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How often have you been in a crisis situation or maybe an emergency situation as a caregiver?  It usually happens unexpectedly and it disrupts your caregiving and causes major issues or stressors.  How do you handle this?  

When life throws you another challenges, your normal reaction is to think “ why is this happening to me - couldn’t this just wait?   My cup is already full and now it’s overflowing”  

It’s a normal reaction to get frustrated, angry, upset, and more.   You’re human and doing the best you can as a caregiver and now it’s more.   

Your body takes in the stress through your adrenal glands that make and release the hormone cortisol into your bloodstream  Often this stress hormone, cortisol causes an increase in your heart rate and blood pressures.  It’s your natural “flight or fight” response.  

So let’s do a bit of a science lesson here….

Normal levels of cortisol also are released when you wake up in the morning or exercise. These levels can help regulate your blood pressure and blood sugar levels and even strengthen your heart muscle. In small doses, the hormone can heighten memory, increase your immune system and lower sensitivity to pain.

The danger of a fast-paced culture, however, is that many of us are constantly in high-stress mode. If your body experiences chronic stress, you may begin to feel unpleasant and even dangerous effects, such as fatigue, irritability, headaches, intestinal problems, anxiety or depression, weight gain, increased blood pressure l ow libido or problems with regular ovulation or menstrual periods, difficulty recovering from exercise and/or poor sleep.

How Cortisol Works… When the adrenal glands releases cortisol into your bloodstream, the hormone triggers a flood of glucose that supplies an immediate energy source to your large muscles. It also inhibits insulin production so the glucose won’t be stored but will be available for immediate use.

Cortisol narrows the arteries, while another hormone, epinephrine, increases your heart rate. Working together, they force your blood to pump harder and faster as you confront and resolve the immediate threat.

If your entire life is high-stress and always in high gear, your body may constantly pump out cortisol. This has several negative effects.

1. Increased blood sugar levels. 
2. Weight gain.
3. Suppressed immune system. 
4. Digestive problems. 
5. Heart disease. 

So how do you get through these extra crisis  or challenges that add to an already stressful caregiving journey?  

No one can give you the exacts steps to managing your stress - you have to find what works best to  you.   

There are days where you need to recharge.  Check out Episode 59 for tips

Grab the show notes at https://www.cathylvan.com/episode103

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