Anxiety is the scourge of our time. How to maintain the health of the body, clarity of mind and youthful skin in an era when the words “life” and “stress” can be equated? RBC Style enlisted the expertise of reputable doctors and beauty industry experts
High social status, stable income, professional fulfillment, reliable partnership in marriage and business – often behind big money, endless achievement, success and prestige is not just a lot of work, but no less stress. Yes, in a number of life situations it is not possible to avoid it. But one thing is a short-term overstrain, and quite another is a stressful situation, stretched in time for months, and sometimes even years, which threatens us with hormonal imbalance, panic attacks, as well as the formation of bodily blocks and clamps. How to deal with it? Let’s figure it out with the experts.
- Recovery of the body
- Help the nervous system
- Normalization of eating behavior
- Caring for appearance
- Relaxation Tips
How to work out the harmony of the body and head against the backdrop of stress
It should be noted right away that a short-term (or, as doctors say, transient) increase in the level of the stress hormone cortisol evolutionarily has an extremely positive effect on us and triggers biochemical processes that help mobilize internal resources, strengthen immunity and increase endurance (the “fight or flight” reaction). However, in the case of prolonged, slowly smoldering stress, for example, against the background of a breakup, a “cortisol fire” inevitably arises. According to medical statistics, the main victims of high cortisol are women. Yes, men are less likely to reflect on the topic of personal relationships, but more often they recycle. And if the beautiful half of humanity in the first place risks reproductive health and loss of youth (in this they are harmed by an excess of the hormone estrogen, which begins to be intensively produced in response to high cortisol), then men – muscle mass and testosterone (increased cortisol inhibits its production and impairs muscle protein synthesis). At the same time, both of them, against the background of hypercortisolemia, suffer from muscle spasticity (in other words, from bodily blocks and clamps), as well as depression and panic attacks.
What is the essence of any low-grade depression or panic attack? The command post is the head, that is, consciousness. However, the desire to limit the source of stress is not enough. There is also a body with its own reflexes. That is, the head gives the command, and the body reacts accordingly. And then a person may not even think about the problem that worries him: he sees or hears something, this “something” works as a trigger – and a reflex is launched. Why is it difficult for patients with depression and panic attacks to work only with psychotherapists exclusively through their heads? Because the reflex is fixed precisely at the bodily level. Therefore, it is extremely important in this case to work out the “body-head” connection, on which my method is built. Therefore, when I work contact through the body, the impulses go straight to the consciousness, and in this way we remove the panic attack from the body to the head, and not vice versa. With this model of work, everything turns out, and very quickly.
Stress can settle in the body anywhere and in any way – for example, uncomfortable sensations in the abdomen, which are disguised as intestinal colic or a sick stomach. A person often does not even understand what exactly is happening to him. If we are dealing with panic attacks, this is most often manifested in fear of the future, pathological anxiety. On a bodily level, this can feel like tightness in the chest when it is difficult to breathe in, or stiffness in the neck when it is not possible to simply turn the head. At the same time, in fact, there are no deviations as such – this is pure psychosomatics due to a reflex that managed to gain a foothold in the body. And here it is important to understand from what moment it began and what served as a trigger.
The main thing is not to abuse antidepressants. Psychotropic drugs are something that takes a person’s consciousness aside. He does not think: he just takes a pill, and he is fine. If it doesn’t help, increase the dose. A kind of addiction is formed. This will not help break the vicious circle, but will only aggravate the situation.
Manual work on the body in such cases is carried out, first of all, in the area of the solar plexus – where the intestines are located. The intestines can be called a mental organ. Remember: fear is in the stomach, “butterflies” are here. It is the intestines that give impulses to the head. In addition, we definitely include exercises from yoga therapy, where there is deep breathing, which helps to saturate the body with oxygen. This perfectly relaxes the brain, it is much easier and more positive for a person to think.
What happens when the destructive reflex leaves the body? If a person does not want to return to this, then there will be no rollback. The chances of a lasting result will increase significantly if preventive measures are taken: these can be light daily meditations, qigong, sessions of craniosacral therapy or osteopathy. My method is, in fact, a compilation of all these techniques.
