Overview
We’re up against a chronic epidemic: stress. In fact, it’s estimated that 80% or more of doctors’ visits are due to illnesses related to stress.
This can come in many different forms. Socioeconomic stress is a real burden for many people, as is the stress of taking care of several generations within a family, or meeting the demands of our jobs. Stress can also come in the form of bad food and poor or inadequate sleep, which send negative signals to the brain that produce stress hormones.
That doesn’t mean we’re stuck with stress though. Today on The Doctor’s Farmacy, I’m joined by my good friend Dr. Rangan Chatterjee to look at the many sides of stress and all the actions we can take to stop it in its tracks.
Dr. Chatterjee and I dive into the far-reaching topic of stress with some new and inspiring perspectives. He feels many cases of stress, or just a general state of discontent, are due to passion deficiency. When we make an effort to include things we love in our everyday lives the benefits are tenfold; we are happier, healthier, more present, and more resilient to stress.
We also have the power to change our perception of stress. Taking a different mindset about the things in life that stress us out, acknowledging what we have the power to control and what we can’t, and not giving away our personal power to others through our reactions are all major steps towards managing stress in a healthier way.
Human touch is another component of health and stress reduction that is usually underappreciated. Science has shown that touch, massage, hugging, and physical acknowledgment, in general, help us release the feel-good hormones that keep us more prone to relaxation and stronger in the face of stress.
We talk about so many really important aspects of managing stress. I hope you’ll tune in and make stress reduction part of your New Year’s health goals.
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