Stress is the body's reaction to any change that requires an adjustment
or response. The body reacts to these changes with physical, mental,
and emotional responses. Stress is a normal part of life. Many events
that happen to you and around you and many things that you do yourself
put stress on your body. You can experience stress fr
om your environment, your body, and your thoughts.
How Does Stress Affect Health?
The human body is designed to experience stress and react to it. Stress
can be positive, keeping us alert and ready to avoid danger. Stress
becomes negative when a person faces continuous challenges without
relief or relaxation between challenges. As a result, the person becomes
overworked and stress-related tension builds.
Stress that
continues without relief can lead to a condition called distress a
negative stress reaction. Distress can lead to physical symptoms
including headaches, upset stomach, elevated blood pressure, chest pain,
and problems sleeping. Research suggests that stress also can bring on
or worsen certain symptoms or diseases.
Stress also becomes
harmful when people use alcohol, tobacco, or drugs to try and relieve
their stress. Unfortunately, instead of relieving the stress and
returning the body to a relaxed state, these substances tend to keep the
body in a stressed state and cause more problems. Consider the
following:
•Forty-three percent of all adults suffer adverse health effects from stress.
•Seventy-five percent to 90% of all doctor's office visits are for stress-related ailments and complaints.
•Stress can play a part in problems such as headaches, high blood
pressure, heart problems, diabetes, skin conditions, asthma, arthritis,
depression, and anxiety.
•The lifetime prevalence of an emotional disorder is more than 50%, often due to chronic, untreated stress reactions.
Stress is when an individual encounters a stressor, the body part that
first notes the stimulus passes the signal to the brain. The message
passes through the reticular activating system to the hypothalamus and
thalamus. When the hypothalamus experiences the stressor signal, it
simultaneously activates the two major stress pathways: the autonomic
nervous system and the endocrine system. When the sympathetic part of
the autonomic nervous system is activated by the hypothalamus,
involuntary functions such as heart rate, blood pressure, respiration,
and body fluid regulation are affected. At the same time, the pituitary
gland is stimulated, which in turn orders the release of several
chemical hormones. The chemical cortisol provides fuel for the "fight or
flight" response by increasing blood sugar so that there is energy for
action. Aldosterone increases the blood pressure. Epinephrine
(adrenaline) and norepinephrine are also produced, along with thyroxine.
These brain chemicals, elicited by the fight-fight response, in turn, cause the following to occur:
• Acceleration of heart rate
•Dilation of coronary arteries
•Dilation of bronchial tubes
•Increase in force of heart contractions
•Increase in rate of metabolism
•Increase in anxiety
•Increase in gastrointestinal motility
•Increase in rate and depth of respiration
•Decrease in feeling of tiredness
•Decrease in Salvation (dry mouth)
•Dilation of pupils
The physical problems related to chronic stress include the lowering of
the immune response, chronic muscle tension, and increased blood
pressure. These problems can eventually lead to serious life-threatening
illnesses such as heart attacks, kidney disease, and cancer.
Some health problems that may be caused by stress
•diarrhea
•nausea
•indigestion
•sphincter of Oddi spasms
•spastic colon
•irritable bowel syndrome
•constipation
•colds and sinus infections
•vaginal yeast infection
•bladder infections
•fiber myalgia
•arthritis
•high blood pressure
•heart disease
•hyperventilation
•asthma
•headaches
•migraines
Stress Management
It may seem that there’s nothing you can do about stress. The bills
won’t stop coming and your career and family responsibilities will
always be demanding. But managing stress is all about taking charge: of
your thoughts, emotions, schedule, and the way you deal with problems.
Identify the sources of stress in your life
Stress management starts with identifying the sources of stress in your
life. This isn’t as easy as it sounds. Your true sources of stress
aren’t always obvious, and it’s all too easy to overlook your own
stress-inducing thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Sure, you may know
that you’re constantly worried about work deadlines. But maybe it’s your
procrastination, rather than the actual job demands, that leads to
deadline stress.
To identify your true sources of stress, look closely at your habits, attitude, and excuses:
•Do you explain away stress as temporary (“I just have a million things
going on right now”) even though you can’t remember the last time you
took a breather?
•Do you define stress as an integral part of
your work or home life (“Things are always crazy around here”) or as a
part of your personality (“I have a lot of nervous energy, that’s all”).
•Do you blame your stress on other people or outside events, or view it as entirely normal and unexceptional?
Until you accept responsibility for the role you play in creating or
maintaining it, your stress level will remain outside your control.
