Part 3: Stress is the enemy of your immune system
https://anchor.fm/axiomwellness/episodes/Part-3-Stress-is-the-enemy-of-your-immune-system-eso1dl
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Summary
Did you know that stress is a trigger to your immune system? Finding ways to manage your stress is just another tool you can use to support your immune system. I cover some potentially overlooked, yet easy and surprising ways to boost your immune system.
Transcription
Welcome back to Immune support part 3. Today I will be hitting your immunity from a different angle! You most likely know that stress plays a damaging role in your health, even if it’s good stress! When you are stressed the immune system could tank, dip, or become compromised. Corticosteroid, a stress hormone when released, suppresses the effectiveness of our immune system. Also when we are stressed we may use some not so great coping skills such as drinking, smoking, and eating unhealthy comfort foods which indirectly lowers our immune health. And that is why today I will be discussing positive ways to reduce stress.
As a kid my mother used to tell me that, the ocean heals all things that ail you. I believed the ocean had magical healing powers. I still see it as magical, in how it can calm and soothe me. I crave the ocean in the middle of the winter. I could never live in a place that didn’t have an ocean close by, as fresh water unfortunately doesn’t have the same effect on my body although sciencetifically it should. I recognize fresh water has the same effect for others though. When I feel as if negativity has taken over, I head to the beach to let it suck the negativity out of me.
As I’ve since learned my mom wasn’t wrong. Come to find out it can actually help with skin conditions like eczema, wound healings, psoriasis, and some research says it’s antiseptic. It’s also said to help inflammation, sinus issues, allergies, immunity, muscle recovery, and supports the respiratory system. Swimming is not only meditative, it also can support the body to repair itself, and helps with circulation.
Being out in nature is scientifically proven to reduce stress, depression, anxiety, and induced happiness and positivity. Stanford and Harvard researchers found that nature is the best and more potent antidepressant! Another study shows that exercise is more influential for depression than pharmacotherapy. Walking barefoot at the beach, park, or backyard grounds you. It has the ability to psychologically trigger a state of calm and relaxation. It’s said to wash away pain. Spiritually it is said to balance our energy, ground, cleanse, recharge, clear negativity, nurture, and revitalize us.
Negative ions are abundant in nature, but specifically by running water like the ocean, waterfalls, rivers, and not surprisingly in the mountains. Negative ions are better for us than positive ions. When positive ions overwhelm a room, people start to feel nausea, uneasy or get headaches. Negative ions neutralize free radicals, they help with cell metabolism, they boost immune function, purify the blood, balance the nervous system, which helps with better sleep and digestion.
When the body has too much negative energy it can take over. Negativity can create dis-ease in the body. The ocean can transmute that negativity and replace it with positivity and love! It’s the sand in your toes, the sounds of the waves, the smell of the salty air, and the wind blowing in your hair, the heat of the sun or the cold crisp air nipping at your cheeks that all combines to uplift your soul!
You know what else works? That hot buzz word … meditation. But meditation might not be what you think it is. It’s not just about sitting quietly with your legs crossed chanting OM. Although it can be if that piques your interest, and it is an incredibly useful pose, but I know it’s not for everyone. Mediation has a variety of forms. For years the only way I could meditate was in bed right before I went to sleep listening to a guided meditation. Then I was introduced to Binaural Beats which is a favorite of mine. You can listen to instrumental music, chanting, drumming, or crystal bowls to meditate as long as you find it is calming and not a total distraction. You can sit in a chair, lay in a bed, vibe next to a tree in your backyard, or even stand to meditate.
The definition of meditation is “the act of giving your attention to only one thing, either as a religious activity or as a way of becoming calm and relaxed.” Other sources define it as simply being present, and allowing some time to be mentally quiet. When I first started 5 or 6 years ago I was told ideally, you work yourself up to having little or no thoughts bombarding you. But honestly that definition only fits if that’s what you are after.
