abuse and addiction

Tag Archive for abuse and addiction

Don’t Let Chronic Stress Be A Killer

July 26, 2021 John Uncategorized No comments

On any given day life is at least somewhat stressful. Let it go on too long and something’s got to give.

Here GenuLines gives you a look at how the situation can turn deadly.

Don’t Let Chronic Stress Be A Killer

Your body is hard-wired to react to stress. This protects you from potential threats.

The predators and aggressors of long ago are long gone. But you still face daily demands that make your body react in much the same way.

What Is It?

Some see stress as feeling overwhelmed, worried, run down, or anxious. It affects most everyone regardless of age, gender, socioeconomic standing, or circumstances.

Some stress is beneficial because it produces a boost of energy allowing us to get things done.

Healthy management skills can help. But this isn’t always the case.

And extreme and chronic pressure can have severe health consequences.

Chronic Defined?

Chronic stress is something that you deal with day after day for long periods of time.

This can be poverty or dysfunctional family dynamics. It could be an unhappy or abusive marriage, or a hated job.

It feels as though you have no way out of a miserable situation and you give up on searching for a solution.

How It Kills

Chronic stress can lead to a multitude of health problems including: addictions.

Concentration

A University of Maryland Medical Center study found that chronic stress affects concentration. It hurts your ability to react to situations.

You may have more accidents and be more forgetful, too.

Digestive Disorders

Digestion is a lower body priority when you respond to stress. Because of this, chronic stress can contribute to many digestive disorders.

Think bloated stomach, cramping, constipation, acid reflux, ulcers, and inflammatory bowel disease.

Increased Risk Of Heart Problems

There’s more from that University of Maryland Medical Center, mentioned earlier. Links to chronic stress included higher heart attack risk, heart disease, and stroke.

Your heart rate increases and this can constrict your arteries. Your blood thickens, which affects heart rhythms.

Lowered Immune System

Stress lowers your body’s ability to fight an infection. When it’s chronic it leaves you more susceptible to infections and severe colds and flu, and it ramps up the tension even more..

Relationships

Chronic stress affects sleep patterns, leaving you feeling irritable, fatigued, and over reactive. Depression is also a common occurrence.

These negative emotions and mental health issues often lead to a lowered quality of life. And they make interacting with others a challenge.

Skin, Hair And Teeth Problems

Coping with chronic stress also leads to hormonal imbalances. It’s linked to eczema, acne, hives, psoriasis, rosacea, hair loss, and gum disease.

Smaller amounts of distress are normal. You’re never going to be free of them..

But this doesn’t mean that you have to live a life feeling bogged down with constant concern. Identify what areas of your life are the culprits.

Then see what changes you can make.

JohnK 7-26-2021

chiforyourself.com home

Overheard: “A crust eaten in peace is better than a banquet partaken in anxiety.”

~Aesop

The True Impact of Addiction

March 8, 2021 John Uncategorized No comments

Society is struggling with addictions of various types. We think of it as harming the individual.

But as GenuLines will show you, the effects of addiction have far-reaching consequences.

(Listen to this post by clicking here)

Or, click on below:

The True Impact of Addiction

People with addictions often assume that their dependency won’t harm others. But addiction can harm you and your community.

* Physical Harm –

Most additions have something to do with drugs, food, or other substances. These can harm your physical health.

And sometimes the physical health of those around you. For example, second-hand cigarette smoke harms anyone around it.

And the chemicals left behind on surfaces also continue to do harm.

* Your Career –

Addiction gets in the way of your work life, even if you think it’s not. You won’t be as productive as others and you’ll call in sick more often.

And if you think no one knows what’s going on, guess again.

* Emotional Toll –

Dependency on something bad for you makes you feel powerless to stop it. The guilt can be worse than anything.

*Hurting Your Finances –

You spend money that’s not in your budget, whether it’s for gambling or cocaine. Even a coffee habit might impact your finances.

* Your Freedom –

You could base all your choices on whether you can have that thing you’re addicted to or not. At some point, you avoid social activities.

And you stick to places that can let you better engage in your addiction.

* Romantic Relationships –

Addiction requires lying and deception. When your partners find out, they’re usually not too happy about it.

They might break up the relationship. Or if they’re also damaged, they may stay in it and you’ll both be miserable.

* Friendships –

Challenges to your friendships will be a lot like those in your love life. (Though much faster)

Friends will lose interest in you with drama in your life. They may love you, but they’re powerless to help.

* Harming Those You Don’t Even Know –

Your habit can harm others even if you don’t know them. For example, driving under the influence.

Or going bankrupt due to gambling debts. Both contribute to problems in your community.

* Impact on Your Community –

A community struggling with addiction will become less desirable to live in. The people who can do so will leave.

If you see yourself in any of this get professional help. Especially for physical or emotional issues.

You can develop good habits to replace bad ones. The solution might be as clear as cleaning up some bad habits.

JohnK 3-8-2021

chiforyourself.com home

Overheard: “My recovery must come first so that everything I love in life doesn’t have to come last”

~Anonymous

Article image by Michal Jarmoluk from Pixabay

Notes to Start the Week- October 14th, 2013

October 14, 2013 John Uncategorized No comments

We start out this week by saying Happy Thanksgiving to our friends in Canada!!

…and, don’t forget this week’s guest will be talking to us on Wednesday at 1pm Pacific time. You’ll be able to hear Kuwana Haulsey discussing motherhood and her book Everything I Needed To Know I Learned From My Six-Month Old when you visit the chiforyourself.com ‘Start’ page.

The scheduled guest for October 24th (Thursday) is Erica Tucci, author of Radiant Survivor: How to Shine and Thrive through Recovery from Stroke, Cancer, Abuse, Addiction and Other Life-Altering Experiences.

And I promised to tell you about a show planned for later this month- In fact, on Halloween. Our scheduled guest will be Echo Bodine. Echo is the author of What Happens When We Die: A Psychic’s Exploration of Death, Heaven, and the Soul’s Journey After Death. She’ll offer us answers to some of life’s biggest questions: Is there a heaven? Are there people who have been there and come back? Do we have souls? Can we communicate with deceased loved ones? It’ll be Echo’s second visit to Chi For Yourself and you can hear it On Thursday, October 31st at 1pm Pacific.