Start a stress journal
A stress journal can help you identify the regular stressors in your
life and the way you deal with them. Each time you feel stressed, keep
track of it in your journal. As you keep a daily log, you will begin to
see patterns and common themes. Write down:
•What caused your stress (make a guess if you’re unsure).
•How you felt, both physically and emotionally.
•How you acted in response.
•What you did to make yourself feel better.
Look at how you currently cope with stress
Think about the ways you currently manage and cope with stress in your
life. Your stress journal can help you identify them. Are your coping
strategies healthy or unhealthy, helpful or unproductive? Unfortunately,
many people cope with stress in ways that compound the problem.
Unhealthy ways of coping with stress
These coping strategies may temporarily reduce stress, but they cause more damage in the long run:
•Smoking
•Drinking too much
•Overeating or undereating
•Zoning out for hours in front of the TV or computer
•Withdrawing from friends, family, and activities
•Using pills or drugs to relax
•Sleeping too much
•Procrastinating
•Filling up every minute of the day to avoid facing problems
•Taking out your stress on others (lashing out, angry outbursts, physical violence)
Learning healthier ways to manage stress
If your methods of coping with stress aren’t contributing to your
greater emotional and physical health, it’s time to find healthier ones.
There are many healthy ways to manage and cope with stress, but they
all require change. You can either change the situation or change your
reaction. When deciding which option to choose, it’s helpful to think of
the four As: avoid, alter, adapt, or accept. Since everyone has a
unique response to stress, there is no “one size fits all” solution to
managing it. No single method works for everyone or in every situation,
so experiment with different techniques and strategies. Focus on what
makes you feel calm and in control.
Dealing with Stressful Situations: The Four A’s
Change the situation:
•Avoid the stressor.
•Alter the stressor.
Change your reaction:
•Adapt to the stressor.
•Accept the stressor.
Stress management strategy #1: Avoid unnecessary stress
Not all stress can be avoided, and it’s not healthy to avoid a
situation that needs to be addressed. You may be surprised, however, by
the number of stressors in your life that you can eliminate.
•Learn how to say “no”: Know your limits and stick to them. Whether in
your personal or professional life, refuse to accept added
responsibilities when you’re close to reaching them. Taking on more than
you can handle is a surefire recipe for stress.
•Avoid people
who stress you out: If someone consistently causes stress in your life
and you can’t turn the relationship around, limit the amount of time you
spend with that person or end the relationship entirely.
•Take
control of your environment: If the evening news makes you anxious,
turn the TV off. If traffic’s got you tense, take a longer but
less-traveled route. If going to the market is an unpleasant chore, do
your grocery shopping online.
•Avoid hot-button topics: If you
get upset over religion or politics, cross them off your conversation
list. If you repeatedly argue about the same subject with the same
people, stop bringing it up or excuse yourself when it’s the topic of
discussion.
•Pare down your to-do list: Analyze your schedule,
responsibilities, and daily tasks. If you’ve got too much on your plate,
distinguish between the “shoulds” and the “musts.” Drop tasks that
aren’t truly necessary to the bottom of the list or eliminate them
entirely.
Stress management strategy #2: Alter the situation
If you can’t avoid a stressful situation, try to alter it. Figure out
what you can do to change things so the problem doesn’t present itself
in the future. Often, this involves changing the way you communicate and
operate in your daily life.
•Express your feelings instead of
bottling them up. If something or someone is bothering you, communicate
your concerns in an open and respectful way. If you don’t voice your
feelings, resentment will build and the situation will likely remain the
same.
•Be willing to compromise. When you ask someone to
change their behavior, be willing to do the same. If you both are
willing to bend at least a little, you’ll have a good chance of finding a
happy middle ground.
•Be more assertive. Don’t take a backseat
in your own life. Deal with problems head on, doing your best to
anticipate and prevent them. If you’ve got an exam to study for and your
chatty roommate just got home, say up front that you only have five
minutes to talk.
•Manage your time better. Poor time management
can cause a lot of stress. When you’re stretched too thin and running
behind, it’s hard to stay calm and focused. But if you plan ahead and
make sure you don’t overextend yourself, you can alter the amount of
stress you’re under.
Stress management strategy #3: Adapt to the stressor
If you can’t change the stressor, change yourself. You can adapt to
stressful situations and regain your sense of control by changing your
expectations and attitude.
•Reframe problems. Try to view
stressful situations from a more positive perspective. Rather than
fuming about a traffic jam, look at it as an opportunity to pause and
regroup, listen to your favorite radio station, or enjoy some alone
time.
