I previously wrote about sugar and fat and all the ways we are wired or have evolved to survive that today are sabotaging us. But stress is so important that it deserves a post onto itself. This fight of flight mechanism is also hard wired into our very survival. A cascade of hormones are released in order to prepare to fight or flight. Your heart beats faster, muscles tense, you breathe more quickly. Heck I even notice these thing when I am angry. Long term effects; anxiety depression, addiction, even weight gain.

We even know the exact mechanisms of how this occurs including the regions of the brain affected and the exact hormones released. There is a great article in Harvard Medical School Publishing from where I summarized this post as i added it to my premise that “Grog” or caveman is literally running your life in so many ways.

Want a perfect example of how really cool and efficient and below your awareness this cascade happens? This cascade of visual and physical changes is what allows you to jump out of the way of a speeding car before your awareness is fully cognizant that you were even in danger. How’s that for Grog finally doing something good for you? But think about it, along with that comes all the things he is killing you with.

If he can take over that quickly without your awareness. Surely you must comprehend all the bad he is doing to you without your awareness. Overeating for stress or for the next famine that will never happen. Or losing your temper because of a perceived threat that doesnt really even exist. So this cascade of chemicals and physical changes happens instantaneously, how can you possibly even stop it without your awarness.

There is a cascade of really bad stuff that happens with chronic stress, overeating, high blood pressure, damaged arteries, the list is really bad. There is also a long list of things you can do to counteract this, like meditation, relaxation response. Hopefully I have at least opened your eyes to all of this. How about challenging yourrself to eat one meal mindfully? Notice what you are eating when you are full Dont leg Grog tell you keep eating store fat. How about noticing if you are hungry when you reach for something? I have noticed I am rarely hungry. We truly live in the land of plenty, We eat out of habit and stress and Grog induced eating. So stress does permeate in oh so many ways.