Stress Management
By Karen Cole-Peralta, Thu Dec 8th
b>What is Stress? Stress may be defined as the three-way relationship betweendemands on people, our feelings about those demands and ourability to cope with them. Stress is most likely to occur insituations where: 1. Demands are high.
2. The amount of control we have is low. 3. There is limited support or help available for us. Who is Affected Most by Stress? Virtually all people experience stressful events or situationsthat overwhelm our natural coping mechanisms. And although somepeople are biologically prone to stress, many outside factorsinfluence susceptibility as well. Studies indicate that some people are more vulnerable to theeffects of stress than others. Older adults; women in general,especially working mothers and pregnant women; less-educatedpeople; divorced or widowed people; people experiencingfinancial strains such as long-term unemployment; people who arethe targets of discrimination; uninsured and underinsuredpeople; and people who simply live in cities all seem to beparticularly susceptible to health-related stress problems. People who are less emotionally stable or have high anxietylevels tend to experience certain events as more stressful thanhealthy people do. And the lack of an established network offamily and friends predisposes us to stress-related healthproblems such as heart disease and infections. Caregivers,children and medical professionals are also frequently found tobe at higher risk for stress-related disorders. Job-related stress is particularly likely to be chronic becauseit is such a large part of life. Stress reduces a worker'seffectiveness by impairing concentration, causing sleeplessnessand increasing the risk of illness, back problems, accidents andlost time. At its worst extremes, stress that places a burden onour hearts and circulation can often be fatal. The Japanese havea word for sudden death due to overwork: karoushi. Medical Affects of Chronic Stress The stress response of the body is like an airplane readying fortake-off. Virtually all systems, such as the heart and bloodvessels, the immune system, the lungs, the digestive system, thesensory organs, and the brain are modified to meet the perceiveddanger. A stress-filled life really seems to raise the odds of heartdisease and stroke down the road. Researchers have found thatafter middle-age, those who report chronic stress face asomewhat higher risk of fatal or non-fatal heart disease orstroke over the years. It is now believed that constant
stresstakes its toll on our arteries, causing chronically high levelsof stress hormones and pushing people to maintain unhealthyhabits like smoking. Stressed-out men are twice as likely as their peers to die of astroke. There are weaker such findings among women, which islikely due to the fairly low number of heart disease and strokecases among women, rather than a resistance to the healtheffects of chronic stress. Women seem slightly more susceptibleto the effects of stress than men. Simply put, too much stress puts you at dire risk for healthproblems. Whether it comes from one event or the buildup of manysmall events, stress causes major physical alterations thatoften lead to health problems. Here is a list of some of thesechanges: • Our heart rates increase, to move blood to our muscles andbrains. • Our blood pressures go up. • Our breathing rates increase. • Our digestion slows down. • Our perspiration increases. • We feel a rush of strength at first, but over time stressmakes us feel weak. These reactions helped our ancestors survive threats bypreparing for either "fight or flight." Today, our bodies stillreact the same way, but the events that cause stress do notrequire this ancient mechanism. Stress can also greatly raise our risk of: • Ulcers and digestive disorders • Headaches • Migraine headaches • Backaches • Depression • Suicide • High blood pressure • Stroke • Heart attack • Alcohol and drug dependencies • Allergies and skin diseases • Cancer • Asthma • Depressed immune system • More colds and infections We have to learn ways to relieve stress, because when it goes onfor very long or happens too often, it obviously can cause manyserious health problems. Resources about Stress Risks The information in this article is originally from: the SomersetMedical Center website, http://www.somersetmedicalcenter.com ;the University of Maryland Medicine website,http://www.umm.edu/patiented ; the March of Dimes website,http://www.marchofdimes.com ; the voice of doctors website,http://web.bma.org.uk ; and the Health Ink Online website,http://www.healthinkonline.com . About the author:Executive Director and President of Rainbow Writing, Inc., KarenCole-Peralta writes. RWI at http://www.rainbowriting.com/ is aworld renowned freelance writing, copyediting, ghostwriting,graphics and CAD, search engine optimization, publishinghelpers, internet marketing, free professional services, andsupercheap dedicated web host and website developmentcorporation.
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