If you have ever gone through a period of extreme stress you know it leaves you physically exhausted and not feeling well. This is because during the stressful event your nervous system responds flooding your body with adrenaline, cortisol and other hormones. The effect of these hormones is to prepare your body for emergency action so it raises your heart rate, blood pressure, respiration rate and heightens your senses. Your body is now ready to deal with the enemy using the primitive “fight or flight” response.
Since your body can not distinguish the difference between a physical or psychological stress event it reacts the same in both situations. The problem is created by the fact that when there is no physical fight or flight the stress hormones don’t get burned off the way they were intended. You are left with elevated blood pressure and an anxious feeling which is why some vigorous exercise after a stressful day will often make you feel better.
The more often this type of stress occurs in your life the easier it becomes to trigger the hormonal responses. Someone living with chronic stress may find that they have high blood pressure, a weak immune system, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, anxiety or depression. It can even lead to premature aging as you often see with those who have severe legal problems or even U.S. presidents. Have you noticed how much older our presidents look after 4 years in office?
In addition to aches, pains and general discomfort the effects of stress on blood pressure can also lead to a higher risk of heart disease or stroke. It can lead to changes in your bowels such as diarrhea, constipation or something more serious such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome or Colitis. Long term stress also lowers your sex drive and can even contribute to infertility.
One of the biggest contributors to stress in our society is financial stress. As Americans we tend to over spend and under save leaving us vulnerable to changes in our income or investments. Most people don’t set anything aside and therefore go through life without a safety net. Over the past few years I’ve showed people how to get out of debt by reducing their “wants” and supplementing their income. If you stop and think about it, how much happiness do we derive from the things we buy? Most things bring a short term boost but then we actually have more to organize and take care of which leads to additional burden. Then we also have to do additional work to pay for something of fleeting value.
If you are currently under financial stress I encourage you to sit down and evaluate your wants and needs. If you haven’t done so, take the time 3 times per year to request your 3 free credit reports to keep an eye on your financial picture. Next, determine if there are things you would rather sell than take care of and get rid of them. Use the proceeds to pay down debt and try to put more thought into future purchases. Most people find much more happiness by getting their financial house in order instead of purchasing additional toys.
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