Chronic stress is linked to the six leading causes of death: heart, disease, cancer, lung ailments, accidents, cirrhosis of the liver, and suicide. Life is full of stress and it affects young and old alike, rich and poor. Stress is a silent killer.
Stressful Situations
Life doesn’t always turn out the way we think. I experienced things that I thought I would never be susceptible because how watchful I am with my plant-based diet. However, as mentioned previously, stress tends to overpower that. However, note that good nutrition and exercise helps keeps things under control when stress overwhelms.
I recall stressful periods in my life in which I experienced negative health consequences. I was faced with an unusual and draining situation that caused me to be on constant eggshells. The complexity of the situation continued to worsen. Before I knew it, I became extremely dizzy. For two months, it was difficult to function without having vertigo attacks. Sleeping at night became difficult because my vertigo was accompanied by anxiety. Vertigo can be triggered by stress, and sure enough, I was diagnosed with a stress-related, anxiety-induced vertigo. As the situation passed, so did my anxiety and vertigo. I felt that I hit a low point in my life, and I knew I had to do something within my control.
All this time, I had not changed anything in my diet, and according to the doctors, my health was fine, and the blood tests always came back just fine. Since then, I have learnt to manage intense and unexpected stress more effectively, as well as change my attitude towards intense situations. This is what made the difference in being able to keep my health better intact when faced with external stressors that are beyond my control.
Don’t Stress About It
It isn’t enough to be knowledgeable about what stress does to the body, but it’s critical to take it one step further and learn how to manage and reduce stress. Sometimes we aren’t entirely sure how to deal with our stress, because we can’t see it. Here are proven methods that I have seen help me in my own life.
Prayer & God’s Word – Starting my day this way gives me peace and a much smoother day. I give God my burdens and feel much lighter as I go throughout my day.
• Gratitude – Cultivating thankfulness helps prevent complaining and wallowing.
• Help Others – Helping others takes our minds off ourselves, and in tune with the realities and needs of others less fortunate than our own.
• Lifestyle: Exercise, Proper Nutrition, Sunshine, Air, Rest, Water, Temperance – A balanced lifestyle is the best way to handle stress in life.
• Stress and worry are linked. Worry makes the situation heavier and causes more stress. I have found that by taking my worries to God and leaving them there has helped me avoid worry! It is truly a liberating thing to experience. Moderate amounts of stress increase performance, but chronic stress poses health hazards.
This is one of my all-time favorite Bible verses that keeps things in perspective for me and reminds me that I can experience peace and not fall victim to the silent killer: stress.
“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33.
(Submitted by Betty Dean. Written by Grace Jauwena. Used by permission from www.LifeandHealth.org. Courtesy of LifeSpring – Resources for Hope and Healing Stuart, VA)
