.

You may wonder, if stress is a real physical problem, why medical tests come back normal. Tests are looking for a physical abnormality that may be causing symptoms (for example, if you experience stomach pain, the doctor might test to see if an ulcer or other disease is the cause). Even though the symptoms of stress are not normal, stress itself is not an abnormality and does not show up on tests.

In other words, Stress is the normal fight-or-flight response, a helpful response that can save your life in a dangerous situation. Chronic stress causes problematic symptoms that are not normal - but "stress" is not going to show up definitively on a physical test.

So you have decided that stress might be contributing to your illness. Now what?

Here are some of the best ways to cope with stress:

- Healthy coping skills

- Decrease stress at its source

- Physical activity

- Creative outlets

- Take care of yourself physically and mentally

- Time management and decreasing procrastination

- Getting enough sleep

- Maintain motivation by rewarding yourself for achieving goals

- And the number one strategy for stress management is...RELAXATION. Relaxation is helpful because it reverses the stress response.

By using a variety of healthy coping skills to deal with stress, the problematic physical symptoms can be reduced.

Find out more about managing stress at innerhealthstudio.com