How Emotions Contribute to Stress

Stress is a huge part of our day-to-day lives. In fact, it’s very normal. For many of us, it can come from making that daily commute back and forth from Nyack to the city, juggling household chores with picking the kids up on time, or failing to find moments to nourish our bodies with well-balanced diets. A buildup of all of this stress can have a negative cumulative effect on our health. Our emotional states can be thrown topsy-turvy from trying to handle all of the demands of living such hectic lives.

In a 2013 study published in the journal Psychological Science, researchers found that negative emotions tied to daily stress took a major toll on people’s long-term mental health. Those who experienced high levels of stress-related negative emotions, like feelings of hopelessness, were more likely to be diagnosed with anxiety or depression 10 years down the line. Concerns over relationship troubles, financial strain, or caring for an elderly parent are all common examples of life events that can churn up this emotional turmoil.

Develop healthy coping mechanisms

Dr. Erin Olivo writes in a 2014 article for Psychology Today: “Your stress and the related problems it causes all stem from emotions that are being ignored, denied, misunderstood, suppressed, or just poorly handled.” Olivo recounts suggesting that one patient write down what specific emotion she was feeling for one day each week. The act of just being able to name what emotion was fueling her stress helped her develop some healthy coping mechanisms.

It’s key that you understand these sources of stress in your life. It’s serious. The University of Minnesota says that stress can actually decrease a person’s life span by increasing the likelihood of cardiovascular disease, digestive disorders, accelerated aging and lowered immune function.

While it’s easy to understand why something like the anxiety that comes from running late to an important appointment can feed stress, it’s harder to know just how to cut that negativity out of your life. Cleveland Clinic reports that a big part of stress management centers on being aware of the initial signs of your stress, developing basic stress management skills and then, in turn, applying those skills to your life.

Identify emotional roots of stress

Sometimes that’s easier said than done. The emotional roots of stress can be so embedded in our lives, it’s difficult to even find exactly where they take hold. Basically, you have to take on the role of being a “stress detective,” using different methods at your disposal to find the cause.

Neuro Emotional Technique (NET) is one way. This technique pinpoints and removes the neurological imbalances that generate stress in the first place. Stress can get so bad that it leads to organ dysfunctions, persistent headaches, and phobias that prevent us from living productive lives. The goal of NET isn’t necessarily to “cure” you, but to remove the “blocks” that prevent your body from repairing itself naturally. In fact, it’s something that I personally
benefitted from in my own life. You can read more about that experience here.

At the end of the day, it’s about developing a sense of awareness about what we are feeling at any given time. It’s important that stress — and the emotions that cause it — be destigmatized. You aren’t in this alone. It’s just important to find ways to manage it and protect your health.

Dr. Kristina Wodicka is a Nyack-based holistic chiropractor who incorporates customized healing and integrative wellness techniques into her practice.