5 Ways to Stop Stress From LOWERING Your IMMUNE SYSTEM

Because your #immune system depends on your mood, having too much to do at work and home causes stress, anxiety, and a weakened immune system. Being in a perpetual state where you are constantly anxious about all the work you have to do can cause your body to produce more cortisol, which is the stress hormone. While you may have heard cortisol stresses your heart rate, it also increases your blood sugar levels. Yes, that's right, stress causes your blood sugar levels to rise just as much as a candy bar! Increased blood sugar wreaks havoc on the body as it can lead to blindness, amputations and heart disease.

Increased stress causes your brain to release adrenaline, which increases your blood pressure and that can lead to strokes.

If you're constantly stressed out, your mind will be racing until one day you feel the numbness of depression and burn-out set in. When you are depressed, you lose interest in things that matter most to you. So, what does this mean? When you're feeling low, your body will start to fight itself and things that you normally look forward to doing no longer feel important to you. Not only is your mood low, but your immune system is also compromised. It's no accident that the days you feel low are the days you get a headache or an illness.

Depression can be caused by many things, but it can be brought on by stress which causes you to lose focus on what you are doing. So what can you do to help yourself from feeling overwhelmed?

Try these tips: ·

The human mind just isn't wired for multitasking. You may be putting pressure on yourself to quickly respond to e-mails, texts, attend a phone conference call - all simultaneously, but that's not how your brain works. So, you may forget things things because you weren't fully focused and that will cause more stress. Harvard Medical School recommends that people give complete attention to one task, rather than attempting to complete a multitude of tasks immediately. If you're the type of person who puts pressure on yourself and can't rest until the work is done, you need to put limitations on what you can humanly accomplish in a workday. Otherwise, you will be working 12+ hour days and get burnout. So, don't worry about being able to finish everything at once. If your boss is expecting the work to be completed, perhaps your boss doesn't fully understand the time it takes to do your job properly.

Call and set up a time when you can have a one on one discussion with your boss. Let your leader know the amount of hours it takes to do the job properly and give specifics with what's expected in your work day. Don't focus on emotions, just give the facts. Tell your boss how many phone calls you get/make, how long it takes to do a report, etc. Add up the time it takes and show your boss. Your boss won't know unless you tell him/her.

However, if you tell your boss and you are still expected to get the impossible tasks of too much work done in a reasonable workday, then you may need to look for another job. It's unfortunate, but sometimes this is what happens in the workforce. Since a boss may never have had the job you have, they can't or won't understand the workload.

This type of work setting has a price. Stress on the job has a price. Blood pressure elevates and your blood sugar increases too.

So sometimes you just have to cut your losses and move on. If you have a talk with your boss, you will know where you stand.

If the job is making you sick, ask yourself if your life is worth what you are getting paid per hour?

Meditation is a great way to calm your nerves when you're stressed out. It can help you relax and get rid of all the negative emotions that come with it. You don't have to meditate for a long time to reap the benefits of meditation. After all, if you are busy, you probably don't have a lot of time to squeeze one more thing into your day. But if you want to be more at peace with yourself, here's a 4-minute meditation that you can fit into your busy day. No stress over the cost - it's free. Do this every day for 3 weeks and see how much better you feel. You can do this meditation right at your desk without any special equipment. You just need a willing mind to reap the benefits from this simple practice. Plus it has another benefit. It will increase your immune system. So sit back, relax and take a mind break:)

I hope you enjoyed this relaxing brain vacation. Love to hear back from you. In the meantime, check out our DVDs or Healthwise Exercise TV that offers breathing exercises in all the programs. Healthwise Exercise TV has programs for mind, body, spirit healing - so the scientifically proven exercises will boost your immune system and release stress. Click the button below and try it free for 2 weeks!

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