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Stress Management
Stress & its Effects
7/10/2008
Compiled & Analyzed by: Delawar Barekzai
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What is stress?
Stress is a psychological and physiological response to events that upset our personal balance insome way. When faced with a threat, whether to our physical safety or emotional equilibrium, the body's defenses kick into high gear in a rapid, automatic process known as the “fight-or-flight”response. We all know what this stress response feels like: heart pounding in the chest, musclestensing up, breath coming faster, every sense on red alert.Examples of stress in today’s world
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You and your spouse both work full time while you are raising your family. At the sametime, your parents are retired, in ill health, and are dependent on your help with shoppingand running errands.
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You are a single person living alone, and your salary isn’t rising as fast as the rate of inflation. It’s getting harder each month to pay the bills.
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You are a divorced parent and share the custody of your children with your former spouse.But the friction between the two of you on matters concerning the children is becomingmore bitter frequent.
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The expectations and competition coming in early, staying late, and taking on more work than you can handle.The biological stress response is meant to protect and support us. It’s what helped our stone ageancestors survive the life-or-death situations they commonly faced. But in the modern world,most of the stress we feel is in response to psychological rather than physical threats. Caring for achronically-ill child or getting audited by the IRS qualifies as stressful situations, but neither callsfor either fight or flight. Unfortunately, our bodies don't make this distinction. Whether we’restressed over a looming deadline, an argument with a friend, or a mountain of bills, the warning bells ring. And just like a caveman confronting a saber tooth tiger, we go into automaticoverdrive.If you have a lot of responsibilities and worries, you may be running on stress a good portion of the time—launching into emergency mode with every traffic jam, phone call from the in-laws, or segment of the evening news. But the problem with the stress response is that the more it’sactivated, the harder it is to shut off. Instead of leveling off once the crisis has passed, your stresshormones, heart rate, and blood pressure remain elevated.Furthermore, extended or repeated activation of the stress response takes a heavy toll on the body.Prolonged exposure to stress increases your risk of everything from heart disease, obesity, andinfection to anxiety, depression, and memory problems. Because of the widespread damage it can
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cause, it’s essential to learn how to deal with stress in a more positive way and reduce its impacton your daily life.
Stress Warning Signs and Symptoms
Cognitive SymptomsEmotional Symptoms
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Memory problems
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Indecisiveness
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Inability to concentrate
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Trouble thinking clearly
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Poor judgment
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Seeing only the negative
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Anxious or racing thoughts
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Constant worrying
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Loss of objectivity
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Fearful anticipation
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Moodiness
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Agitation
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Restlessness
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Short temper
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Irritability, impatience
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Inability to relax
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Feeling tense and “on edge”
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Feeling overwhelmed
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Sense of loneliness and isolation
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Depression or general unhappiness
Physical SymptomsBehavioral Symptoms
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Headaches or backaches
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Muscle tension and stiffness
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Diarrhea or constipation
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Nausea, dizziness
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Insomnia
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Chest pain, rapid heartbeat
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Weight gain or loss
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Skin breakouts (hives, eczema)
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Loss of sex drive
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Frequent colds
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Eating more or less
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Sleeping too much or too little
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Isolating yourself from others
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Procrastination, neglectingresponsibilities
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Using alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs torelax
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Nervous habits (e.g. nail biting, pacing)
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Teeth grinding or jaw clenching
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Overdoing activities (e.g. exercising,shopping)
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Overreacting to unexpected problems
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Picking fights with others
The Body’s Stress Response
The “fight-or-flight” stress response involves a cascade of biological changes that prepare us for emergency action. When danger is sensed, a small part of the braincalled the hypothalamus sets off a chemical alarm. The sympathetic nervous systemresponds by releasing a flood of stress hormones, including adrenaline, nor epinephrine, and cortisol. These stress hormones race through the bloodstream,readying us to either flee the scene or battle it out.Heart rate and blood flow to the large muscles increase so we can run faster and fightharder. Blood vessels under the skin constrict to prevent blood loss in case of injury, pupils dilate so we can see better, and our blood sugar ramps up, giving us an energy boost and
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Stress & Its Effects
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| Upload Date: | 11/08/2009 |
| Copyright: | Attribution Non-commercial |
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