According to the American Psychological Association, chronic stress is linked to six leading causes of death: heart disease, cancer, lung ailments, accidents, cirrhosis of the liver, and suicide. More than 75% of all physician office visits are for stress-related ailments and complaints.
What happens to our bodies under stress?
Meditation for dealing with stress
Meditation decreases negative emotions, such as anxiety. A study from 2012 released by American Psychological Association looked at the benefits of mindfulness. Participants who experienced mindfulness-based stress reduction had significantly less anxiety, depression, and somatic distress than those in the control group. Their findings suggest that emotions were explored differently in the brain.
What we believe we become
Our perception changes the chemistry of our blood. Will the rain be perceived in love or with fear?
Imagine there is some person at the reception waiting to get an appointment among many other people. They close their eyes for a little bit and fall asleep. When they open their eyes, they see a person they love. Their mind holds the image of love. Their brain will release oxytocin into the blood, which is a chemical that helps us bind to the source of love that we are experiencing.
This experience of love also releases vasopressin into the blood. It helps us become more attractive to the other person (partner) so that our partner will stick with us even more. The brain also releases a growth hormone that influences our growth. All those chemicals enhance the vitality and health of the 50 trillion cells in our body. This is when the people say, “Oh, look at them - they’re glowing.”
Now imagine that the person opens their eyes and there will be somebody or something they fear; they will see something that scares them. In this state, the brain releases chemicals associated with fear, which are stress hormones and inflammatory agents, changing the chemistry of our bodies.
In this state, the cells express a protection posture, which is opposite to the growth. In this state there is no growth because the energy is allocated for fight or flight, getting ready to either fight or run from the perceived fear.
The placebo effect
It might resemble the placebo effect. The sugar cubes are only effective as long the patient thinks they have the potential to heal them. But it wasn’t the sugar pill that cured them. It was the perception and beliefs about that sugar pill.
The same consequence is there with negative belief (nocebo effect). It does have the same power as positive belief. They are both rooted in our chemistry to either feeling well and healthy or not. To feel protective or be embracing.