In connection with the current situation, the number of patients who find it difficult to come to an appointment in person due to closed borders, transport difficulties and other negative factors has increased. Therefore, there was a request for remote online work. In normal times, I work in person, but there are situations when you can quite successfully solve a number of pressing issues remotely. In the basic version, this is a three-day course, which in many ways will resemble a session of psychotherapeutic work. Without contact, you can perfectly work out fears, as well as the very harmony of the body and head, on which the balance in the body and spiritual comfort depend, which is so necessary today for everyone.
How to calm the mind in a stressful situation
Stress accompanies us through life. In part, it performs the extremely important role of accelerated adaptation to changes due to the impact on the hormonal system – in fact, we are mobilized and can use the body’s reserves to solve any problem in the short term.
The main mechanisms in this case are the production of the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol, as well as the neurotransmitter of the nervous system norepinephrine. However, their synthesis implies physical activity. Conditionally: something happened, as a result of which we are in danger, and due to these hormones, we have the strength to do something quickly: run away, jump over the fence, climb a tree, join the fight. That is, to produce some serious physical work.
But most often this does not happen, and problems appear when we experience long-term stress, which we cannot realize in any way. The classic scenario for most of us is to become discouraged and in an inert state. At the same time, external circumstances or our relationships in the family or at work can lead to aggravation of stress, while the body experiences an acute lack of movement. As a result, the aforementioned hormones begin to have a negative effect on the body. Among the most common manifestations of such chronic stress are reduced concentration and irritability. I’m sure this situation is familiar to everyone. How can you help yourself?
Movement and breathing exercises
Under stress at the level of physiology, a whole complex of protective mechanisms is manifested: clamped trapezoid muscles, slightly raised shoulders, stiffness in the upper chest. The consequence of this is the formation of bodily blocks and superficial shallow breathing. As a result, stiffness appears in movements, and due to shallow breathing, the body is less saturated with oxygen. In order to successfully cope with these negative conditions, physical activity in combination with breathing exercises is necessary.
Any cyclic load will have a beneficial effect – intensive walking, cardio training, cycling, jogging (provided that the running technique is correctly set) – everything that brings the muscle and circulatory systems into tone and, accordingly, helps to utilize stress hormones.
Any breathing techniques – even if we are talking about the classical scheme of full inhalation and full exhalation – will also have a very beneficial effect on the removal of blocks in the chest, intercostal muscles and back muscles. This is sometimes referred to as “full yogic breathing”. Over and over again, the constrained muscles will return to their normal state.
Discipline of the mind
We are talking about a long (5 minutes) meditation with concentration either on some object or on breathing. Even elementary basic meditation techniques are great to help get out of the vicious circle when we feel stiffness in a stressful state.
Stretching
Lack of mobility and flexibility in certain parts of the body is another marker of excessive nervous tension. Stretching will help. But made not at random, but with the mind. If we understand that due to prolonged stress, a limitation of mobility has appeared, then along with exercises and physical activity, we can add exercises to stretch the parts of the body that require it. So, we will restore their mobility and remove excessive hypertonicity. Stretching always means relaxing the muscles. Again, you need to understand which part of the body needs to be stretched, and which one to strain, so as not to weaken what is already in a weak state. Stretching alone is not worth doing, even if after it there is a feeling of relief. Be sure to combine it with loads so that the muscles work in full amplitude: both shrink and stretch.
