I cannot remember who originally shared this idea, but it was at a presentation I was at. The topic was stress and how the body processes and responds to it. Imagine you had a backpack on while treading water. All the stress you encounter, whether it be mental/emotional, physical, or chemical, would add a rock to the backpack on your back. So in other words, the more stress you are encountering, the harder it becomes to keep your head above water. In this example, once your head goes underwater, is when symptoms begin. These symptoms could be injury, sickness, pain, etc.

This also highlights how damage can be occurring prior to the onset of symptoms. This is something we teach patients daily: “evaluating your health on how you look or feel does not give a truthful indication of your health!”
Another reason I am a fan of this example is because it highlights the importance of recovery, or doing things to remove the rocks. This would be like getting enough sleep, eating healthy whole foods, and of course getting adjusted!

One of the reasons we see people are more frequently sick here in Chicago-land during these cold winter months is because the added stressors of cold weather, lack of sunshine, bad driving conditions, and holiday stress to name a few. If these added stressors are not being countered and balanced, then it’s too many rocks to your pack (symptoms & sick).

Your Crystal Lake Chiropractor,
Dr. Josh Young
Crystal Lake Family Wellness

PS: this example does not highlight how stress can be beneficial or the physiological adaptations that would occur if treading water with a weighted backpack!