How does everyday stress effect you?

By: Dr. Andria Hoda

If I asked you to rate your daily stress (occupational, relationship, etc) on a scale of zero to ten, with ten being the highest, where would yours be?  What would you consider to be an “average, normal”  score? Surprisingly, most new patients at my office usually rate theirs around a seven or eight out of ten. Even more surprising is that they feel that that is just “normal” stress.  For me, that raises some flags. 

Ok, so we aren’t talking about bad stress vs. good stress here - we are talking about the physical, chemical and emotional stress that your body has to endure on a daily basis just to live. Our bodies are hard wired to do whatever it takes to make sure you have the capability to survive in your environment. That being said, whenever your body encounters an environmental stressor it has to adapt and do it quickly!

The human body is an amazing machine. It knows when to turn up certain systems and inhibit others, depending on its survival needs at any given moment. If, for example, your doorbell rings and it’s a tiger on the other side of the door you have some quick choices to make!  I guarantee your brain is not focused on digesting your dinner or how efficiently your immune system is working at this point in time. Priorities! You need some energy to run or some power to fight! Man vs. tiger... quick feet it is! 

So we know that the human body has the instinctive capability to do what’s necessary in order to keep us alive. Our body does this best when it is in a state of homeostasis. Homeostasis is when our body is free from all stressors and it has the ability to use any and all energy to perform the functions required to grow healthy  cells and repair damaged ones.  So now let’s add in some stressors. 

Stressors take us away from our optimal state of homeostasis and take us into a state of adaptation. Some examples of these toxic stressors are physical traumas, drugs, environmental pollutants and chemicals, processed foods, and negative thoughts. 

So now,  if our bodies have to deal with those chronically on a daily basis, how much energy is expended on regeneration and repair?  Not very much, unfortunately. And so the disease processes in the body begin.  Many people suffer from chronic diseases in today’s society and we must be aware of exactly what could be causing them. We are, after all, products of our environment. We are responsible for our own health and well being. 

There is a flip side to this stress coin:  De-stressing is so much fun! 

 Let’s face it, we live in a busy, not-enough-hours-in-the-day world and we consistently put ourselves last on the priority scale. It is imperative to have some YOU time.  In this time, try to do things that make you happy and forget about any stress you may be under. Never underestimate the moments you have that truly make you happy. They are exponentially powerful in keeping you healthy. Spending time with family and friends, reading a good book, yoga, spa treatments, getting outside on a beautiful day...these are just a few things that we fail to recognize as being stress relieving and relaxing.

Your body clings and adapts to the stress that it faces. It is not a subject to be taken lightly. There are many books and websites that provide a plethora of ideas for stress and lifestyle management tips and ideas. My favourite book that encompasses not only this subject but also how to live a wellness lifestyle in today’s world is by my mentor, Dr. James Chestnut . The book is called “The Wellness and Prevention Paradigm.” Dr. Chestnut coined the  phrase “Eat Well. 

Move Well. Think Well.” Exactly what we need to do to live optimally!

I always welcome any questions regarding your health and wellness! 

Dr. Andria Hoda- Chiropractor 

Please feel free to contact me at my office or via email at 

meadowlands@live.com.

Remember, TODAY is the best day ever!