ha ha! this is me, looking stressed!

I am astounded every day at the amount of people I meet and immediately I can identify that they are feeling stressed. The funniest thing happens when I ask them “are you stressed?”, I almost always get the response “NO!” . Then they stop to ponder a little and say “well, my job is busy, but I like it that way.” Here’s the thing – stress of any kind does evil things to the body. Stress of any kind lessens normal body function. Stress of all kinds affects fertility. This is the bottom line.

Here is another thing. It’s all good and well for me as a practitioner to say “stress less and be happy” but let’s be real here. The way the majority of people live their lives is jam packed full of stress and pressure. It’s almost like we have been genetically modified to work this way in 2010. Now I know if I could have all my patients stop work, live in a Bali Beach hut, sipping on fresh juices, eating raw foods and meditating all day they would more than likely fall pregnant in a tick. The thing is, it is not very often possible for this to happen. With this in mind I have a new mantra. ‘I can’t always change stress, but I can treat the body to lessen it’s impact,’ . With this mantra in the forefront of my mind I am on on a mission because I know that reduction of stress increases fertility ten fold.

Oh, and before I hear one more person say “but I’m not stressed!” I’m going to stop you right there. We all need to recognise that stress comes packed in all different shapes and sizes. Being busy, under the pump, under pressure, meeting deadlines, financial woes, working long hours, trying to have a baby, being told you’re ‘supposedly infertile’ (more than often NOT the case), IVF, being a parent, disliking your job, eating poorly, exercising less, being unhappy, living, breathing, walking… can all be stressful things. We all need a bit of “stress” in our lives to keep our bodies and minds working – but there are different types of stressors.

This is why it is so important to not sweat the small stuff, because it is stressful and it is certainly having an impact on your health. Working out what is worth worrying about and what will work itself out is essential for healthy living. All good for me to say, right? Wrong. It is my job to make you aware. I see my role as helping you how to make distinctions between the stresses in your life.

Every day in the clinic I treat the effects that stress has on the body. Sometimes, lifestyle changes aren’t quite enough to allow the body to function better, nevertheless they are still important to maintain. I’m encouraging patients now days to pear things right back, to live more simply and gain better health.

Couple this with a healthy attitude, a great diet and a simpler lifestyle, and you’re on the road to bigger and better things!

I can’t take away your life stresses but I can show you ways to assist your body in coping with the bad, everyday stress, which will lead to a healthier, happier you.

5 Things to do right now to reduce stress:

1. Have regular acupuncture, massage, osteo/chiro or the treatment of your choice. You can’t afford not to. Literally.
2. Laugh as much as you manage. Spend time with those you love, or do things you love that make you happy. E.V.E.R.Y D.A.Y.
3. Sleep. Get at minimum 7 hours, and make at least one of those hours before midnight.
4. Walk. Everyday, even if just for 10 minutes.
5. Think good thoughts. This is much easier to do when in the right headspace -having done steps 1-4!