The Stress Pile

Stress is cumulative, all the stresses of your life pile up. When we say stress, we usually mean emotional stress, but that is only one type of stress. Along with emotional stress, there is also physical stress, and chemical stress. Stress is individual, for example a person who is sensitive to noise might find a loud environment stressful. Migraine sufferers often have noise and/or light sensitivity. A food that doesn't cause any problem for most people, might cause another allergy or indigestion. A person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or Chronic Stress might exhibit a hypervigilant overreaction to being surprised by being awoken suddenly. Environmental changes are leading to new kinds of stress such as sensitivity to electromagnetic radiation and 5G. Empathy can be a stress for people who are especially sensitive. Empathy is the ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes; to feel what the other is feeling. For Highly Sensitive People, it's important to maintain healthy boundaries; to understand what is their own emotion and what does not belong to them. With healthy boundaries, a highly empathic person can be present when someone needs them, without sacrificing their our own well-being. As a chiropractor, I'm always looking to identify the root of my patient's problem, often that root is emotional stress. Emotional stress can cause neck and back pain which brings patients into a chiropractors office! You've heard people say "I feel the weight of the world on my shoulders" and indeed their trapezius (shoulder) muscles are very tight! My goal as a doctor is to help patients find their own way out of stress, including emotional stress. There are some stresses that they can't do anything about, but there are usually some they can. For example, a patient who has just lost a loved-one feels the emotional stress of grief. There is no fix for that, only time and allowing themselves to go through the process. But their stress pile might also include, for example, that they eat a lot of sugar, which is universally an inflammatory stress. So eating a healthier diet can reduce the stress pile and help them get below the "stress threshold" where their body can adapt to the stress of grief.

​Take good care. Thank about what changes you might make to reduce your "stress pile".

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