For me, I quiet myself for a short time, and wait for introspective and intuitive thoughts to come in. So I only briefly quiet the mental chatter. Even after years of meditating my mind cannot be quiet for very long, and that’s ok. In the beginning my meditation was plagued with negative thoughts that provoked my anxiety. Or I went over the day’s activities, or worse I overanalyzed past situations trying to come up with better comebacks. Eventually I was able to tune those negative things out, which inturn lowered my already sky high anxiety. I firmly believe trying to quiet my negativity at night has directly led to my anxiety being almost nonexistent.
It took awhile, but I can now shut my brain down, be quiet, feel comfortable there, and allow in intuitive messages. Please don’t be overly critical or too hard on yourself if you aren’t there yet. Practice and patience help this gradual transition.
This may surprise you but painting, singing, crocheting, knitting, drawing, humming, sewing, writing out your tasks for the next day, counting, walking, swimming, chopping vegetables, showering, reading, breathing in essential oils or putting them in a diffuser, sitting and listening to your favorite song, gardening, listening to the birds outside, or even decluttering just one room are all forms of meditation.
Mediation benefits are extraordinary! adds more hours to your day, you may feel more connected, happy, grateful, and/or appreciative of your life.
Physically it improves brain functioning and brainwaves, reduces physical and mental stress, reduces the aging process, improves metabolism, you may feel more restful sleep, it supports cardiovascular health, increases energy, decreases blood pressure, reduces pain and tension, supports your breathing and heart rate, helps you lose weight, and increases immunity.
Emotionally it enhances self-awareness, promotes emotional health, generates kindness, and conscious perception, may reduce anxiety, depression, and stress, support feelings of balance, boosts your overall mood, increases your attention span, productivity, memory, and learning, and may help fight addiction.
Guided and Visual Meditations bring your focus to your body and breath. It helps you relax which can bring a sense of well-being into your life. Meditation doesn’t have to be hard or a chore, find something that works for you. Once you do, it’s an excellent way to focus and wipe away the day’s stress and bring you some inner peace. There are millions of guided meditations on the internet and YouTube. Find one that speaks to you, start small, and work your way up. Find a meditation that is 2 or even 5 minutes and listen to that at any point in the day. Remember it doesn’t have to be a chore, allow yourself a few minutes each day to destress without judgement of how long or what you do. You can even listen to the birds sing, crickets chirp, ocean waves, or whatever draws your attention. I added a few links to meditations in my google doc, you can find it in the description.
My second favorite buzzword I’m including in this podcast is self-care. As much as it’s an overused term right now it is also needed more than ever. We need to take care of ourselves in order to take care of others because let’s face it if you are listening to me you probably were known as the mom in your group of friends at some point, you are an empath, medium, psychic or a healer, maybe do yoga or use oils, you’re a wife and/or mom, you are known for stellar advice, and take care many people in a variety of ways. And guess what we cannot help someone else if we are dragging, empty, filled with negativity, or worse sick.
As moms of littles or women, in general, we often lose ourselves, what’s important beyond our family, and the hobbies or passions that drive us. We become so wrapped up in raising a family that everything else that isn’t critical falls away for a certain period of time until we snap back to our senses.
Did you know that crafting is scientifically proven to calm anxiety, lift moods, and help hand-eye coordination? It doesn’t have to be complicated, long, meaningful, or overly draining. Crocheting a few rows, cross stitching 4 x’s, making lotion, lip balm, a scarf, bead a bracelet, painting rocks, or even coloring is good for calming the brain. Doing things with your hands helps to quell the fire that burns in our overthinking brains. Crafts like beading, painting, crocheting, coloring, knitting, drawing, sculpting or scrapbooking are actually a form of meditation! So have you been meditating all along and just didn’t know it?
Long story short creativity is good for you, it counts as both meditation and self-care! So what do you say? Let’s take care of ourselves!
Holistic Mystic D 