According to the American Medical Association, approximately 80% of the patients who visit an internal medicine doctor are there due to the long-term effects of stress. Long term chronic stress or a person’s perception of the stress causes a great deal of physical damage and is underlying almost all disease. Symptoms like headaches, back pain, stomach problems, rapid heart rate, fatigue, nervous habits, cognitive problems, and the list goes on and on.
Stress is a normal physiological response to an event or problem that makes you feel threatened or overwhelmed. Our nervous system is sensitive to danger in order to keep us safe. But the same system that helps us avoid physical danger can be the system that creates long-term chronic stress and damages our mind and body.

When the fight or flight response kicks in, we are sent into a focused, energetic and alert state. This state can help you to meet challenges, make you sharp when doing presentations, help you to react quickly in an accident, or other dangerous situations. However, the problems arise when we stay in this state too much or when every little thing that goes wrong sends us into hyper drive. When adrenaline and cortisol are released constantly, the damage it does to the body is extreme. Over time, it will damage and inflame every system of our body and this includes the brain. Things like memory problems, the inability to concentrate, seeing only the negative and constant poor judgement are directly related to chronic or high level of stress.

To break this pattern, it is important to take back some control. Using hypnosis to calm the central nervous system is the first step I take with my clients. Then, we work to change their thinking regarding the stressors in their life. Alleviating negative habits like procrastination, too much alcohol, improving sleep and connecting more with others will make a big impact on the perception of stress. Also, to be able to self-soothe is incredibly important to the reduction of stress. Studies show that 8 minutes in hypnosis is equivalent to 3 hours of sleep.

You have more control than you might think. The simple realization that you are in control of your life is the foundation of stress management. So, do something that makes you feel in control and you will feel your sense of well-being grow.