Let’s face it, life is stressful. Difficult work environments, unhealthy relationships, erratic schedules, illnesses, and bereavement are just some of the reasons we experience life as stressful. Ongoing stress can leave us feeling worried, fearful or anticipating the worst.  More people report feeling anxious due to stress than ever before in our history. Living with anxiety is hard on our central nervous systems. When we are anxious, we tend to live in the ‘fight or flight’ response rather than our ‘rest and digest’ response. The ‘fight or flight’ response has evolved from being a natural survival mechanism during our prehistoric human experience to being our everyday response to life’s stressors.  

Prolonged stress and anxiety can negatively affect our:

Digestive system contributing to poor digestion, acid reflux, ulcers and inflammatory syndromes or disease,

Immune system by weakening its ability to fight infections and illnesses as well as prolong healing and recovery times; it can also trigger auto-immune responses,

Sleep pattern by interfering with our ability to fall asleep and/or stay asleep; over time this may lead to insomnia which can also negatively impact our health,

Heart health by increasing blood pressure that could over time lead to hypertension, heart attack or stroke,

Memory and Cognition leading to difficulties with short-term memory, concentration, and our ability to problem solve and make decisions,

Mood possibly resulting in irritability, depression, panic disorder or generalized anxiety.

Though life can be stressful, you do not have to suffer through it. There are tools, techniques that you can learn to live a more balanced, happier life. Along with cognitive behavioral therapy, we offer mindfulness-based therapy that includes yoga techniques to help our clients better manage living with stress and anxiety. We teach breath practices designed to soothe the soul. We also teach short meditative practices that help calm racing thoughts. And we teach movement and stretching techniques that help ground the body. Each of these practices helps us access more peace and more moments of ‘rest and digest’ in their daily lives.