by Dr. Nic Giebler, D.C.
Understanding stress
S
tress! Ahh! Last weekend was a bit crazy. Then again, aren’t they all? Friday was a busy day at work as we were a bit short-handed at Giebler Chiropractic. Yep, Stephanie and I made it through the day and managed to be smiling as we left the office that night. Saturday morning brought more wet heavy snow to shovel before leaving for basketball in Manitowoc. The team earned a hard-fought victory over Roncali, and I was proud of their effort, for sure. But it did manage to raise Coach Nic’s blood pressure substantially. Fast forward a couple hours, and I was behind the wheel of the family truck as the four of us began our journey to Colorado for a ski trip. Thankfully, by then the roads were agreeable and there was a bit less stress and white knuckling the steering wheel than compared to the morning. But that lack of stress didn’t last long… As we were in Iowa City, Iowa, looking to change the diaper of our three-year-old Emerin, it came to my attention that I had left her suitcase in her room, along with her Blankey’s, her stuffed animals, all of her clothes...and her diapers. This resulted in an impromptu 10:30 PM visit to Target, and an expensive one at that. Next, let’s throw in a couple other types of stress… Like an all-nighter behind the wheel, and not exactly a Dr. Nic recommended dietary plan, which consisted of a metric ton of caffeine and several bags of ruffles potato chips. Thankfully, we did make it out to Colorado to our rental in Fraser. Friends had arrived earlier on Saturday and we
swapped some travel stories. All I wanted at this point was SLEEP, but leave it to my great friend Damian to suggest we hike up Berthoud Pass, and then ski down. It’s only about a mile long hike. In ski boots. With an elevation gain of about 1,000 feet. Not exactly working with a full deck at this point...there I was with Damian and 4 other friends at the top of Berthoud Pass. While the weekend was a doozy and included all forms of stress—chemical, physical, hormonal, emotional—it still was a heck of a way to end the weekend. Thanks for the push, Damian. In this day and age, when it seems as though everyone has more to do in less time, it’s no surprise that stress management is a growing field of study and a popular self-help topic. Over the years, science has learned a lot about our relationship with stress—its effects on our performance, how it can impact our health and well-being and why some people are better at managing than others. For us to manage stress more effectively as individuals, it’s useful to understand a little bit about what researchers and clinicians have learned.
A Matter of Evolution
The stress response evolved in order to prepare the body for fight or flight in the presence of real physical threats such as a lion or an enemy from another tribe. Even though we may be surrounded by 21st century technology, human physiology is still based on what we needed as hunter-gatherers. The stress response is designed to be a short-term reaction to immediate danger that is then followed by relief and relaxation after that immediate danger has passed. In response to serious
