What Sandstone Health is doing to help you recover from pandemic-related stress

It is said that adversity builds character.

Just about everyone would agree with that, and that more character is a good thing.

But nobody welcomes adversity.

Well, if 2020 could be described in one word, “adversity” fits the bill.

We’ve all experienced adversity this past year. Change…and more change…is not easy. In fact, as humans, we don’t like change. We find security and comfort in things that don’t change. When things do change, it produces lots of uncertainty, especially when that change is ongoing.

We want things to be certain. We want to know what tomorrow will look like. We want to know that we are going to be safe when we go to the grocery store. We want to know that the coffee pot will go on automatically at 6:00 am every day. 

Our lives are built around certainty. That certainty gives us a sense we are in control.  

What happens when all that disappears? What do we do when our lives are suddenly full of so many unknowns?

Stress

When you have to live in a state of constant change, you experience a lot of stress, even if it’s not obvious. Stress is the result of you trying to cope with uncertainty. Stress is actually meant to be a good thing. At a basic level, it tells you to respond to your environment in a way that helps you survive. 

When you exercise, you intentionally put stress on your body in order to get stronger and build stamina. When your child is hurt, you experience stress that helps you take care of them in that moment. Stress can be helpful. 

However, sustained, unresolved stress is hard on your body. When you wake up and your world is still turned upside down due to an ongoing pandemic, with no end in sight…you feel stress. It starts to weigh you down as the weeks and months go on. Subtle disruptions to your routines and looming new fears all add to the weight. The inability to resolve these changes makes the weight subtly heavier with each passing day.

Your body seems to carry this stress in certain places – like your back and neck – and finds a way to hide it just so you can keep going. But it can only stay hidden for so long. Eventually that unresolved stress creates more serious health problems. The weight becomes too much and something has to give.

Stress during a pandemic is a problem all it’s own. You may be stressed because you fear getting the virus. However, the irony is that your stress is making you more susceptible to getting sick and possibly contracting, say, a virus like Covid-19.

What do we do now?

Unless you’re immune to stress, it’s likely you’re feeling the “symptoms” of 2020. Sandstone Health is here to help. At Sandstone, they take your health seriously, both physically and mentally. They posit that the best thing you can do is to be proactive with taking care of yourself. You don’t have to wait until your body gives out on you or you end up mentally overwhelmed. 

Take action now. If you’re already in pain, make an appointment. If you’re overwhelmed with stress that’s causing anxiety, depression, or a slew of other issues, make an appointment. If you don’t think anything serious is wrong but you want to get a “tune-up” after a hard year, make an appointment. 

You need a RESET

It’s worth repeating, your body carries stress in places you might not realize until you’re in serious pain. This past year may be the cause of a lot of your stress-related physical issues, but luckily, there is a way to reverse it…and perhaps come out better even than before last year started. 

Simply, you need a reset. You need to reset both your body and your mind.

When it comes to your body, Sandstone can determine the cause of pain and ailments and give you a clear plan to heal. Here’s where they can give you a much needed reset:

Chiropractic Care

Do you need a chiropractic adjustment? You may be surprised how many of your physical issues stem from being “out of alignment”. What does that mean? Well, if you suffer from back pain, neck pain, headaches, disc herniations, or old nagging injuries, then you likely need chiropractic care. 

Sandstone’s chiropractic care starts with providing the best possible care recommendations, and then allowing you to choose the type of care you wish to receive. They want you to play an active role in your body’s healing.

But your body is only half of the equation. Good health is just as much mental as it is physical.

Neurofeedback

There are three forms of stress: trauma, thoughts, and/or toxins. Two out of those three things – trauma and thoughts –  point to your brain’s inability to manage your reality, or at least your perception of it.

If you suffer with long-term anxiety and have a very difficult time managing stress, there is hope. Did you know that it is possible to rewire your brain to think and react differently? And that you can do it without the need for medication or surgery? Sandstone’s Center for Neurofeedback was created to help you do just that. Neurofeedback is the practice of adjusting brainwave activity to produce positive behavior. Research has shown neurofeedback to help people of all ages see dramatic improvement in ADHD, depression, anxiety, brain Injury, migraines, seizures, chronic pain, addiction and more.

You don’t have to suffer from the inability to process and manage stress anymore. In fact, neurofeedback is not simply a treatment for certain symptoms, but a permanent solution that corrects the root cause of your brain-related issues.

There’s no place like home.

When the weight of the world is pulling you down, the place you most long to be is home. Sandstone understands that better than most, which is why they stand out among other practices in their approach to patient care.

“We have patients that come into our office that tell us this is their safe haven. This is where they want to come after a long week,” says Sandstone’s Emily “During the height of the pandemic, we have been that safe haven for people. So many people were so scared and on edge constantly. We never stopped being that place for people – that refuge.”

In fact, Sandstones’ patients have commonly reported that walking into their offices makes them feel like they are walking into their own homes.

Leading (Yourself) During a Crisis

When asked about leading during a crisis, Founder of Sandstone Health, Dr. Tony DeRamus had this to say: “The most important thing is making sure you take care of yourself. It can be stressful trying to navigate the unknowns. You can allow yourself to crash with it, or you can do something about it and prevent yourself from going down that route.”

Just like you have had to do, Sandstone has had to face the unknowns – not knowing right away what direction to go and what decisions to make. It takes confidence, courage and charisma to lead in times of crisis. Sandstone has risen to the occasion. During the height of the pandemic, they pivoted to provide masks and testing to serve the community. Most of all, they never lost sight of their culture – a safe, welcome place that feels like home to their patients and staff.

Healthy things grow.

“Stay focused on your goals,” says Emily. “Never lose sight of them. Write them down every morning.” If you don’t have health goals, now is the time to set them, and it’s not just about making a resolution to lose weight again.

With the new year upon us, we all have a responsibility to take a renewed approach and seriousness toward our health. Your overall health is so important. You need to set goals for how you want to feel and where you need to be physically and mentally to handle any of life’s curveballs. 

And we’ve seen a lot of curveballs this past year.

Yes, adversity produces character. But before it does, it produces growth. Character comes as a result of growth, and we can look at 2020 as a year to forget, or we can embrace it as a year with enormous opportunities for growth. 

Speaking of growth, Sandstone itself is still focused on growing to serve the community. Their new location is opening in Auburn Lakes early this year. 

“The pendulum always swings back the other way.”

As you prepare for this new year – the best that you can – know that there is hope on the horizon. “Although it can seem like we’re in a situation where there is no end in sight, all things do end. The pendulum in life always swings back the other way,” says Tony. “And it is probably going to swing back a lot faster than people think it is.”

2021 is full of hope. Let’s recover well from last year and make our health a priority this year.

Sandstone Health provides several locations around Montgomery and Harris counties. To find the location near you and to schedule an appointment, go to SandstoneHealth.com or call 281-203-0070.