•Look at the big picture. Take perspective of the
stressful situation. Ask yourself how important it will be in the long
run. Will it matter in a month? A year? Is it really worth getting upset
over? If the answer is no, focus your time and energy elsewhere.
•Adjust your standards. Perfectionism is a major source of avoidable
stress. Stop setting yourself up for failure by demanding perfection.
Set reasonable standards for yourself and others, and learn to be okay
with “good enough.”
•Focus on the positive. When stress is
getting you down, take a moment to reflect on all the things you
appreciate in your life, including your own positive qualities and
gifts. This simple strategy can help you keep things in perspective.
Stress management strategy #4: Accept the things you can’t change
Some sources of stress are unavoidable. You can’t prevent or change
stressors such as the death of a loved one, a serious illness, or a
national recession. In such cases, the best way to cope with stress is
to accept things as they are. Acceptance may be difficult, but in the
long run, it’s easier than railing against a situation you can’t change.
•Don’t try to control the uncontrollable. Many things in life are
beyond our control, particularly the behavior of other people. Rather
than stressing out over them, focus on the things you can control such
as the way you choose to react to problems.
•Look for the
upside. As the saying goes, “What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.”
When facing major challenges, try to look at them as opportunities for
personal growth. If your own poor choices contributed to a stressful
situation, reflect on them and learn from your mistakes.
•Share
your feelings. Talk to a trusted friend or make an appointment with a
therapist. Expressing what you’re going through can be very cathartic,
even if there’s nothing you can do to alter the stressful situation.
•Learn to forgive. Accept the fact that we live in an imperfect world
and that people make mistakes. Let go of anger and resentments. Free
yourself from negative energy by forgiving and moving on.
Stress management strategy #5: Make time for fun and relaxation
Beyond a take-charge approach and a positive attitude, you can reduce
stress in your life by nurturing yourself. If you regularly make time
for fun and relaxation, you’ll be in a better place to handle life’s
stressors when they inevitably come.
•Go for a walk.
•Spend time in nature.
•Call a good friend.
•Sweat out tension with a good workout.
•Write in your journal.
•Take a long bath.
•Light scented candles.
•Savor a warm cup of coffee or tea.
•Play with a pet.
•Work in your garden.
•Get a massage.
•Curl up with a good book.
•Listen to music.
•Watch something funny.
Don’t get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of life that you forget
to take care of your own needs. Nurturing yourself is a necessity, not a
luxury.
•Set aside relaxation time. Include rest and
relaxation in your daily schedule. Don’t allow other obligations to
encroach. This is your time to take a break from all responsibilities
and recharge your batteries.
•Connect with others. Spend time
with positive people who enhance your life. A strong support system will
buffer you from the negative effects of stress.
•Do something
you enjoy every day. Make time for leisure activities that bring you
joy, whether it be stargazing, playing the piano, or working on your
bike.
•Keep your sense of humor. This includes the ability to
laugh at yourself. The act of laughing helps your body fight stress in a
number of ways.
Stress management strategy #6: Adopt a healthy lifestyle
You can increase your resistance to stress by strengthening your physical health.
•Exercise regularly. Physical activity plays a key role in reducing and
preventing the effects of stress. Make time for at least 30 minutes of
exercise, three times per week. Nothing beats aerobic exercise for
releasing pent-up stress and tension.
•Eat a healthy diet.
Well-nourished bodies are better prepared to cope with stress, so be
mindful of what you eat. Start your day right with breakfast, and keep
your energy up and your mind clear with balanced, nutritious meals
throughout the day.
•Reduce caffeine and sugar. The temporary
"highs" caffeine and sugar provide often end in with a crash in mood and
energy. By reducing the amount of coffee, soft drinks, chocolate, and
sugar snacks in your diet, you’ll feel more relaxed and you’ll sleep
better.
•Avoid alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs. Self-medicating
with alcohol or drugs may provide an easy escape from stress, but the
relief is only temporary. Don’t avoid or mask the issue at hand; deal
with problems head on and with a clear mind.
•Get enough sleep.
Adequate sleep fuels your mind, as well as your body. Feeling tired
will increase your stress because it may cause you to think
irrationally.
Adjusting Your Attitude
How you think can
have a profound effect on your emotional and physical well-being. Each
time you think a negative thought about yourself, your body reacts as if
it were in the throes of a tension-filled situation. If you see good
things about yourself, you are more likely to feel good; the reverse is
also true. Eliminate words such as "always," "never," "should," and
"must." These are telltale marks of self-defeating thoughts.
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