Chronic stress occurs when there is a build up of stress due to no outlet. And our bodies start to show the tell tale signs...tiredness, sore joints/muscles, skin breakouts, dark circles under the eyes, food cravings - the list goes on. This is because over time, chronic stress restricts the blood flow through the body and weakens the immune system which can eventually cause physical dysfunction.
When we fail to 'normalize' or find an outlet for our stress, it becomes our habitual way of functioning. This is when we cross the threshold from stress to chronic stress.
Each person has a different tolerance level for stress. When we reach our threshold for stress, some form of breakdown occurs, either physically, emotionally or both. It all depends on how much stress we endure and for how long - the effects eventually manifest in our physical and mental health.
Regular relaxation is essential to overcoming the harmful effects of chronic stress. When we forget how to relax (or neglect to make periods of relaxation a part of our everyday lives), chronic stress often leads to physical and/or mental breakdowns. We get sick, we get depressed, we suffer from anxiety. A breakdown is our bodies natural means of seeking an outlet in order to normalize our systems once again.
There's no time like today to begin incorporating the relaxation resources on this website into your daily life.
Training your mind and body to relax
is like training your mind or body to
accomplish any other task,
it takes repetition.
You can start small.
Take 5 minutes to relax once or twice a day.
Then gradually build up your relaxation time
day by day until it becomes a habit.