Are you stressing your way to cancer? A new report illustrates how the stress hormone norepinephrine accelerates the formation of tumours and facilitates the growth of existing tumours. As evidence mounts showing the chronic health effects of stress from cancers to strokes, and heart disease to diabetes, it has become more and more obvious that stress minimisation is vital for health and wellbeing.
Now usually when I talk to one of my friends about stress minimisation they roll their eyes look at me like the latent hippie that I am but it need not be so weird. Meditation, yoga and reiki may not be for everyone, but the good news is that they don't need to be. In order to de-stress your life, all you need to do is find a healthy activity that you enjoy doing - and that makes you feel relaxed.
For me, this might mean going for a walk, playing cricket, reading a book or going fishing, but for you it might mean something totally different.
Remember though, there are many things that stimulate the stress response in your body, including poor food choices, poor postures, stressful physical activities and thought patterns. So make sure that whatever you are doing to try and reduce stress isn't actually inadvertently creating more of it! This means that gorging on a chocolate cake because it makes you feel good is out, as is sitting in front of the TV for an entire day.
The most important part of this process is to make sure that you schedule some time to de-stress. It can't be something that you try to do if you 'get time', because for most people that time will never come. You need to set a special time aside, without interruptions, where you can totally and fully relax.
So turn off the mobile, leave the laptop at home and just relax. You will not only feel better, but you will be healthier too.
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