How Stress Puts a Strain on Your Life

Stress. The five-letter word that all of us can relate to. From time to time, we all experience it, although differently. It can be brought about by the daily frustration of a traffic jam, the fear of meeting a deadline, or something caused by a major life event like a death in the family or a huge financial strain. Regardless of the cause, stress is a natural reaction of the body.

Stress can be good because it triggers your fight or flight instinct and can help you rise to meet challenges when working properly. It may keep you sharp during work presentations or alert enough to make you slam on the brakes to avoid a car accident.

However, beyond a certain point, stress stops being helpful and starts causing major damage to your productivity, health, mood, relationships, and quality of life. When occurring regularly or prolonged, it may result to serious consequences.

Here are some ways stress can put a strain on your life and the simple secret you can do to help fight it:

1. Stress hurts your heart.

In response to stress, the hormone cortisol is released. However, according to studies, high levels of cortisol from long-term stress can increase blood triglycerides, cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure. These are common risk factors for heart disease. Likewise, stress can also cause changes that promote the buildup of plaque deposits in the arteries.

2. Stress makes you sick.

You may notice tummy ache or cold sore to pop when you’re stressed. This is because stress suppresses the immune system, making it easier for you to get sick. In one study, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh infected volunteers with a cold virus and found that those who reported in a survey that they were coping with many stresses were twice as likely to get sick as those with fewer problems.

3. Stress affects your skin.

Have you ever noticed having a break out when you’re stressed? This is because stress causes your body to make hormones like cortisol, which pushes glands in your skin to make more oil. And we all know that oily skin is equal to being prone to acne and other skin problems, right? Moreover, if you have conditions like psoriasis or eczema, stress can even aggravate it. It may also cause hives and other types of skin rashes and trigger a flare-up of fever blisters.

4. Stress messes with your mind.

With chronic stress, our mental health is at stake. In a study published in Molecular Psychiatry, researchers found that chronic stress results in long-term changes in the brain. These changes, they suggest, might help explain why those who experience chronic stress are also more prone to mood and anxiety disorders later on in life. Not only that, but stress can also change the brain’s structure, kills brain cells, and hurts the memory.

Fighting for less stress with more vegetables.

One of the best ways to fight stress is to consume the right amount of vegetables daily. There is growing scientific evidence that suggests a link between food and mental health and apparently, daily consumption of vegetables contributes to a reduction in the prevalence of psychological distress.

The analysis had found that moderate consumption of 3 to 4 portions of vegetables daily is associated with 12% less psychological stress than that associated with the consumption of 0 to 1 portion. Experts think leafy greens boost the chemicals, serotonin and dopamine, in the brain which improves mood.

To get the right amount of recommended daily vegetable servings despite your busy schedule, go for some super green powder. Our pHresh greens® Raw Alkalizing Superfood provides 3-4 servings of raw greens in just one teaspoon. It can be easily added to water, juice, smoothie, or can be served in any fun way you like. A full spectrum alkalizing superfood blend of energy-rich vegetables, cereal grasses, and sea algaes, pHresh greens® is highly bioavailable and provides your body with a rich natural source of vitamins, trace minerals, chlorophyll, and other phytonutrients beneficial to health

This superfood powder is made with 16 raw ingredients that were carefully selected for their highly alkalizing properties and so you can be sure that you are bringing into your body only the best as you face the stress of day-to-day living!