All About Stress . . .

It is my firm belief that the vast majority of individuals and families suffer some form of chronic stress, to some degree. Today, we'll explore this condition a bit more deeply.


How Stress Begins
Stress, especially when it becomes chronic, can suppress your immune system and lead to physical diseases, and it can contribute to development of mental disorders. The circumstances during the time stress occurs and your attitude toward the stress is critical to how you will handle it. The duration, frequency, time of day, and cause of the stress are all conditions to how you react to it.

Stress usually begins as a reaction to relationships, or to you environment. Every individual have expectations that are established on their upbringing, education, and so on. Each person to these expectations are according to how the person perceives the situations. If the events or relationships do not stand up to the person’s expectations, he or she might begin to question what is wrong. If he or she cannot answer this question, or change the situation, stress begins to build.

In reaction to this stress, your brain sends messages throughout the rest of your body. The body responds with signals, such as headaches, muscle and immunity tension, and anxiety, but your mind is so preoccupied with the problem that it is more or less oblivious to the adverse effects of the building tension. The cause of the stress most likely will be resolve in a short time. But if the situation caused prolonged stress, it is clear just how damaging it could be to the mind and body.

Your Body’s Response to Stress: Fight or Flight
When chronic stress is left untreated, it triggers biological changes in the body. These changes consist of three phases—alarm, resistance, and fatigue—representing the body’s mechanism for coping with stress.

This illustrates the influence that your mind and body have on each other. When stress occurs, your adrenal glands and general adaption mechanism kick into action. If this activity continues over a long period of time due to persistent stress, it could cause chronic anxiety, and even depression.

The alarm stage is often referred to as the fight-or-flight response. As the stress begins to build, the brain and endocrine system are stimulated to secrete adrenaline and other stress-related hormones. These help prepare the body to take action, when necessary—either to fight the stress or flee from it.

During the fight-or-flight response, several physiological changes occur. Heart rate increases, pumping blood to all body parts in preparation for their reaction to the perceived stress. The body begins to perspire in order to lower its temperature, digestive activities slow down, and the liver dumps glucose into the blood. All these changes help the body to mobilize energy in preparation for its reaction to stress.

Everyone has experienced the fight-or-flight response at one time or another. The fight-or-flight response is a short phase and is often sufficient to cope with a given stressor. Afterward, the body will rest in order to restore balance. However, if the stress continues, the body enters the phase of resistance, which allows it to continue its struggle with the stressor at hand.

Getting Rid of Stress
Technically, "fight or flight" refers to your physiological reactions to stress, but it also can describe how you handle stressful situations. If you confront your problems and work them through, you probably have developed strong mechanisms or ways of coping with stress. If you avoid or ignore your problems, you are likely to be a candidate to develop stress-related illnesses. Do you often feel overwhelmed by a problem, unable to see your way out? Your ineffective coping mechanisms were formed long ago, but you do have the power to change them. Since stress is an unavoidable part of life, you cannot do away with it completely, however, you can learn to live with stress without suffering the consequences.

Everyone’s tolerance of stress is different, but when you pass your individual threshold and stay there for a significant amount of time, more severe mental and physical illnesses can develop.

In some circumstances stress can be positive if you can use it to face challenges productively. Excess stress needs an outlet, such as exercise, social activities, a hobby, and relaxation techniques. You should try to eliminate the cause of your stress, but if this is impossible, you need to learn to manage your reactions to it.

Some tips for reducing your daily level of stress
* Set limits on your day and stick to them
* Take breaks during the day(at least one for lunch) and try to go outside if possible—fresh air, quiet, and a walk can work wonders to soothe your nerves.
* Make exercise a regular part of your daily routine.
* Listen to soothing music whenever you feel tension begin to build.
* Eat whole (natural, unprocessed) foods and avoid sugar and caffeine.
* Practice relaxation techniques and meditation.
* Try to pinpoint the problem(s) that is causing your stress and find a resolution.

Remember, this is your mind and body. Do whatever it takes to help them to be strong and healthy. They both rely on each other. They need the proper care to obtain the proper balance that is needed in handling stressful situations. Think positive; you can handle it.

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