The Stress Cycle

​​“Your body is wired for danger. Modern life keeps switching that alarm on and slowly wearing you down.”

 

1.Stress Trigger

• Everyday pressures: work deadlines, family demands, financial strain, unresolved conflict.

• Small triggers (a message, a tone of voice) can be interpreted as danger.

 

2.Alarm Response (Fight / Flight / Freeze)

• The nervous system assumes threat: adrenaline and cortisol surge.

• Fight = agitation, anger, tension.

• Flight = restlessness, escape, overworking.

• Freeze = numbness, dissociation, stuck indecision.

 

3.Short-term Symptoms

• Rapid heartbeat, shallow breathing, tight shoulders/jaw.

• Racing thoughts, irritability, low patience.

• Sleep trouble, digestive upsets, brain fog.

 

4.Compensation & Habits

Pushing through with caffeine, busyness, perfectionism.

Avoidance, emotional shut-down, numbing with screens or comfort food.

 

5.Long-Term Impact (the real cost)

Chronic activation of fight/flight/freeze drives widespread wear-and-tear.

​Here’s what it commonly causes:

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Cardiovascular & Metabolic

• Hypertension (high blood pressure) → higher heart attack / stroke risk.

• Increased risk of coronary artery disease.

• Metabolic disruption: insulin resistance, weight gain, type 2 diabetes.

 

Immune & Inflammation

• Chronic low-grade inflammation (drives many chronic illnesses).

• Suppressed immune response → more infections, slower healing.

• Flare-ups of autoimmune conditions (e.g., rheumatoid issues, psoriasis).

 

Mental Health & Nervous System

• Anxiety disorders, panic, chronic worry.

• Depression, emotional blunting, burnout.

• Heightened startle response, hypervigilance.

 

Endocrine & Reproductive

• Hormonal imbalances (irregular cycles, worsened PMS, fertility impacts).

• Thyroid dysregulation in some cases.

 

Musculoskeletal & Pain

• Chronic tension → neck/shoulder/back pain, headaches, TMJ.

• Central sensitisation → chronic pain syndromes.

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Gastrointestinal

• Irritable bowel, reflux, chronic digestive discomfort.

 

Cognitive & Aging

• Memory & concentration problems.

• Accelerated biological aging signals (telomere shortening & cellular aging associations reported in stress research).​

 

Functional & Social

• Relationship strain, parenting exhaustions, reduced work performance, decreased libido.

 

6.How it feeds the cycle

 

Symptoms create more stress → body stays in survival mode → illness deepens.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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That’s the loop Jananam breaks.

 

How to become aware (quick checks you can use)

Body check:

• is your breath shallow?

• Are your shoulders up?

 

Emotion check:

• do small things feel overwhelming?

 

Behaviour check:

• are you numbing, overworking, or avoiding?

 

Keep a simple log for one week:

note trigger → body sensation → reaction → consequence.

 

Patterns reveal the stuck alarm.

How meditation helps

• Slows the breath, which signals safety to the nervous system.

• Lowers cortisol and adrenaline when practiced regularly.

• Builds interoception - you notice stress before it snowballs.

• Trains response-over-reaction so you act, don’t react.

• Reduces inflammation markers over time (backed by research).

• Improves sleep and digestion by calming the nervous system.

 

Practical result:

• less tension,

• clearer thinking,

• more energy,

• fewer flare-ups.​​

 

Our Philosophy

Healing isn’t about becoming someone new.
it’s about remembering who you already are.
 

At JANANAM, I walk beside you as you release what no longer serves you, so you can return whole, grounded, and free.

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