Prolonged anxiousness can lead to unhealthy outcomes for your body and mind.
Here’s how your body responds to fear, and how to manage the response.
Stress is a normal occurrence that everyone experiences, and it is triggered by a stressor or perceived threat.
This triggers the immediate release of adrenaline and an increase in cortisol.
Issues arise when the stressor sticks around and the stress response continues.
The long-term effects from inflammation are harder to see, yet they are much more pronounced in the body.
Ongoing stress is particularly harmful when low-grade inflammation already exists, since it builds on what’s already present.
For example, a person who is overweight and not very active may also have some insulin resistance.
All three factorsexcess fat, inactivity and insulin resistancesuggest the presence of chronic inflammation.
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that stabilizes mood and improves outlook, including that associated with current stressors.
However, you’re free to avoid this by not going overboard.
Listen to your body and take a rest day when needed.
You should feel a little tired after a workout, but also energized and refreshed.
Regularly practicing yoga can also significantly reduce stress and inflammatory markers in the body.
If you’re new to breath work, Jones recommends two techniques.
The first is a form of focused breathing known as pranayama, in which you focus on your breath.
Jones says to start by audibly inhaling through your nose and then exhaling through your nose.
“Some call this the ‘sound of the ocean’ or even Darth Vader breathing.
Now add a count to your breathing.
Inhale for a count of four.
Hold for a count of one.
Exhale for a count of six.
Continue for two minutes or until you feel better.”
Managing stress has always been important to overall health.
But when you understand the connection between stress and inflammation, it becomes a much more important health priority.
