There have been several studies of the negative effects of stress. You hear about them every day. Worse, it has been proven that, on average, we are under much more stress than previous generations.
Stress Management Techniques
Numerous surveys have confirmed that American adults feel they are under more stress than those of previous decades. Among those surveys, employment has been the leading source of stress. However, stress levels have also been escalating in children, teenagers, college students, and the elderly. This has been attributed to increased crime and violence; peer pressures that lead to substance abuse and other unhealthy habits; social isolation and loneliness; the erosion of family and religious values; and an increasing sense of loss of control.
Simply defined, stress is the wear and tear of everyday life. Some days can be more stressful than others, and there are often times when you feel that there is no end in sight. Common medical opinion suggests that 96% of all illnesses are either caused or aggravated by stress. Daily stress can’t be avoided, nor can prolonged stress, so you need to know how to handle stress.
Many people can identify the basic symptoms of stress, but we often miss the more complex signs, as well as the effects on the body and mind. Stress is a physical and psychological response to both internal and external demands, or pressures. To respond to these demands, we mobilize physical and emotional resources, which produce stress hormones within the body.
Frequent, extreme, or prolonged mobilization becomes a strain on our bodies, generating distress signals. These signals can be conveyed in a variety of ways, including irritability, anger, anxiety, depression, fatigue, head and stomach aches, hypertension, ulcers, and even heart conditions. If left unchecked, stress can cause more serious illnesses, such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and thyroid dysfunction.
Stress can be caused by any number of daily activities. Lately, a great deal of stress has been caused by financial problems, though career pressures, relationship difficulties, raising children, and aging have all been cited as stressors, as well. The greatest problem is our perception of these stressors. Having a poor outlook will make a problem seem much larger than it is.
Stress reactions are very similar, whether the stressor is perceived as good or bad. For example, winning a large sum of money produces a happy or excited response. In terms of physiological response, your heart rate, blood pressure, energy, and mental activity will increase. The biological reaction to a negative stressor, such as a bad breakup, will include many of the same reactions, though the psychological reaction will be different. The body will react to stress by releasing the same hormones into the blood stream, regardless of the stressor itself.
In addition to physiological responses, there are numerous psychological responses to stress. These responses are often more variable to the stressor, such as happiness for a positive stressor, and sadness for a negative stressor. The biggest problem lies not in the reaction to a stressor, but in the prolonged exposure to negative stress. For example, panic and anxiety attacks, depression, obsessive compulsive disorders, drug addiction, and alcoholism can all be a result of, or aggravated by prolonged and unrelieved stress. Warning signs often include persistent anger or frustration, as well as a lack of motivation, sadness, sleep problems, depersonalization or detachment from your life, and even memory and cognitive deterioration.
In order to learn how to manage stress, you must first understand what stress is, and how it effects you. Make sure that you become aware of the stress in your life, and take immediate action when faced with it. Stress relief techniques often include lifestyle changes, as well as changes to your perception of life in general. Making a lifelong commitment to your stress management skills will make your life, and health, much easier to maintain.
Copyright Patricia Adams (Ex-Panic Attack Sufferer)
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