Chronic Stress, Exhaustion & Burnout

Stress is best described as our psychological and physiological reaction to being placed under pressure. The experience of feeling overwhelmed, of having too much demand on our ability to perform and too little capacity to deliver.

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It is the effect of emotions and feelings we experience when we find it difficult to cope.

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Sometimes people seek prescription medication or ‘self-medicate’ with food, alcohol, or drugs to help ease the uncomfortable feelings and emotions of being under pressure and feeling unable to cope.

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But this is usually a surface ‘sticking plaster’ solution, and unless they attend to how they manage the stress in their life, this can easily turn into a dependence causing further issues.

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We are very capable of rising to the challenge and dealing with short term stress, but when we have to deal with wave after wave of mounting demand and pressure with little opportunity to recover, we reach the threshold of Chronic Stress, exhaustion, burnout and inevitable collapse.

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Chronic stress causes a significant threat to our wellbeing. Our body is drenched in a powerful cocktail of stress hormones, the most commonly recognised being adrenaline and cortisol to name a two, which take their toll on our systems.

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Initially our immune system is dialled down by cortisol, making us susceptible to colds and infections.

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It can also dial up our immune response to detrimental levels triggering allergies such as asthma, and autoimmune conditions such as fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue syndrome, diabetes, ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcers and eczema. 

None of which are due to bacteria or viruses attacking us from the outside but are triggered from within by our own body’s response to chronic changes to its internal chemistry and biology.

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More serious effects of chronic stress include high blood pressure resulting from the constant releases of adrenaline (which can lead to adrenal fatigue), and complications such as cardiovascular problems, hardening of the arteries, or atherosclerosis, leading to heart attacks or strokes. 

So clearly, learning to control Stress and learning to evoke Your body's "Unique" Relaxation Response is critical in maintaining a balanced life and optimum physical and mental health. 

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Without this it is almost impossible to develop healthy business or personal relationships and thrive, or to feel happy and content.