Our modern world is filled with more stressors than we can count.

From approaching bills to global issues, we are exposed to an array of them on a daily basis. This is a stark difference to times where life was much simpler in terms of what one had access to. With our smart phones at our hands and access to the world at our finger tips, we are constantly bombarding our minds with stimuli. This stimuli can be positive or negative, this of course, is up to the individual who is consuming it. All of this stimuli though, mixed in with the daily challenges one is faced with, creates a ground for disarray. 

Unlike other mammals, humans are often left wondering and pondering. Getting lost within thoughts and worries for what was, what is and what is to come. This can become overwhelming for just about anyone, and almost all of our brains will view these worrisome thoughts as life-threatening stressors. This is due to our brain not being able to tell the difference between what is actually happening within our physical reality to what is going on within our mind.

Dr. Sapolsky discusses in his book, Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers, how unlike other mammals, we tend to sometimes sit by and allow our minds to worry about stressful things in our life. More times than not, we can become carried away within the worries of our lives, and sometimes it is not by choice. When we do this though, we are activating the same physiological response that would go off if we were being chased by a wild animal trying to eat us. If it was only for a short moment in time, it would not be that much of a concern.

The issue is that we often find ourselves worrying.
A lot.

Our lives have been curated to have us within a state or worry and disarray. We have been trained to stay in a constant grind, never truly allowing ourselves a moments rest. If we do, there is a level of hidden guilt that washes over us as we then rush to jump back to it. This constant back and forth, never allowing ourselves a moment to slow down, is what contributes to overwhelming levels of stress.

Now add in ones place within society, and you have an entirely new level of stress to deal with. The pressure that one feels to fulfill certain social duties within their communities and families can leave them completely drained.

When we are talking about stress, we have to start with how we live our lives. We have to examine the environment in which we live within. It becomes an expansive journey through yourself when you begin unraveling all the areas of your life, looking for the parts that are starting to come apart.

There are seven dimensions to wellness that come together to create your health outcomes. Those seven areas are: Physical, Emotional, Intellectual, Social, Spiritual, Environmental, and Occupational. When looking at your life, you have to go through each dimension and see where you are taking on too much or giving too much of yourself away. Start to examine what brings you stress and what brings you peace.

A study posted in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine discussed how emerging research has shown that factors, such as lifestyle choices and stress, have the ability to interact with our genetic coding in ways that can bring about a positive or negative impact on the various processes that determine how predisposed we are towards illness and wellness. The emerging field of epigenetics is opening new doors of thought as we are learning just how inter-connected everything is. To learn how lifestyle choices have the ability to rewrite genetic codes for not only an individual, but for all those generations to come after them.

Exploring your lifestyle and curating it to be that of less stress is something that not only benefits you, but your future family as well. If given the chance to set them up for success, wouldn't you take it?