We are going through times where there are plenty of reasons to be anxious and stressed. This decade is being plagued with challenges starting with a pandemic and now with heightened risks of war, high inflation and food scarcity for poor countries.
What is the best way to deal with all of this?
Let's examine what happens to our body when stress and anxiety takes over.
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When we are in a constant flight or fight state our body chemistry changes:
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Our body prioritizes the supply of oxygen to our muscles, decreasing the blood supply for our hair, nails, skin, and our digestion. Hair loss or bloating could be a consequence of stress.
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Our body burns energy from the more efficient and available supply which is glucose. When the body senses our glycogen reserve in the liver is going low it triggers signals so we crave carbs and sugar.
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The hormones of anxiety are produced: adrenaline and cortisol. When we are in a flight or fight state, we can't achieve the profound, restorative sleep that makes us wake up full of energy the next day.
This is great when we are in a real life-threatening situation and we need to run away but when we are triggering this chemistry while working at our home office is like putting the step on the gas while the car is in neutral, bringing it to the max. Eventually, that engine will be damaged.
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Fortunately, there are things we can do to achieve a better balance in our lives and reduce the amount of time in a day we are in fight or flight response:
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Remember we have the power to decide our response to pressure. Every person responds to pressure differently and some people might be anxious by what others consider a walk in the park. It's easy for our brain to shift into negative thoughts since that is the way we have survived on Earth for 150,000 years.
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Try to focus on the present vs worry about the future. It's easy to worry about the future but most people worry about things that are very unlikely to happen. I love when I read about the true meaning of FEAR. False Evidence Appearing Real.
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Breathe diaphragmatically. A very easy way to turn our body from flight or fight to the green zone is just to stop and breathe ensuring our belly is moving like a baby. One exercise you can do is to inhale for 4 seconds, keep the air in your lungs for 6 seconds and exhale for 7 seconds. Do this 5 times and you will immediately see an improvement on how you feel. This breathing has the power to switch your body to burn fat. Tai chi, restorative yoga or a 30 minute meditation can contribute to your weight loss if that is what you desire.
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Reduce caffeine. While a cup of coffee has antioxidants and can give you a boost of energy in the morning or in mid-afternoon, caffeine stimulates the adrenal glands to produce adrenaline. Excess consumption in caffeine can increase the time we are in flight or fight mode and can even trigger for us to overload ourselves with excessive workload instead of rescheduling or delegating items from our to do list.
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Give the body the nutrients it needs. Our body needs to have all the nutrients to generate the neurotransmitters and the love hormones and ensure we are ready to deal with the stress of our daily life. In HealthyU, you can get a whole system to deal with stress with our mood and relaxation line which includes USANA Stress Relief, USANA Pure Rest and USANA Calm Response Balm. Our USANA Probiotic works on restoring the gut microbiome which is considered as a second brain since it has a direct communication line with the brain and influences directly the production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that affects our mood.
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