The stress of change

Autumn is here and we will soon be heading into winter. One of life’s certainties; the changing of the seasons which are all part of the circle of life. In fact the only constant in life is change!

Why Do We Resist Change And Why Does It Cause Us Stress?
Most usually it is because we do not feel in control and maybe we try to resist the changes we are going through, even though many of these changes may be inevitable. When we feel stress, our bodies – no matter what the stress, be it minor or major – trigger the primitive fight and flight response. A rush of hormones, adrenaline and cortisol are released, which are designed to allow us to physically escape from predators or track down our prey. This rush of hormones is then rebalanced through the physical exertion of pursuit or escape.

Modern day stresses create the same hormonal responses in our bodies, the difference being that the stressors can be things such as a loss of a job, relationship difficulties, or just the pure overwhelm of trying to do too much in one day, rushing for an appointment, or being unable to pay the bills for instance. The problem with today’s stresses is that, more often than not, they are prolonged and persistent. Low grade continuous stress has the greatest impact on both our physical and mental health.

We can cope with stress for a few weeks and then our bodies’ protective mechanisms struggle to adapt, and the chronic stress situation becomes established. The body at this point is in an inflammatory mode creating digestive, joint, or skin problems to name a few. The immune system becomes compromised, and colds or high blood pressure can develop. The body’s systems become so sensitised that even an upsetting text can create a strong internal response!

Your body is working hard to protect you from your ‘predators’, though if your ‘predator’ is a low-level modern day type of stress, then you may feel unable to re-set the automatic reactions in your body.

One of the most calming and simple things you can do is to breathe gently in through the nose and out through the mouth a few times. This gives your body a chance to rebalance during the times you feel stress building up.

Sometimes the changes we encounter in our lives are unavoidable and it is how we respond to these inevitable changes that determine whether we experience stress or not. If you feel overwhelmed by change and stress and would like assistance in coping, then Ann Rambaut – Chartered Physiotherapist and Body/Mind Coach – offers several types of treatment programmes, including wonderfully deeply relaxing body techniques, and/or tools to assist on a daily basis, as well as coaching.

For more information please visit annrambaut.com or call Ann on 01323 411900 for a no obligation chat, to find out if any of the modalities offered would be of help.