You hear the phone ring in the other room. The sound is subdued and you wonder if you’re imagining it. But it’s persistent. Ring, ring, ring…
Now you have a choice: You can either pick up the phone and find out who’s calling and why, or you can just sit there, “ignore it” and let your imagination run wild.
Even though all of us have indulged in inaction while fantasizing about the worst, the wisest response is to confront what’s trying to get our attention. This is a healthy way to address problems without inflating them—catastrophizing or overthinking, which all create anxiety. And anxiety leads to excess cortisol. As a result, you have manifested your own stressful situation and you’re experiencing “bad stress.”
Leave a message. We live in wonderful times where technology gives us more mastery of our lives. We can let voicemail pick up our calls and respond when we’re ready. This delay is valuable. You can use it to become mindful, gaining distance from the situation while cultivating objectivity, and then you can respond with a sense of control. In this way, you give yourself a better shot at the outcome you want and you spare yourself an unnecessary flood of cortisol, which over time can lead to anxiety and depression, headaches, memory and concentration problems, problems with digestion, sleep issues, and weight gain.
Is cortisol always a bad guy? Or is it just a necessary steroidal hormone that regulates our stress response; manages the use of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins; controls inflammation; maintains healthy blood pressure; increases blood sugar; controls the sleep/wake cycle; and energizes you to face stressful situations, re-establishing balance afterwards. Cortisol is necessary for life.
But high levels are often an indicator that something is wrong with your lifestyle. We live in uncertain and frenetic times, which can be perceived as exciting and stimulating, but also anxiety-producing. Your lifestyle must provide an antidote to the pressure of a high-speed culture.
The Happy Body was created to respond to these conditions so that the control lies within you. It incorporates aspects that combat an unhealthy stress response, including:
• Predictability in using the same exercise routine and food plan, which is inherently calming
• A sense of accomplishment in monitoring and achieving micro-progression, which is uplifting and satisfying
• Control in how you choose your own speed of progression and accommodation of injuries
• Built-in mindfulness in how the exercises are performed and the ethos of the food plan
Most importantly, the program emphasizes the significance of meditation and the relaxation technique as necessary tools for lowering cortisol levels.
In this way, The Happy Body practitioners are capable to control their blood pressure, inflammation, blood sugar, and weight while regulating their sleep cycle. They achieve a “healthy tiredness” that’s always partnered rejuvenation and proper nutrition within a holistic system.
So is there any “good stress?” Definitely. When it comes to building muscle, you’re stressing the body with resistance while increasing bone density. And the stress that comes with honoring the commitment to yourself to have a “date” for exercise where you always show up. Controlling yourself and the stress of embracing a healthy but perhaps new way of eating is also positive.
It’s exciting to see yourself slowly changing for the better. Say Hello! to a good stress that you’ve invited into your life and into your house – it’s a valuable guest.
