Because of everything that’s going on in the world right now, many people are experiencing stress and its side effects on the body and mind. In this episode, I discuss the causes of toxic stress and offer a few suggestions for dealing with it.

Highlights

Toxic stress often starts early in childhood and continues throughout life. This can lead to many physical and emotional problems.Most major diseases are caused by stress. I give examples.Stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol are meant to be released for short periods. When you’re under constant stress it wears out body parts and systems.You can teach yourself to manage stress, but first you have to make the decision to do it.If you’re always trying to make things happen rather than allowing things to happen, that can cause stress.When you feel uptight that’s a signal that you are responding to the external world in an unhealthy way.Notice when you feel contracted. That’s when you’re under stress. Take a deep breath and imagine you’re expanding.It’s the pushing to make things happen and to reach specific goals that cause a problem.Wanting to be the best parent and being hyper-vigilant about your children’s activities can cause stress.You get to decide how you want to respond to the stressors in your life.If you decide to treat yourself differently and do things like eliminating negative self-talk, within a year or two you’ll feel entirely different from the way you feel now.If you’re taking responsibility for other people’s feelings or outcomes, that’s a stressor.When you’re with people, look for commonalities not differences.Having more money is not going to solve your problems. As a matter of fact, it often causes more problems.

Having body work done is a way of reducing some stress.