Does Stress affect our body and it's relationship to disease.

I have for years been interested in how stress affects our body and it's relationship to disease. 

Recently I heard a conversation between two doctors on this topic...and.my ears really perked up.     The conversation was between Dr. Mariza Snyder and a Dr. Aimie Apigian. 

We have taught ourselves to adapt to stress and keep going.

The purpose of the talk was over the topic of how So many women in midlife are running on fumes—stretched thin, burned out, and downplaying what they’ve experienced just to make it through the day. 

And the interesting part is that we have learned to adapt to this type of living and we have made our body's adapt to living in stress and to live in fear and anxiety. 

These adaptions show up as a way to make us feel ok.  Such as the need to be in control,  being indispensable so that we will always be needed.  OR, we may avoid going to events with people... or isolating ourselves, because of the fear of rejection.  This keeps us safe from experiencing any feelings that might come up of not belonging because of the way a person looks at us.      

They talked about how we build adaptions one layer on top of another. 

So, what seems to be the problem?

The problem shows up when these adaptors create stress that can show up in your physical body, affecting your biology at a cellular level.

Dr. Aimie Apigian definition of trauma is...

, “Anything that overwhelms our capacity to respond becomes a trauma for our body. And those changes impact us down to the cellular level– the immune system level. They are what become our diseases often decades later.”  

Her own autoimmune illness played a key role in her advancing her education and knowledge on this topic. 

She shared ....

"when we start on a healing journey, the focus is on 'Let's just fix what's broken'.  She said, listen to your body don't wait till it's screaming at you.   She decided to shift her perspective from this 'fix what's broken to, "How much more alive could I be?".

She said, “It really shifted my perspective to know how much more alive I could be– I don’t even know the possibilities because I’ve never lived that. I’ve never been that. I’ve never been that version of myself. And it keeps me in a place of curiosity, it keeps me in a place of learning.”   

I suggest self coaching and art.   Both have great power to Calm the Chaos

This desire for calm and renewal is what inspired the S.T.E.A.R. Model — a gentle, faith-centered framework I teach inside Real Positive Change.
It helps you understand how your thoughts shape your emotions, and how you can shift from stress to strength through awareness and creativity.

Here’s how it works:

S – Situation → What’s happening around you.
T – Thought → What you’re telling yourself about it.
E – Emotion → How that thought makes you feel.
A – Action → What you do in response.
R – Result → What you create or experience because of it.

Through this simple process, paired with creative journaling and Creative Reminders, you learn to calm your thoughts, renew your emotions, and realign with peace.

And then… there’s art.

🎨 Art is our perfect outlet.

It’s the pause between our thoughts — the sacred space where the ongoing mental story finally quiets down.
It’s where stress softens, peace begins to flow, and we can once again hear God’s gentle whisper reminding us who we are.

Through color, movement, and playful creativity, art gives your emotions a place to rest and renew.
It’s not about perfection — it’s about presence.
It’s how we remember that we’re not just reacting to life… we’re co-creating it with God.

So take a breath, pick up your brush or pen, and give yourself permission to begin again.
✨ Create a Change. Create Your Calm. 💛

CLICK HERE and listen to the new podcast where I talk more about STEAR: