While we are all forced to deal with some level of stress at some point in our lives, many of us do not realize how much of an affect stress can have on our bodies as well as on our minds. Here we give an overview of what stress is, the symptoms it causes and simple yet effective ways to reduce stress so you can live your life instead of letting stress live it for you.
No matter where you turn, odds are you have heard or experienced firsthand the negative effects that stress can have on one’s life. Whether it is due to an unstable economy, or the long hours at work, many believe that they are under more stress than their parents were 30 years ago. While this may seem a little hard to believe for some, it is actually true. The level of stress that we all deal with on a daily basis is much higher than it was only a few years ago and many surveys have confirmed this fact. This means that we all need to find ways to manage stress so we can be proactive against the effects that too much stress can have on our bodies.
Out of all the stresses that we each deal with on a daily basis, job stress is considered to be the leading source of stress for adults, but it is also seen to be escalating in children, teens, college students and even the elderly for a variety of other reasons. Some of the most common stressors are:
- An increase in the crime rate in the area we live in.
- Concerns about violence, threats to our safety, or concerns of the safety of our loved ones.
- Fear that too much peer pressure will lead to substance abuse or other unhealthy lifestyle habits.
- Fear of a breakdown of our family’s religious values and ties.
- Fear that we will lose connection to our personal sources of social support.
- Fear of losing control.
Since stress seems to be common in so many lives, each person seems to have their own unique definition of what stress is to them. Simply stated stress is the wear and tear of everyday life. There are days that seem to be more stressful than others, days that seem like there will be no end to the constant barrage of things we are expected to accomplish as well as the things we need to tolerate in order to remain grounded in the real world. Daily stress is common in all of our lives and when you find the right way to manage stress the health problems that it can cause can actually be avoided. On the other hand, if you find yourself dealing with ongoing stress, stress management techniques need to be implemented otherwise you risk placing yourself on the path to a variety of different illnesses. Medically speaking it has been found that approximately 96% of all illnesses have either been caused by stress or have been aggravated by it which is why it is so important to find ways to manage stress before it is too late.
While you are probably more than well aware of the visible symptoms of stress, there is a good chance that you are not aware of the physical and psychological affects that stress can have on your body and mind. Stress is the body’s response to physical and mental pressures from the world around us, and while occasional stress is acceptable, prolonged exposure to a variety of different stressors can have negative effects on both our bodies and our mind which is why finding ways to manage stress is so important. When our bodies are exposed to constant stressors, it causes our bodies to generate distress signals. These signals come in a variety of forms and include, but are not limited to, the following:
- irritability
- anger
- anxiety
- depression
- fatigue
- tension headaches
- migraine headaches
- stomachaches
- hypertension
- ulcers
- heart conditions
- colitis
Over time, if the causes of the stress are not eliminated, or if the person who is dealing with the stress has not found ways to manage stress, it can potentially lead to more serious illnesses like heart disease, cancer, diabetes or even thyroid dysfunction. In the overall population, heart related diseases ranks #1 on the top ten causes of death, with cancer and diabetes raking 3rd and 7th.
In order to identify ways to manage stress, we first need to take a look at some of the most common things that cause us to feel stressed. Things like getting older, problems with our kids, relationship problems with our spouse or friends, an impossibly heavy workload at our job, pressure to be our best in our career and even financial pressures can add undue stress on our lives. While these things can result in stress, it is the way we perceive each of these things that results in the chemical and psychological responses that can harm our body and mind, otherwise known as stress.
Those of us who have dealt with the occasional bouts of stress know full well the kind of effects it can have on our well being. What you may be surprised to find is that there are both pleasant and unpleasant forms of stress. Take for example if you won a large sum of money, this can actually be considered a pleasant type of stress since it creates an excited and happy response. As we think of all the things we can do with the money, our heart ray may increase, as well as our blood pressure, energy and mental activity. These are the most common consequences of stress due simply to the immediate release of the stress hormone into our bloodstream, but stress does more than just effect us physically. It can have a major effect on our mental status which is why it is so important to find ways to manage stress. Effects can range from anxiety and panic attacks to depression, post traumatic stress disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, drug addiction and alcoholism. Exposure to high levels of stress can also cause persistent anger, frustration, feeling like you are overwhelmed, a lack of motivation, fear, unhappiness, a low mood, trouble sleeping, problems thinking, experiencing short term memory loss, or even feeling detached from life can occur more often than you may think.
While occasional bouts of stress may not be good, long term stress can have dangerous effects on your body and in its worst form it can possibly prove to be deadly. Once only a buzzword, stress has quickly risen in the ranks and is now known as an epidemic. Left untreated it can have disastrous effects on one’s body and mind but there are things you can do to manage your stress levels when avoiding stress is out of the question. Here are few tips to keep in mind when it comes to getting your stress under control. They are:
- Look for ways to understand stress including what it is, what it can do as well as ways to better manage it.
- Take the time to become aware of the problems that may be causing stress in your life.
- Take action and don’t ignore the changes that need to be made in order to better manage your stress and your health.
- Make any lifestyle changes permanent.
- Make it a lifelong commitment to find ways to better manage your stress since the better you are at it, the healthier you will be.
copyright Patricia Adams
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