Survive or Thrive

A quick scan of the mornings headlines revealed that the never ending stream of dismal financial news probably isn't going to end anytime soon. Worry and stress permeate the air. My question to you - do you choose to survive or thrive?

Are you living in a state of constant fear and anxiety?

When we feel stress, our adrenal glands kick into action and release adrenaline and cortisol. The adrenaline increases our heart rate and blood pressure, pumping the blood through the body faster. The cortisol increases our sugar levels so the muscles have plenty of fuel. Blood is diverted from our core to our extremities to help us escape danger. It's the fight or flight response. When there is no longer a threat, the relaxation response takes over and all systems return to normal. The problem with chronic stress is that we never escape the perceived danger. That relaxation response never fully kicks in.

Chronic stress is related to virtually all diseases - heart disease, diabetes, depression and anxiety disorders, obesity, hyperthyroidism and cancer, just to name a few.

At this point, you may be thinking that stress is a fact of life and there's no avoiding it. True.

My question to you - what do you choose? By buying in to the mindset that you have no choices, no control over these forces in your life, you're choosing to give up your power. You are choosing to simply survive.

Choose to thrive. Choose to claim ownership of those areas of your life in which you do have power - your relationships, your personal and spiritual development, and most importantly, your health.