How Your Body Reacts to Stress from Money Struggles

“Stress is basically a disconnection from the earth, a forgetting of the breath. Stress is an ignorant state. It believes that everything is an emergency. Nothing is that important. Just lie down.” Natalie Goldberg

We already know this: chronic stress brings down overall wellness. Yet, like the vast majority of people, we may find it hard to eliminate anxiety. Unfortunately, if we don’t address any heightened stress levels, physical health can be compromised. Thus, we become more vulnerable to illnesses from a lowered immune system.

One of the main sources of chronic stress is worrying over “not enough money”. Indeed, money stress is one of the main – if not the top – concerns on the minds of the people that I speak with – including friends, clients and relatives. It’s the reason for sleepless nights and tension headaches for these people.

To a large extent, our body is equipped to cope with stress. We have a coping mechanism that protects us from perceived threats. In caveman days, the threats mainly come from physical predators. In today’s world, our perceived threats usually come from needing to meet the demands of modern living. We have to face the issues of balancing work and family life, making ends meet, earning enough to afford a minimum standard of living and so on. If we constantly perceive that we can’t cope, it is when we get into chronic stress.

Our body views the trigger situations as threats. They may be small, to begin with. However, over time, the mental and emotional burden we carry gets heavier if not resolved. Our body feels as if it is being under attack.

How Our Body Naturally Responds to Stress

When we perceive a threat, our hypothalamus – a tiny part at the base of your brain – sets off an alarm that triggers our body to produce a surge in hormones. The surge in hormones increases our blood pressure, raises our heart rate and calls for an increase in energy levels.

In the meantime, cortisol, the primary stress hormone – alters our immune system in order to cope with the situation. Our digestion, reproductive and circulatory systems get impacted as well. As a limbic system structure, the hypothalamus also influences various emotional responses such as fear.

Fortunately, once the threat has passed, the body returns to a state of equilibrium. Hormone levels, heart rate and blood pressure go back to normal levels. Our systems resume their regular activities.

Consequences When Your Body Reacts to Chronic Stress

If you are constantly perceiving threats, your body stress response is going to stay on. Your fight or flight reaction is activated all day.

Your increased levels of cortisol and other stress hormones cause an imbalance. Your body functions are not able to perform optimally. You are at risk of developing health diseases on top of experiencing anxiety, insomnia and weight problems.

Chronic stress results in an energy leakage. You feel exhausted. Should your physical health suffer, you are not going to be in the best state to bring in more income. You may find it hard to get out of bed, for instance. I remember having to nurse my colds for days and not being able to meet my appointments previously. On the contrary, even if you are able to reach the echelons of success, you could be doing so at the sacrifice of your health.

Restore Holistic Balance

“If you don’t think your anxiety, depression, sadness and stress impact your physical health, think again. All of these emotions trigger chemical reactions in your body, which can lead to inflammation and a weakened immune system. Learn how to cope, sweet friend. There will always be dark days.” Kris Carr

Granted, it appears challenging to eliminate stress altogether in today’s world. Then again, for the most part, stress arises from perception. If you can alter the way you look at things and adjust your expectations to realistic levels, you can bring down your stress levels greatly.

You may wish to start off by releasing the emotions that you have surrounding your money story. By letting go of the worry and struggle, you shift into greater ease. This also gives you the space for more clarity to arise. With increased clarity, you are in a much better position to understand what you needed to learn from your money situation.

Meditation helps. When sitting in silence, you center yourself through your breath. You are focused in the here and now – rather than dwelling in worry on your financial struggles. You are in a state of equanimity that promotes balance and well-being.

Addressing stress levels allows you to restore wellness into your life. You experience greater freedom and fulfilment from carrying a reduced psychological burden. With improved mental sharpness, you also make wiser financial decisions. You are at your optimum 🙂

Love and abundance always,

Abundance Coach | Work With Me

P.S. Do share this post on social media if you agree with me about the importance of reducing stress from money struggles.Thank you!

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