Stress is so common in our daily lives in this day and age. We have deadlines, demands, frustrations, and worries so much so that it has just become a way of life. Stress is not ALWAYS bad. It can help motivate you and help you perform under pressure. It turns out that when you are constantly running in “Urgent” mode, it takes a toll on the mind, body, and spirit. Stress can have harmful effects on your health. When you are running in “Urgent” mode all the time, the body forgets how to be in a “non-Urgent” state and the results are harmful over time. The “Urgent” state I refer to is also known as the “fight-or-flight” reaction. Stress is a normal physical response to events that make you feel threatened or upset your balance in some way, shape or form. The body’s defenses activate in high gear in a rapid, automatic process when you sense danger. This danger could be imagined or real. This is the body’s way of protecting you. This reaction helps you to stay focused, alert, and energetic in times of need. After a certain point, stress can cause major damage to your health, your mood, your productivity, your relationships, and your quality of life.
The nervous system controls and coordinates all organs and structures of the human body. When stress and tension build up in an area of the spine, it creates interference and completely overloads the nerves nearby, creating what is known as sublaxation. This subluxation acts similar to a blown fuse in your house. When a fuse blows, certain areas or appliances may not function until that power is restored. Similarly, by finding and correcting any subluxations in your spine, specific chiropractic adjustments (or soft tissue manipulations) help restore power and fuction to those parts of the body. This is all part of the philosophy of Cornerstone Chiropractic. Dr. James Jernigan of Cornerstone Chiropractic in Cary, NC, together, we specialize in stress reduction and management. Balance of the mind and body can be achieved naturally. We have partnered up with these fellow professionals to give you the best care possible under one roof. Alignment of the bones, tending to the soft tissue of the body, and eliminating the mental obstacles that keep you from thriving, that is what we have to offer. Here we truely Soothe the Skin, Relax the Body, Calm the Mind.
The Body’s Stress Response
When you perceive a threat, your nervous system responds by releasing a flood of stress hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones rouse the body for emergency action. Your heart pounds faster, muscles tighten, blood pressure rises, breath quickens, and your senses become sharper. These physical changes increase your strength and stamina, speed your reaction time, and enhance your focus—preparing you to either fight or flee from the danger at hand. (This is from www.helpguide.org, a trusted non-profit resource.)
At INDIVA Spa & Wellness, we strive to create a therapeutic bubble so you can receive the best care you deserve. Choose from a variety of Massage and Bodywork treatments to help you decompress from your daily stressful life. There are a variety of techniques we can equip you with to deal with stress even outside of the treatment room.
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It’s hard to feel balanced and grounded sometimes, especially when restless and worrying thoughts cut into your downtime. Sometimes you just need to free yourself from life’s to-do lists and halt the brakes on your ruminating mind. Bring some calmness into your life with nutraMetrix® Isotonix Essentials™. Designed for relaxation, nutraMetrix® Isotonix Essentials™ Turn Down features a custom blend of vitamins, amino acids and minerals all in one easy-to-use packet. The formula contains effective key ingredients to help you quiet down your body, promote mental clarity, control mental tension and support healthy sleep quality. Many people can benefit from slowing down life a little. According to the American Institute of Stress, 77% of people regularly experience physical symptoms caused by stress (e.g. fatigue, headache, muscle tension); 76% regularly experience psychological symptoms caused by stress (e.g. irritability, lack of energy, feeling nervous); and, 48% reported lying awake at night due to stress. Also of note, the top causes of stress are job pressure, money, health, relationships, poor nutrition, media overload and sleep deprivation.Clear your mind and unwind from the day with nutraMetrix® Isotonix Essentials™ Turn Down! It helps enhance and stabilize your mood, promote mental clarity and support a healthy sleep quality.Source: https://www.stress.org/daily-life*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product(s) is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Your job demands a lot of your time. Your family demands just as much, if not more. Trips to the mailbox are greeted by bills. Every day, life is taking its toll on you. Even in seemingly good times, stress is something we cannot escape; not only does it have a harmful affect on us mentally, but it can also wreck havoc on us physically – including in our waistlines.