In my healing practice I have seen first-hand the effects of stress on my clients. It is not short term stress, but chronic, long-term stress that weakens the body.

Most of us rarely face the immediate threats to physical survival that our ancestors had to deal with, so we may don’t realize the impact on us of years spent worrying about job security, money, not enough time to get everything done, multi-tasking, being pulled in four different directions, deadlines at work, whether our kids will experiment with drugs, and so on.

Then we wonder why we are so fatigued. When we chronically live in high-stress mode, or when we are constantly looking for problems that may affect us at some future moment, we engage the body’s emergency response to stress all the time.

Why is this such a problem? The chemicals that continually flood our body when we are under long-term stress are the culprits that begin to alter our internal state and is the catalyst of cellular breakdown. When we’re always on high alert or in emergency mode, our body doesn’t have the time or the resources necessary to repair and regenerate itself. The body can even become addicted to the chemical state of being under stress.

The ability to overcome stress lies in the mind. Most stress ends up as emotional/psychological stress, and that means it’s the autosuggestions of our own thinking that affect the body so intensely. In other words, we can turn on the stress response by our thoughts alone, and they can have the same measurable effects as any threatening stressor in our environment. For example if you see a picture of a snake or spider it can make our heart race even though there is no immediate danger. Or if you look out a high rise building window, it can take your breath away and feel like your heart dropped even though there is a barrier between you and the edge.

Energy healing work can have a profound effect on stress held in the body. When we are in constant stress our bodily systems contract, there is no flow. All of your energy is focused on survival rather than feeding, repairing or regenerating our cells, tissues and organ systems. Once the chakras are balanced and the energy field is cleared, flow in the body can be now possible. The adrenal glands (which produces stress hormones, cortisol and adrenaline) can be cleared, balanced and recharged. I would then balance the entire endocrine system with the heart, which is the true brain of your bodily systems. For stress I also would focus on brain balancing, i.e., balancing the right and left hemispheres of the brain so there is more coherence between the hemispheres, then balance the brain with the heart. Many studies show the effectiveness of meditation on stress. By incorporating meditation as a daily practice, practicing gratitude, by prioritizing by putting first things first, and practicing being in the NOW i.e., not worrying about the past or future, you can significantly reduce your reaction (s) to the stressors in your life.