El cortisol y como nos afecta en niveles muy altos - Cortisol and how it affects us at very high levels
Greetings and many blessings to everyone in this community of @holos-lotus, I had been slow to write because I was going through some personal problems that generated me a lot of anxiety, so sometimes, I take some time to recover and get back to calm, so my emotional situation inspired me this publication that I think is an important topic to mention.
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Cortisol is a hormone that is released when we are under stress, in fact they call it the stress hormone, when we are in the presence of danger or if we feel at risk, alarmed, the brain sends a signal to the adrenal gland which is responsible for producing cortisol, this hormone when released increases blood glucose, sending large amounts of energy to our muscles in response to any threat, it causes other benefits such as regulating metabolism.
Everything in our body has a specific task to keep our functioning stable in an optimal way, of course all this will depend on what we eat, such as food, the excesses of this hormone bring very acute physical problems, but what happens at the mental and emotional level, because a high level of cortisol can cause instability at the emotional level, lose the functional management of emotions, causes irritability, anxiety and keep us in a constant state of unhealthy alertness.
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This is the basis of anxiety disorder, I mention it because I suffer from anxiety for a long time, since I was a teenager approximately, but I did not know it until 7 years ago when I was struggling with depression, after overcoming depression I have not been able to completely heal my anxiety, This has led me to investigate a little about why it happens and then work on solving it, which led me to the issue of cortisol, I clarify that I am not a professional on the subject, I discussed this some time ago with my therapist, I just tell you what I have learned and I want to share for those who suffer from anxiety, I know how difficult it is to deal with this all the time.
When we live in a hostile environment or problems become daily, if we are in a constant threat our body will generate too much cortisol, which will bring us consequences of physical and emotional levels, our nervous system will be triggered, we will be altered, tense and we will find it difficult to manage our emotions, all this becomes generalized anxiety, which is characterized by a persistent uncontrolled worry, also affecting us physically, as nervous tips, sweating, insomnia, etc..
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In my personal life, since I was a child I lived in a very hostile (toxic) environment, there were good moments, but also many emotionally harmful moments, the situation I lived in generated a lot of stress and being so small without having a guide to manage emotions affected me even more, physically my body generated too much cortisol which triggered my anxiety, what I want to get to is that from an early age I have lived with anxiety, but I never became aware of it, until adulthood. I don't know what it's like to live without anxiety and that affects me a lot, because obviously I want to heal and feel in a continuous serene state.
And I explain, I can have a good day, but always, the slightest negative circumstance of the day will put me in an unhealthy alert situation, that now, being aware of my anxiety, I do a mental work to appease, work that I will not deny is exhausting, I must constantly push away negative thoughts that generates anxiety, sometimes I have palpitations that only create more anxiety and I must find an activity that helps me to return to calm, such as exercise. This has affected my life for as long as I can remember on all levels, professional, interpersonal and now as a mother, it is difficult to express this, because those who have no knowledge think you are someone weird, so I avoid talking about it, but this community makes me feel comfortable to talk about these issues that are important for me to touch.
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If I now know that I have lived with cortisol levels a little high, how can I decrease this hormone? What I recommend according to my experience is mainly exercise, whatever you like the most, the gym, yoga, cycling, even walking, sleep the regulations 8 hours a day and if you do not achieve it you can take naps in the afternoon for half an hour are enough, also very important and what has cost me a lot is food, we must lower the sugar a lot and I love sweets hehe, avoid processed foods, in general eat as healthy as possible; last but not least, the company of your loved ones, hugs, spending quality time, that generate you security, comfort, that make you feel loved lowers cortisol levels a lot, if you suffer from anxiety, these are my recommendations for you, believe me they will help you a lot, I know how difficult it can be sometimes and mental fatigue that generates anxiety, but everything has a way out, a path, a solution, we must have the courage to take it and take responsibility for ourselves to heal and be better every day. Thank you very much for having made it to the end, I hope you have a great weekend.
The cover and farewell images were edited in CANVA.