*When we are faced with stress, our bodies go into “”fight or flight”” response and certain hormones are released by the adrenal gland, hormones that would give the body a burst of energy and strength. This response used to be beneficial to our ancestors, allowing their bodies to physically fight or run away when faced with danger. But in today’s society, this response acts much differently, taking place as a result of stressful days at the office or traffic jam on your way home. The response is supposed to return to normal once the perceived threat is gone, but if the body is unable to return to normalcy due to increased stress levels, it could have a negative effect upon the body with symptoms including adrenal fatigue, suppressed thyroid function, an imbalance in blood sugar levels, and increased abdominal (adipose) fat.*One of the hormones released during this “fight or flight” response is cortisol, which increases blood sugar, suppresses the immune system, and aids in fat, protein and carbohydrate metabolism. Under normal circumstances, cortisol helps restore homeostasis after stress. The problem is that constant stress leads to a constant state of cortisol production, which stimulates glucose production. This excess glucose is typically converted into fat, ending up as stored fat. High cortisol levels can also lead to binge eating. Not only do high cortisol levels make you want to keep on snacking, but excess cortisol also contributes to storing more belly fat, which is known to be a bit harder to lose.*Cortisol levels also have a direct relationship with the thyroid, and they act synergistically with one another. Cortisol assists the thyroid hormone in working more efficiently, and the correct amount of cortisol – not too high or too low – supports normal thyroid function. When cortisol gets too high, triggered by the adrenal glands response to elevated stress, it causes a delayed response to the thyroid hormone receptors. When this occurs, the hormones aren’t allowed to work at optimal levels, leaving you feeling sluggish, leading to a higher chance of stress eating, and giving up physical activity.*When you’re battling adrenal fatigue, it is difficult to lose weight for several reasons. Not only are you exhausted and lack the physical energy to exercise the way that you used to, but those suffering with adrenal fatigue also crave high fat sweets and salty foods, turning to food as a way to comfort them and aid in assisting their exhausted adrenal glands. The combination of being sedentary, having no energy, and eating chips and cookies makes it seemingly impossible to lose weight, but there is hope, and it can be done without worsening your already delicate state of health, and without feeling famished.*nutraMetrix TLS ACTS Adrenal, Cortisol, Thyroid & Stress Support Formula, specially formulated with Holy basil and Ashwagandha, works specifically to promote healthy adrenal gland function, cortisol levels and thyroid function to help control stress levels and minimize weight gain that is associated with increased stress. Unlike the competitors, nutraMetrix TLS ACTS doesn’t just mask the problem of weight gain – it addresses the root of the problem by helping your body adapt to stress and assisting you with your weight management goals.
AROMATHERAPY
THE LINK BETWEEN SMELLS AND EMOTIONS
“Happiness radiates like the fragrance from a flower and draws all good things towards you.” – Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
Aromas, emotions and memories are all related. Essential oils have the capacity to generate changes through the olfactory and mental bond, due to the close relationship that exists between smell, emotions and moods.
Aromas have the power to instantly awaken memories or experiences of the past. Every person has a series of different experiences in their life and Aromatherapy can bring back life to feel those experiences as if it just occurred yesterday.
When I first started practicing Aromatherapy and received my Essential Oils, I had a bottle of Rosewood Essential Oil in my kit. I shared it with my dad, who took a whiff of the opened bottle and he just paused and said “Wow, this smells amazing. It reminds me of when I was a kid my dad bought a new Spanish guitar and my brothers and sisters and I would stick our noses in the base and smell the wood.” My grandfather was a musician and played the Spanish guitar. The smell of rosewood brought my dad back to those enjoyable memories of his childhood.
These memories can vary from person to person as we all have different experiences. Perhaps the smell of Orange Essential Oil brings back memories of peeling an orange on the porch in the summer.
The link between aromas and emotions is very deep. The sense of smell has the ability to act directly on the the mind (limbic system) which is the powerhouse of our states of mind and emotions. “It is the home of our emotions, sexual feelings, memory, learning and with olfaction these can be evoked-even subconsciously.” – The Fragrant Mind, by. Valerie Ann Worwood
What aromas do you enjoy? Do you have any that bring good memories?