Everyone stresses out.

Most of us are familiar with common stressors like work/school deadlines, being late, children, partners, parents, pets, illness……the list goes on and on.

I was surprised to read recently about some lessor known stressors – or at least the ones that don’t get as much immediate attention in our daily lives – food, exercise, sleep, breathing, and elimination. Hmmm, well actually not enough sleep makes sense. So does being constipated or the opposite. And yep, eating too many rich or sugary foods makes sense too. As does over or under eating. Check out this link for more information about these stressors: ultrawellnesscenter.com/2017/02/16/stress-the-untold-story/

But lets talk about EXERCISE. Almost all of us know that NOT ENOUGH exercise is bad for the body. Why? It doesn’t allow us to process cortisol, which is a stress hormone that at high levels can cause physical damage to the body (lowered immune function, poor memory, high blood pressure, etc.). 

Here’s a lessor known fact about exercise – TOO MUCH exercise can also negatively affect the body, and not just from physical injury. It can lead to too much cortisol production, which also harms the immune system.

Sounds crazy, doesn’t it! Too much, too little…..how much is enough? I thought I was supposed to do a ton of HIIT circuits and have a six-pack! Can’t someone just tell me what to do! AHHHHH!

Ok, take a deep breath. Close your eyes. Take a few minutes to stop the world around you and LISTEN to what your body is telling you. What’s the first thing that pops into you mind when you do this? Are you thirsty? Are you tired? Do you feel the need to run around the block like a crazy person and blow off some steam? Does your back hurt? Do you need to laugh?

Once you LISTEN to what your body is telling you, you take one step closer to finding balance and decreasing stress in your life. And isn’t that what we’re all really looking for? Isn’t balance the the meaning of life?

At LightSpace, we can help you find your balance – physically and energetically. That’s why we always ask when you walk in the door, “how’s the body feeling TODAY”, “what’s your energy level like AT THIS MOMENT.”

And finally, just in case reading this article about stress really stressed you out, let’s have a laugh 🙂