What is Stress? Why do we care?

Oftentimes we admit, “I’m stressed”, but how often do we take the time to think about all that is stressing our bodies?  BodyBank challenges us to look at each area of our daily lives that is causing us stress & how each affects our overall health.

When we experience stress, our bodies reacts with a ‘fight-or-flight’ response.  Our heart begins to pound, we breathe faster, muscles get tense, & we can start to sweat.  During this time, our brain sends a signal to our body to release stress hormones & we react in a way to survive the stress.  This ‘fight-or-flight’ response is needed for life-threatening situations where we must fight off a threat or run to safety. However, our body can behave similarly in stressful situations that are not life-threatening; such as, anxiety over a test, pressure to fit in, or conflict at home.  Stress can show up as stomachaches, headaches, nightmares, or difficulty in school. Over time, this repeated cycle of our body’s response to stress can damage our physical, social, & emotional health. Research suggests that long-term stress can be responsible for brain changes that can lead to depression, anxiety, & addiction.  It also plays a part in obesity, high blood pressure, & the advancement of clogged arteries.* 

Stress effects can often be overlooked in childhood & adolescence or simply seen as “adult” problems, but we feel it is extremely important to look at stress when it comes to overall health no matter the age.  This is why BodyBank first addresses daily stress! Physical, chemical, nutritional, emotional, & mental stresses are the only thing that robs energy and thus vitality from the body.** Once we identify what is triggering us, we can learn what stressors needs to be managed or removed. The Energy Components of BodyBank can then help us in the daily battle against our stress!

Stress Components

The Stress Components are the 5 areas that stress our bodies the most! Often times, we don’t even see these situations as stressful; and therefore, don’t realize the impact it has on our bodies. The 5 areas include:

  • Social

  • Financial

  • Emotional/Mental

  • Time Management

  • Physical

Read How To: Track Stress to see what questions to ask yourself when determining your stress levels.

*Harvard Medical School

** College of Natural Health