Stressed Out???

STRESS has been described as the disease of modern society: we can’t live with it, we can’t live without it. When we are under too much pressure we tend to live our lives on overdrive and on the verge of ‘burnout’, whereas when there is insufficient stress in our lives we can be faced with boredom.

Stress is a biological term which refers to the consequences of  the failure of a human or animal to respond appropriately to emotional or physical threats, whether actual or imagined. It is “the automatic response to environmental stimulus.

Alarm is the first stage. When the threat or stressor is identified or realized, the body’s stress response is a state of alarm. During this stage adrenaline is produced to bring out the fight-or-flight response.

Resistance is the second stage. if the stressor persists, it is necessary to attempt some ways of coping with the stress. When the body tries to adapt to the strains or demands of the environment, and eventually cannot cope with it, exhaustion happens.

Exhaustion is the third and final stage. At this point,all of the body’s resources are used up and it could no longer do its normal function. It is at this point that automatic nervous symptoms like sweating, increased  heart rate,raised blood pressure, breathing becomes shallower etc reappears and if it is extended , long term damage can result into a more obvious and serious illnesses like ulcers, depression, trouble with digestive system, heart diseases along with other mental illnesses.

But the problem is not how much stress we are under , but how we cope and adapt to stress. We all react to different levels and types of stress in various ways. When stress levels are running high, our mind, emotions, body and behaviour are affected. Some of the common symptoms are headaches, back ache, nervous twitches, teeth-grinding and sleep disorder. Stress can also cause mood swings, irritability and lack of concentration.

With the stresses and pressures of a  modern and super hi-tech living, it is of great importance that we adopt a more positive attitude and see how we can make stress work to our advantage. stress  in fact, can have a positive effect on how we feel and behave, as long as we don’t allow our stress levels to soar. Minor stress can bring a challenge and an opportunity to perform to the best of our ability. When we are under pressure our energy levels  are usually higher, causing us to function at our optimum. Once we completed  a stressful task,we can feel a sense of achievement and a  boost to our self-esteem. The secret is to learn how much stress you can live with, without letting it become a destructive force.

STRESS-RELATED FACTS

75%-90% of visits  to doctors by adults are cause by stress-related problems.

70%-80% of all disease and illness is stress-related. Common conditions include insomnia, headaches, colds, migraines and heart disease.

1 in 4 people suffer sleep deprivation as a result of stress. Studies have shown that women are more likely to suffer from stress-related sleeping disorders than men.

More people are having a heart attack at 9 o’clock on Monday morning than at any other time of the week.

Children laugh roughly 400 times a day while an average adult laughs 15 times a day. A valid reason why adults look and feel older than the kids. Don’t you think so?

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