Physical Impact of stress on the Body – Part 2.
In part 1, I looked at the first two phases of stress
- Phase 1 – the Alarm Phase
- Phase 2 – the Resistance Phase
- Phase 3 – Exhaustion
To reach phase 3 – Exhaustion there must be prolonged exposure to cortisol and other stress resistance hormones.
In the resistance stage the body uses high cortisol levels to free up stored energy for the body to use to physically resist the stressor. If the body is unable to reset the cortisol levels to its normal level then the body never fully relaxes and when the next stressor comes along the cortisol levels are increase even higher. If this cycle continues the body is unable to rest and relax as the cortisol levels remain too high and the body moves from the resistance phase to exhaustion.
You know are cortisol levels are high when you feel tired but wired, have difficulty sleeping and are very anxious. Excess cortisol also interferes with the action of progesterone, testosterone and the thyroid creating more hormonal imbalances.
By the exhaustion stage the adrenal glands are either too depleted for producing too much cortisol or are reacting to the detrimental effects of high cortisol and thus reducing cortisol production significantly. At this stage you feel tired in the morning, you are constantly ill due to the suppression of your immune system, have low blood sugar, depression and feel burned out. As this stage develops muscle wastage can occur and diabetes can set in.
While this stage is very serious, it is possible to turn the situation around. One of the key things is to learn to relax and rest. I would also strong recommend Dr. Wilson’s book, Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome, or visit his website Dr. Wilson’s web site, AdrenalFatigue.org, or visit Fawne Hanson’s website http://adrenalfatiguesolution.com/ as they are both excellent sources of information.
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Procrastination
In general in life I am very self-motivated, which is essential when you are self-employed. However this is the time of year of my annual bout of procrastination kicks in. Each year I promise myself its going to be different, I will fill out my tax form early and every year, like ground hog day, I leave it as late as possible. So this year I decided to research options for helping me tackle my procrastination around doing my accounts and filling out my tax form. I read the reason most people procrastinate is that they consider the task unpleasant or boring or they associate unpleasant feelings with the task. To me this is blatantly obvious as no on every puts of anything they enjoy. For me tax forms manage to be both unpleasant and boring. So I decided that this year I would try a new approach to tackle my procrastination. Firstly I decided to focus on the end goal. As filling out a tax form leaves me cold, I decided that focusing on the fine for not doing it on time would motivate me, after all my money is on line. As in life I tend to prefer more positive options, I decided to pencil in a treat for myself when I finished, so I am going to arrange a girlie lunch for a specific date so I have something positive to look forward to. In the past I have dedicate one sold lump of time to doing my accounts and tax form and plodded through it. This year I decide that I would split it down into little chunks as this should help me do it with a smile on her face. In addition some experts recommend roping a friend so that you have a buddy to help motivate you and also making a public commitment to completing something helps motivate you. So this is my public commitment. So now its just a case of taking the first step and staring.
