Why Good Experiences Can Be Causes of Stress

A wedding, the birth of a baby, a vacation in Italy, watching your favorite team play in the playoffs... these are all good life events that also have the potential to cause stress! For anyone who has planned a wedding, it's not hard to imagine how the desire of wanting everything to go perfectly could cause stress! The birth of a baby is an exciting and joyous occasion! However, the sleepless nights and learning how to care for another human is a major cause for stress. Planning the "perfect" vacation, and being on the edge of your seat while watching your team compete can also produce stress responses in the body.

The body will trigger a stress response if there has been a disruption in daily routines and normal interactions, and if there is increased pressure to live up to perceived expectations. This stress response throws off our physical and mental equilibrium. Chances are, muscles will become tense, the heart rate will increase, and the mind will become intensely focused and engaged at the risk of letting other things slide (which is another cause of stress!).

Below is a link to a stress test. If you have more stress in your life than you thought, and you want to find more balance, reflexology is proven to be a stress buster! I've written other blogs about stress and how reflexology helps. I encourage you to check them out!

https://www.dartmouth.edu/~eap/library/lifechangestresstest.pdf