Adrenal Glands and Your Self Care

The ability for a human being to adapt to its environment and to deal with the many ongoing challenges and changes it faces is the hallmark of a healthy body. That we can withstand day-to-day events that challenge our nervous systems, and subsequently our immune systems, is an expression that our body is working efficiently.

Stress and Your Glands

Understanding the connection between how events affect our stress adaptation system, primarily the adrenal glands, and how the adrenal’s hyper-secretions during stress can create havoc with the digestive and immune systems, is important in health coach certification so we can make informed lifestyle choices that preserve and respect our body and our long term health.

Sources of Wear and Tear

Most of us do not know what stressors are. We tend towards the idea that emotional upset is what constitutes stress. However, there are 12 major categories of stress explored in the health coach certification that can impact our body and health. Unfortunately, we are subject to these stressors on a regular basis which is why self-care
is so important. A stressor is any activity or event which requires the body to change or adapt to maintain its homeostasis, or balance. Therefore, it becomes essential to know the factors we must be mindful of in order to keep our stress levels in check.

Here are the stressors to be aware of in your day-to-day life:

> Weather: exposure to heat and cold
> Insufficient sleep and rest
> Infection or silent inflammation in the body
> Allergies: all types
> Dental or medical procedures and surgeries
> Reproduction (women): menstrual cycle, pregnancy, breast feeding, menopause
> Sexual Activity (both genders)
> Nutrition: too much or non-nutritious
> Exertion and exercise: too much or not enough
> Trauma: any form
> Fear, anxiety, worry: ongoing
> Loss or grief

Coping Techniques

By keeping your stress levels low, and focusing on your whole health self care, you will reduce wear and tear on your body parts, which in the long term will lead to less chronic illness and disease. It is not the stress itself that makes you sick, but the ongoing wear on the body that causes dysfunction and dis-ease. Fortunately, there are many ways to reduce stress and maintain a balanced nervous system. While the list is endless here are some of the most popular ways to reduce overall stress levels:

> Exercise
> Music
> Yoga
> Sports
> Gardening

Each person finds their best way to relax and de-stress. It is something we all need to do on a regular basis to balance our nervous systems and stay healthy! With your health coach certification, you can help others do the same.