How Does Stress Start?

"How does stress start?" is another question from Mr. Atta
Yaw in West Africa.

I actually answered this question and posted it last week, but my
blog was temporarily suspended because it looked like this article
could be spam! I was shocked, but I'm back so all is well.

So I'm taking out some of the potential spam words and trying again!
Here goes!

Here is my personal, practical answer based on blending
holistic psychology and practical spirituality for many years.

Stress starts when two forces oppose each other --
pushing or pulling in opposite directions.

In the case of the human body, mind and spirit, it begins when
something happens and we resist from a place of fear, worry,
anxiety, overwhelm, anger, frustration, helplessness, and so on.

Or, as you'll see in my answer to your next question, stress can
begin because of a chemical change in the body itself. There
is such a dynamic interplay among the factors of body, mind
and emotions that it is often difficult to pinpoint where stress starts.

The trigger could be from our own thoughts, feelings, attitudes
and choices. Or the trigger could be from the people, situations
and events around us who "push or pull us" in one direction.

This can be as simple as, something happens and we don't
like it.

Or, we need to accomplish something important but don't have
enough time. Something in the past frightened us and now
we resist approaching that kind of person or animal or situation again.

What we think about the situation ("This is terrible! I can't handle it.")
determines how we feel.

How we feel gets translated into physical, emotional and mental
stress in a spiral of negativity that people describe as feeling anxious,
panicky, frustrated, frazzled, tired.

Stress can have a huge impact on the body and is a major factor
in many physical illnesses such as heart problems.

Fortunately, even though it can hard to pinpoint the ultimate causes,
it is possible to overcome the symptoms!

"Does stress have anything to do with chemical imbalance in
the body? Does the food one eats have any influence on one's stress level?"

Chemical imbalances in the body can certainly contribute to stress.

Some imbalances are caused by substances we take in voluntarily.
For instance, alcohol depresses the nervous system and can impair
social judgment, which can easily lead to poor choices that create
very stressful consequences for the individual who drinks to excess.

Nicotine stimulates the production of dopamine, which creates
positive feelings in the brain's pleasure center, but cigarette smoke
taxes the lungs and causes cancer, a delayed form of extreme physical
stress.

Excessive use of caffeine may induce negative effects such as
anxiety, restlessness, insomnia, and irregular heartbeats in some
sensitive individuals.

Other imbalances are caused by hereditary conditions or illness.
Many prescription drugs can have side effects such as anxious
feelings, fuzzy thinking or confusion.

Approaching menopause, with its natural hormonal changes in
women, can cause many symptoms such as irritability, moodiness,
hot flashes, sweats, and so forth.

A very common natural chemical imbalance that interplays
with stress and anxiety is hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar.
A drop in blood sugar causes release of the hormone epinephrine,
which supports the "fight or flight" response.

That's why the side effects of low blood sugar feel like stress and
can cause symptoms such as sweating, shakiness, anxiety, weakness,
irratibilty, confusion and many more.

All for now . . . more soon!
Joy and Peace,
Dr. Ilenya