What Actually Causes Stress? A Revealing Look Inside The Stress Epidemic

I have read that approximately 80% of our chronic health concerns are caused by ongoing stress.  The question I have is, what actually causes stress for YOU?  Given the fact that stress is such an important factor in the creation of imbalance and disease within the body, we need to be able to answer this question in order to really get to the root problem and heal at a deeper, long-term level.

 

As I’ve said before, Western medicine excels at the treatment of acute and severe health conditions.  Where it falls short is in offering viable solutions for chronic health concerns.  There’s little to no ability within the framework of Western medicine to treat the root cause of chronic health issues. I think this is mainly because there’s such little focus on the management and elimination of stress.  Instead, pharmaceuticals are used to “fix” the symptoms of illness or imbalance, which often creates immediate relief to the sacrifice of long-term healing.

 

Unfortunately even many alternative health practitioners don’t treat chronic health concerns at a root level.  Yes, they can often temporarily relieve stress and help people feel more relaxed and at peace, but this experience tends to be short-lived and the patient finds that they become dependent on the therapy in order to ‘feel good.’

 

As a health practitioner, my focus has to return to this question of what is actually causing you to feel continual and chronic stress, so I can treat it at a root level.  In my clinical and life experience, I have come to realize that stress is largely the result of the conditioning we experience growing up and the busy “Western” lifestyle.

 

We are all taught specific beliefs about who we are, what life is supposed to look like, and how we should function in this world.  Many of these beliefs aren’t true and don’t come from our hearts.  As we become attached to these beliefs, we lose our connection with who we really are and the unlimited potential (including healing potential) we inherently possess.

 

Common beliefs that stress us out:

• Slowing down means I’m lazy
• I have to “Do It All”
• If I don’t do it all, I’m not in control
• I need to be in control
• My life needs to look everybody else’s
• I’m not good enough
• It’s too hard to change
• I can’t say no
• My energy boundaries suck
• I can’t do what I really love

 

To the extent that these beliefs circle in our minds, they will determine the choices we make and the behaviors that we have throughout our life.  This is why so many people find themselves in jobs or relationships that promote suffering or struggle.

 

The body is a mirror for the mind. Especially when it comes to chronic, long-term health issues.  If stress is making us sick, and our stress is self induced and caused by holding onto harmful beliefs about what we “should” be doing, then the key to lasting health and healing is to free ourselves of these beliefs and operate under a new set of principles.

 

Some of us experience a ‘wake up call’ when we are diagnosed with a health condition such as cancer, diverticulitis, disc degeneration, IBS, or chronic fatigue.  This could be the body’s attempt to clue us in to create life on our own terms and to let go of what we have been taught about how we “should” be living.

 

If you want to get to the root cause of your health issues and consciously create better health, start with your own mind.  Examine the stresses that are holding you back and see if you can link these to lifestyle choices you have made in your career, relationships, dietary choices, etc.  A skilled health practitioner can be of great assistance in this process.

So I ask again, what is causing YOUR stress?

Book an appointment with me (Acupuncture OR Reiki) and we can dig deeper.