Transform stress with the science of the heart

Most of us realise that stress is not good for us, but often it just seems like such a normal part of everyday life that we don’t take time to really address it. However, if you knew that regular stress left unchecked can increase your risk of dying from heart-related problems by 500%, would you be more motivated? Too much stress also ups your likelihood of developing dementia by 65%, increases risk for both obesity and breast cancer, and doubles a man’s chances of developing diabetes.

The reason stress is so harmful is because as well as generating unpleasant emotional sensations, it triggers a cascade of hormones that, over time, encourage inflammation and accelerate ageing and disease risk. So if you want to be healthy and not die prematurely, you simply can’t go on ignoring stress. But finding a way to easily reduce it can be challenging.

However, I have recently discovered a new technique called HeartMath that’s scientifically-proven to not only reduce stress – but more importantly, to transform the negative emotional and physiological effects you experience at the time the stressful event occurs. This is crucial because so many stress-relieving activities – listening to music, having a warm bath etc – focus on relaxation AFTER the event. Yet by the time you wind down, you’ve probably already experienced hours of stress and its unpleasant effects. The stress hormone cortisol, for example, stays in your system for hours rather than minutes once released. So the key is learning how to transform your reaction to stress, and therefore stop the emotional and hormonal fallout that follows.

HeartMath uses a simple technique that achieves this – and comes with a whole host of positive side effects, from better sleep and energy levels to enhanced intuitive thinking and decision making.

You can find out more about this and other ways to reduce stress at my Say No to Stress: How to Beat Anxiety, Stress and Insomnia webinar on 18 November 2020 at 7pm.