What IS the connection between stress and symptoms?
It’s no secret that symptoms like chronic pain and anxiety are related to stress. Even the mainstream medical field has embraced this basic truth and you may have had doctors advise you to “reduce stress.”
But what actually IS the relationship between stress and symptoms? How does one lead to the other — and what can we do about it?
Here’s one way to look at it…
Stress is created when our basic needs are not being met. And emotions are the signals that let us know when an unmet need requires our attention and care.
For example:
➡️ Sadness 😢 might be signaling an unmet need for connection.
➡️ Anger 😡 might be signaling an unmet need for boundaries.
➡️ Fear 😱 might be signaling an unmet need for safety.
When we pay attention to our emotions and tend to our needs, the stress levels in our mind and body subside, and our system can return to smooth functioning.
Here’s where things get complicated
Unfortunately, if you were raised in a culture that taught you to be obedient (that’s most of us), you were probably taught to suppress your needs and emotions instead of tending to them.