How to normalize eating behavior in conditions of nervous strain
By and large, any action that knocks us out of the usual rut is stressful, regardless of its perception. And the body responds to this by producing special substances – stress hormones. Key among them is cortisol produced by the adrenal glands. This hormone can be compared to a traffic controller: it is released at the moment of danger (whether real or imaginary), makes glucose stay in the blood longer, interferes with its uptake by cells, increases brain activity and activates immune and anti-inflammatory processes. In a word, it quickly prepares us to effectively counter an attack from outside. But in a situation of constant unrealizable stress that most modern people experience, cortisol turns from a savior into an executioner. Normally, in nature, stress rarely becomes a permanent factor, therefore, the described biochemical “storm” quickly subsides. But if the situation lasts for a long time, the body continues to maintain emergency mode. As a result, we, subconsciously following the evolutionary program, are trying to compensate for the changes – we give the body additional nutrition, since the feeling of hunger is exacerbated due to impaired glucose uptake, and we begin to give preference to fatty and high-carbohydrate foods. But since there is no objective need for this, excess calories are stored in the form of fat. A complex mechanism is set in motion that sooner or later leads to obesity, chronic inflammation and metabolic syndrome, accompanied by a number of dangerous conditions, such as type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease and oncology. The body continues to maintain emergency mode. As a result, we, subconsciously following the evolutionary program, are trying to compensate for the changes – we give the body additional nutrition, since the feeling of hunger is exacerbated due to impaired glucose uptake, and we begin to give preference to fatty and high-carbohydrate foods. But since there is no objective need for this, excess calories are stored in the form of fat. A complex mechanism is set in motion that sooner or later leads to obesity, chronic inflammation and metabolic syndrome, accompanied by a number of dangerous conditions, such as type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease and oncology.
The body continues to maintain emergency mode. As a result, we, subconsciously following the evolutionary program, are trying to compensate for the changes – we give the body additional nutrition, since the feeling of hunger is exacerbated due to impaired glucose uptake, and preference is given to fatty and high-carbohydrate foods. But since there is no objective need for this, excess calories are stored in the form of fat. A complex mechanism is set in motion that sooner or later leads to obesity, chronic inflammation and metabolic syndrome, accompanied by a number of dangerous conditions, such as type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease and oncology. since the feeling of hunger is aggravated due to a violation of the absorption of glucose, and we begin to give preference to fatty and high-carbohydrate foods. But since there is no objective need for this, excess calories are stored in the form of fat. A complex mechanism is set in motion that sooner or later leads to obesity, chronic inflammation and metabolic syndrome, accompanied by a number of dangerous conditions, such as type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease and oncology. since the feeling of hunger is aggravated due to a violation of the absorption of glucose, and we begin to give preference to fatty and high-carbohydrate foods. But since there is no objective need for this, excess calories are stored in the form of fat. A complex mechanism is set in motion that sooner or later leads to obesity, chronic inflammation and metabolic syndrome, accompanied by a number of dangerous conditions, such as type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease and oncology.
Unfortunately, it is extremely difficult to get out of a state of chronic stress (and therefore normalize weight) – according to statistics, 80-90% of people who have lost extra pounds regain what they lost after a few years. Again, it’s all about our biology: foods high in fat and sugar, on the one hand, reduce anxiety, on the other hand, provoke physiological changes in brain structures, causing addiction. Therefore, the abolition of such a “delicious diet” in itself leads to stress. This plunges a person into an endless cycle leading to obesity.
It is clear that we cannot remove the negative stressful background, nor can we change our biological essence. However, you should try to use the same biological possibilities and break the cycle of “anxiety – weight gain.” To do this, you should use the principles of integrative medicine, in particular Mayer therapy, which focuses on maintaining good digestion and general tone, directly linking them with stress resistance.
To understand the importance of food in Dr. Mayer’s concept of health, just look at the basic formula of health: proper nutrition = good food + proper digestion. The founder of Mayer therapy, Austrian doctor Franz Mayer, considered the human body as a machine, the motor of which is not the heart at all, but the stomach. It is from the stomach that the correct operation of the entire machine depends. The “motor” must be regularly detoxified and kept functioning with proper nutrition.
The reward for a healthy lifestyle is great – a high energy potential, clarity of mind, beautiful skin and hair, strong immunity, and, of course, an increase in the duration and quality of life. Yes, Dr. Mayer’s diet has certain limitations. However, they have nothing to do with the tasteless “dietary table” familiar to us from some unfortunate sanatoriums.
The classic Meyer therapy formula consists of three components: light vegetables that do not cause bloating; easily digestible protein (e.g. turkey or rabbit) and no hidden allergens (gluten, lactose). Gentle cleansing, light and nutritious food and the exclusion of allergens improves the functioning of the entire gastrointestinal tract. After that, the work of other organs improves, the skin is cleansed, energy balance is restored and mood improves.
