People with adequate or strong social support networks report less stress and overall improved mental health in comparison to those without adequate social support
~Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD~
U.S. board-certified anatomic pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of experimental and molecular pathology
Stress comes in many forms. It can be negative, neutral or positive. How we react to the stressful forces placed against us determines how it will affect us. In Advanced Clearing Energetics® we learn that certain factors of how we react to stress determine if it will present later as a health issue. We call these factors "UDINs" which stands for Unexpected, Dramatic, Isolating and No Strategy. If all 4 factors are present during a stressful event, there is a high likelihood that a health condition may arise as a result.
We are going to look at one of the UDIN factors call "Isolation". When a stressful event occurs, it is human nature to share what's going on. When you have a bad breakup, you call your best friend. When you get yelled at by your boss, you tell your spouse. When you fight with your best friend, you might call you're mom. In these type of situations, you have your "go-to" person to help resolve what's happening inside your head and heart. But what if you don't have "a person" to go to?
What if you broke up because you're significant other was cheating with your best friend? What if your boss is your husband? What if you're mom recently passed away and you didn't have someone to talk to? These type of isolating situations can completely change how you react to the stressful event. If you don't have that 'go to' person to help you sort out your reactions, then you will experience very different results, often the beginning of a health issue. This can be a simple as a sudden onset of a cold or something more serious (depending on the stress and your reaction).
In May 2013 I woke up to terrible foot pain, likely plantar fascia. I was unable to walk without sharp pain in the heel of my foot. I hadn't injured my foot so I knew that it must have been a stressful event which occurred to trigger something overnight. Initially I began to examine my life just before the pain started. We had just got a new puppy when we already had a dog. Something I didn't want to deal with and had a hard time "putting my foot down". Thinking this was the issue, I worked on my issues around having 2 dogs and all the responsibility that came along with that.
When the pain wasn't disappearing, I realized I would need to dig deeper to resolve the issue. I looked at the timeframe again realizing that just 2 days before waking up to foot pain, it had been Mother's day. My expectations of being celebrated as a mother were not met by my spouse and kids who seemed to treat the day just like any other, a disappointment to someone who loves celebrating special occasions.
At the time, I felt very isolated because I couldn't express my disappointment to the people that were closest to me. Like other special, uncelebrated, events in the past, my expectations were already low so I unconsciously knew not to expect much and perhaps then it wouldn't bother me much either. When I pinpointed this event, I was able to talk to someone outside of my family and sort out those previously unspoken issues. The very next day my pain went from a rating of 8/10 to 0. I woke up the following morning and realized hours later it had been the first time in 6 months that I had woken up without excruciating pain. It's now been 4 months (At the time of this article March 2014) and still no pain!
So building your support system is important. Having multiple go-to people to share your "story" with, vent your frustrations to and gain support from is a smart move. Don't put all your "eggs in one basket" and limit your support system to a small few. There's nothing wrong with having friends that aren't friends with your other friends or who aren't friends with your spouse. You never know when someone in your support system may be the one thing you need support from! Widening your support system is a brilliant plan and could save you from a multitude of health issues.
Examine your support system. Does it need to grow? Have you limited the people in your circle of support? Make a decision to widen your circle and expand your support. You never know when this small change in your life may prevent the effects stress could place on your health!
Karen Hilts is the Business Manager for ACE providing Administration, Internet Marketing, and Web Development. A former social worker, a mother of 3 (oldest being autistic) Karen was attracted to the idea of working with someone in the alternative health field. Karen currently holds an ACE Level 2 Practitioner Certificate with plans to continue her studies. She is a regular contributor to the ACE Blog and ACE Your Marketing (Level 4).
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