Is your body crying out to you and you are just not listening? Do you allow stress to build up to points where it is effecting your body? If you are breathing, you are going to have stress. That is just a fact. If you are not feeling well, it is possible that the primary cause is stress.
Stress can manifest itself in many different ways in your body and the one thing that is for sure is if you don’t eliminate, reduce, or learn how to deal with your stress, you will be suffering some form of physical alignment related to it.
Headache, Neck Pain and Backache – In this day and age, people have so many demands on them in every way. When this happens, we can unconsciously tense up our muscles throughout the head and shoulder areas and this causes a tension headache. This pain can then travel down to the shoulders, neck and back and continued tension in these areas can increase the pain felt.
Chest Pain – Stress, fear and anxiety can also cause a tightening in the chest muscles, which can give you the sensation of a heart attack. Stress can also increase your risk for heart disease and high blood pressure, which if not controlled can lead to many other physical problems.
Stomachache – Stress increases the production of acid in your stomach which can eventually lead to ulcers forming. Feelings of being bloated and queasy are normal responses of the stomach to stress. Changes in your bowels can also be related to the stress you are suffering.
Weight Gain, Weight Loss – A change in a person’s weight can often be a sign of stress in their life. Increases in weight can be attributed to increased consumption of the wrong types of food or overeating. Often people will take comfort in certain foods and during times of stress, they will consume these in larger quantity or more frequently. Others, however, will lose any and all interest in eating during periods of stress causing them to lose weight.
Rashes – Chemicals that are located in our nerve endings in the skin, when activated by stress, can cause a rash to appear. This irritation, which can be very uncomfortable, will therefore increase our feelings of stress.
Acne – Cortisol, our stress hormone, will thicken hair follicle cells and increase the skin’s oil production. Oily skin is a breeding ground for acne.
Symptoms of stress can be relieved, however if the stress is not dealt with properly, the symptoms will persist. May God make your path one with less stress, or at least help you learn to cope with the stress you have in a proper way.
Take Care and God Bless You,
Pastor Jason Phillips
Counselor, Royal Palm Christian Counseling
