STRESS

     

        We are really just beginning to know the extent of damage that mental stress can take on the body. One way that we are really beginning to understand the significance is through the mind body connection. In many ways, this is the study of psychoneuroimmunology.  Although the actual term was coined in 1975, the general concept of milieu interieur, introduced by Claude Bernard, really is a scientific understanding of what the “second brain” (and therefore, the whole body) endures because of stress and how the body needs to manage stress.

            A simple explanation of the mind body connection is that bad thoughts and stress can cause bad things in the body. In a very practical sense, we all know this is true. If you think bad things, you always end up feeling bad too. There’s a reason for this.  The Enteric Nervous System contains half of the body’s nerve’s cells. Putting junk in the small intestine means you get junk coming out emotionally and physically; and putting junk in our minds means that junk transfers to the gut. This happens because the vagus nerve connects our “second brain” (the gut) to our brain.

            Being vigilant about taking care of ourselves; and avoiding stress is very important to this connection. I have experienced this during a brief period of time that I suffered with panic attacks. At first I thought I was going crazy.  I was in no danger, and yet, I would feel like I had to get to a safe place –quickly! Many people have panic attacks that manifest in many different ways. (Mine led to a fear of embarrassing myself in public and leg tremors.) They were sometimes triggered by caffeine, loud noises, or flying. The fight or flight response kicks in because the body is dealing with stress that it can’t quite process. So, it handles it as if there is a real and immediate crisis.

            I learned techniques to handle the stress and avoid a panic attack – all without drugs. Relaxation and meditation really worked for me. I didn’t know I was stressed out that much until I tried to relax for the first time. Sometimes slow, deep breath is the best thing for us. Sometimes we just need to slow down in our day-to-day lives. I learned that the best gift I could give myself is enough sleep.  I still believe that – and I haven’t had a panic attack in years.

            Attitude really makes a difference too. It’s easier than you might think to get stuck in a pattern of negative thinking. I once knew a girl who complained that she got a free pack of cigarettes when she bought one pack at the store. (She complained so much it was hard to be around her.) When I consciously decided to try to be positive about everything, life really got better. My circumstance may not have changed, but my attitude and my health were totally different.  I love how Shakespeare showed this through Hamlet when he said, “for there is nothing either good or 
bad, but thinking makes it so.”  Hamlet is a perfect example of negative thought bringing negative outcomes.  Hopefully, as time goes by, we will all learn that stress is as dangerous as poison.