. . . and you’ve probably never heard of it!
Stress is a part of our everyday life. Studying for exams, balancing the hectic social life of your children, the ever present threat of redundancy, or even in your downtime trying to keep the ball away from the trees when playing golf.
Is being stressed such a big deal?
Research is showing that when we are stressed, cortisol – known as the stress hormone- is released in the body. As stress goes up more cortisol is released into the body resulting in:
- We are less able to digest food and absorb nutrients and more likely to gain weight
- You feel increasingly irratible, and impatient
- The brains creative centre shuts down, effecting your problem solving skills and intuition
- Migrains, insomnia and lack of energy
Bruce McEwen, Ph.D director at the Rockefeller University in New York, says, “Cortisol wears down the brain, leading to cell atrophy and memory loss. It also raises blood pressure and blood sugar, hardening arteries and leading to hear disease.”
Overwhelmed
Angela had failed her driving test twice, both times nerves had got the better of her. She was in the middle of studying for her ’A’ levels, and her family were moving house at the time of her next test.
Because of the constant pressure Angela was having problems sleeping, eating and was frequently getting headaches. I spoke to her two days before her next test. Her challenges were, the fear of failure, letting herself and parents down, panicking and making silly mistakes again. Also, the pressure of her parents having to pay for more lessons and having to take time of school at a critical time building up to her exams.
Tackling negativity head on
In the session we focused on using ’tapping’ to take the charge out of the negative emotion- fight or flight symptoms, feeling sick, shaking and unable to think clearly. Using a scale of between 0-10 to measure the level of intensity, when I asked Angela to give a number, it was easily a 10.
When her mind her mind was clear and she felt calmer (the number had dropped to 2) we were able to focus on how she would like to drive on her test, be calm and confident that if anything did go wrong she would stay in control.
Angela was exstactic when she passed her driving test with only two minor faults, her driving instuctor was amazed at how calm and relaxed she was on the day of her test.
The eft session with Angela took just 40 minutes. In that time the feelings of being overwhelmed and the physical symptoms of stress were nutralized, also the session was done over the phone.
Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) Reduces Cortisol Levels More Than Any Other Intervention Tested to Date . . .
In a randomized controlled trial (the gold standard of scientific research), 83 subjects were randomly assigned to a single hour-long session of EFT, talk therapy, or rest.
What is the importance of this study?
It shows that ‘tapping’ can be used to control the release of cortisol in your body and is an ideal tool for relieving stress, instantly.
Angela was being worn down with the modern day challenges of a 17 year old. I was able to help her place the worry down and give her best effort, which, I am sure is what most people would like to do in life.
If you feel stress is playing too big a role in your life, try this remarkable technique that can tackle stress head on and is beginning to make its voice heard.
Is stress holding you back in life? What have you tried, has it helped? I welcome your feedback. Leave a comment or if you would like to speak to me in confidence pleae email me at sean@stagefrightfreedom.com