The Negative Effects of Stress On Our Body...

Your palms are sweaty. Your head becomes foggy. You feel your knees shake, and you have butterflies in your stomach. You notice that your breathing is becoming shallow, and your heart begins to race. While this physiological response has happened to you so many times before, how much do you really know about stress and the Fight/ or Flight response?

Our bodies have an innate stress response (what we know as Fight or Flight, or Fight/Flight/Freeze/Fawn) that serves to protect us when there is an incoming threat. From an evolutionary standpoint, this exact response has been what has protected the human race since our creation, enabling us to escape threatening situations such as being attacked by a bear, or hunted by another tribe. But in our modern world, that response is triggered by much more subtle triggers, like a deadline at work or a fight with a family member.

Stress is ever-present in our current world, which means our bodies spend an exorbitant amount of time in a state of activation. The issue with this is that our bodies are not meant to be in this state, and staying activated is wreaking havoc on our health.

When our bodies remain in fight or flight for two long, we experience a number of chronic issues, including (but not limited to):

·      Difficulty falling and staying asleep

·      Nightmares

·      High blood pressure

·      Difficulty with food (overeating or under-eating)

·      Gastrointestinal issues

·      Anxiety and/or depression

·      Sexual dysfunction

·      Reproductive issues

·      Chronic fatigue

·      Obesity

·      Heart attack and stroke

·      Autoimmune illness

·      Cancer 

According to current research, stress is the number one cause of most illnesses, and Philadelphia is a city that is rife with stress. That’s why SELF(ISH)philly is such an important event! On September 17th, 2023, meet the top stress experts with backgrounds in a variety of different fields who will educate and inspire you to learn how to move yourself out of Fight or Flight and into Rest and Digest so that you can become your healthiest self!