Everyone leads busy lives with different responsibilities and hardships. This can sadly create a lot of reasons to be stressed.

While stress is commonly thought of as affecting your mind, it carries very real physical effects, as well.

WHAT IS STRESS, EXACTLY?

Stress is a common emotion that we all have felt. It is marked by feelings of mental and emotional or physical tension.

This can affect your emotions with heightened levels of anxiety, depression, and anger, but it can also affect your physical sensations.

There is a proven connection between the mind and body that is undeniable.

The physical effects of stress can result in these feelings:

Muscle tension
Body aches
Oxidative stress

Obesity
Heart disease
Skin issues

Stress can be acute (short-lived) or chronic (reoccurring or long-lasting).

Understanding how stress affects your body makes learning the best methods of stress management easier.

THIS IS WHAT STRESS DOES TO YOUR BODY

When you get stressed out, you feel frazzled – but that doesn’t encompass all of the negative traits that stress puts your body through.

Here are just a few ways that stress affects your body:

Stress lowers your immunity.

The immune system has a natural inflammatory response as white blood cells fight off foreign entities and bacteria that enter the bloodstream.

Stress can have two effects on the immune system:

it can cause the system to over-respond with long-lasting, chronic inflammation
or it can mute your immune response, leaving you vulnerable to infection.

Stress makes sleeping more difficult.

Stress begins in the brain.

In response to stress, the brain will trigger the production of epinephrine (or adrenaline) and cortisol.

These create fast-acting responses in the body to help provide the body with more energy to keep the body on high alert.

Also, stress can cause perseveration, or the continual repetition of thoughts.

This will definitely prevent sleep.

High levels of cortisol can wire the brain and body, making it much more difficult to fall asleep and rest.

Stress can increase your pain sensitivity.

As we said earlier, stress affects your immune responses and can heighten inflammation in the body.

This inflammation can cause many negative issues, from worsened pain to chronic inflammatory issues like joint stiffness and digestive problems.

Stress can also sensitize receptors to fire at a lower threshold.

That is, less of a stimulus can make a pain fiber act.

This means you feel more pain in general.

Stress can affect your memory.

Oxidative stress from damaging free radicals and outside stressors can lead to brain fog.

Brain fog is typically characterized by difficulties with memory, mental clarity, and focus. In addition, the human brain can only focus on 3-4 things well at any given time.

If most of your brainpower is being used to create and manage stress, you can’t focus enough on other things to even start to create memories.

MANAGE YOUR SYMPTOMS

Stress doesn’t just go away, though it would be lovely if it could – but there a few ways you can manage stress.

First, make sure to nourish your body!

Stress-eating is a very real response, but try to focus on giving your body good fuels rather than processed sugars and fatty, carbohydrate-dense foods.

Drink lots of water and eat plenty of fresh, nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables.

Next, get outside if you can.

Physical activity is necessary to your overall health, whether you are getting light exercise or a high-burn workout.

Take some time to enjoy the outdoors, the sunshine, and the fresh air.

Our last tip is sometimes the hardest one: focus on the good.

Stress can make it easy to compound negative emotions.

Take small steps to center on the positive elements of your life to promote better wellbeing.

The core of cognitive behavioral therapy is changing how you approach life to a more positive method.

It does work, and it is very powerful to be thankful and have good thoughts first.

RELIEVE SYMPTOMS OF STRESS WITH OUR SURGEON-DESIGNED PRODUCTS

At The Healing Sole, we have plenty of ways for you to combat stress with products designed by orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Meredith Warner.

Our specially-designed footwear from The Healing Sole combines features that offload stress from the feet.

This way, every step you take actively relieves tension in the muscles of your feet and lower legs, leaving you pain-free all day.

SHOP OUR PALMER FLIP FLOPS

Pair this with our naturally-formulated Well Theory products for stress relief from the inside out!

Our Brain Booster Multi targets oxidative stress in the brain by blocking free radicals and outside stressors. This makes focus, memory, and cognitions easier.
Our Herbal Immunity Supplements can help to fight off the effects of stress on your immune system with natural immunity boosters, like echinacea, elderberry, and quercetin.

These are a few of the products we offer to help you fight off stress and its effects while enhancing your overall wellness.

CBD is also a fantastic way to manage stress.

CBD is a natural anti-inflammatory and neuroprotectant. Regular supplementation can help to improve your sleep, lower stress, and relieve pain and inflammation in the body!

We have several options available over at Well Theory.

Choose your perfect method of CBD supplementation

including our broad-spectrum oil tincture
our mess-free full spectrum soft gels
or our spray lotion for on-the-go relief from muscle tension.

Stress is natural, yes – but you don’t have to live with its effects. Order our products today to strengthen your defenses and help live a stress-free life!