Stress

     “The struggle to balance work, family, and outside commitments has intensified in recent years.”  So says a recent book on family life.  Yes, we live in stressful times.  Are you under stress, perhaps because of conditions on your job?  Suffering in silence may only make you feel more pressured.  Researchers on stress in the workplace recommend “talking to your employer: if they don’t know there’s a problem, they can’t help.”  This doesn’t mean venting rage and frustration.  Be calm.  Be businesslike and avoid a confrontational approach.  Perhaps you can convince your employer that less job stress will mean more productivity.

     The same can be said for other work-related problems, such as tensions and conflicts with workmates.  Look for productive ways to confront such problems, perhaps doing research if necessary.  A number of articles have been published that might prove helpful.  If the situation seems beyond salvaging, it may be best to consider changing employment.

     Stress in everyday terms, is a feeling that people have when they are overloaded and struggling to cope with demands.  These demands can be related to finances, work, relationships, and other situations, but anything that poses a real or perceived challenge or threat to a person’s well-being can cause stress.

     Stress can be a motivator.  It can be essential to survival.  The “fight-or-flight” mechanism can tell us when and how to respond to danger.  However, if this mechanism is triggered too easily, or when there are too many stressors at one time, it can undermine a person’s mental and physical health and become harmful.

     According to the American Psychological Association’s (APAs) annual stress survey, average stress levels in the United States rose from 4.9 to 5.1 on a scale from 1 to 10 in 2015.  The main reasons given are employment and money.

     These are NOT the ONLY situations that you may find stressful.  But WHAT is stress?  How can we recognize it in our lives?

     Stress is the body’s natural defense against predators and danger.  It flushes the body with hormones to prepare systems to evade or confront danger.  When we are faced with a challenge, part of our response is physical.  The body activates resources to protect us by preparing us either to stay and fight or to get away as fast as possible.

     The body produces larger quantities of the chemicals cortisol, adrenaline, and noradrenalin.  These trigger an increased heart rate, heightened muscle preparedness, sweating, and alertness.  All these factors improve the ability to respond to a hazardous or challenging situation.

     Factors of the environment that trigger this reaction are called stressors.  Examples include noises, aggressive behavior, a speeding car, scary moments in movies, or even going out on a first date.  The more stressors we experience, the more stressed we tend to feel.

Changes to the body

     Stress slows normal bodily functions, such as the digestive and immune systems.  All resources can then be concentrated on rapid breathing, blood flow, alertness, and muscle use.  The body changes in the following ways during stress:

·        Blood pressure and pulse rate rise

·        Breathing is faster

·        The digestive system slows down

·        Immune activity decreases

·        The muscles become tense

·        A heightened state of alertness prevents sleep

     How we react to a difficult situation will affect how stress affects us and our health.  A person who feels they do not have enough resources to cope will be more likely to have a stronger reaction, and one that can trigger health problems.

     Stressors affect individuals in different ways.  Some experiences that are generally considered positive can lead to stress, such as having a baby, going on a trip, moving to a nicer house, and being promoted.  This is because they often involve a major change, extra effort, new responsibilities, and a need for adaptation.  They are also steps into the unknown.  The person wonders if they will be able to cope.

      A persistently negative response to challenges can have a detrimental effect on health and happiness.  However, being aware of how you react to stressors can help reduce the negative feelings and effects of stress, and to manage it more effectively.

     Physical effects of stress on the body can include:  sweating, pain in the back or chest, cramps or muscle spasms, erectile dysfunction and loss of libido, fainting, headache, heart disease, high blood pressure, lower immunity against diseases, muscular aches, nervous twitches, pins and needles, sleeping difficulties, or stomach upset.

     A 2012 study suggested that the stressors experienced by parents, such as financial troubles or managing a single-parent household, can lead to obesity in their children.

     Emotional reactions can include:  anger, anxiety, burnout, concentration issues, depression, fatique, a feeling of insecurity, forgetfulness, irritability, nail biting, restlessness or sadness.

    Behaviors linked to stress include:  food cravings and eating too much or too little, sudden angry outbursts, drug and alcohol abuse, higher tobacco consumption, social withdrawals, frequent crying or relationship problems.

     We all react differently to stressful situations.  What is stressful to one person may not be stressful to another.  Almost anything can cause stress.  For some people, just thinking about something, even if it is an extremely small thing, can cause stress.

     Common major life events that can trigger stress include:  job issues or retirement, lack of time or money, bereavement, family problems, illness, moving home, even relationships, marriage and divorce.

     Other commonly reported causes of stress are:  abortion or miscarriage, driving in heavy traffic or fear of an accident, fear of crime or problems with neighbors, pregnancy and becoming a parent, excessive noise, overcrowding, and pollution, and uncertainty or waiting for an important outcome.

     Some situations will affect some people and not others.  Past experience can impact how a person will react.  Sometimes, there is NO identifiable cause.  Mental health issues, such as depression, or an accumulated sense of frustration and anxiety, can make some people feel stressed more easily than others.

     Some people experience ongoing stress after a traumatic event, such as an accident or some kind of abuse.  This is known as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Those who work in stressful jobs, such as the military or the emergency services, will have a debriefing session following a major incident, and they will be monitored for PTSD.

     A doctor will normally diagnose stress by asking the patient about symptoms and life events.  Diagnosis is complex.  It depends on many factors.  Questionnaires, biochemical measures, and physiological techniques have been used, but these may not be objective or effective.  The most direct way to diagnose stress and its effects on a person is through a comprehensive, stress-oriented, face-to-face interview.  Treatment includes self-help, stress management, and medication.

     Here are a few steps you can take to manage or prevent the feeling of being overwhelmed.

1.      Exercise:  Studies have shown that exercise can benefit a person’s mental and physical state.

2.     Reducing intake of alcohol, drugs, and caffeine:  These substances will not help prevent stress, and they can make it worse.  They should be cut out or reduced.

3.     Nutrition:  A healthy, balanced diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables helps maintain the immune system at times of stress.  A poor diet will lead to ill health and additional stress.

4.     Prioritizing:  Spend a little time organizing your to-do list to see what is most important.  Then focus on what you have completed or accomplished for the day, rather than what you are yet to finish.

5.     Time:  Set aside some time each day just for yourself.  Use it to organize your life, relax, and pursue your own interests.

6.     Breathing and relaxation:  Meditation, massage, and yoga can help.  Breathing and relaxation techniques can slow down the system and help you relax.  Breathing is also a central part of mindfulness meditation.

7.     Talking:  Talking to family, friends, work colleagues, and your boss about your thoughts and worries will help you “let off steam.”  You may be comforted to find that you are “not the only one.”  You may even find there is an easy solution that you had not thought of.

8.     Acknowledging the signs:  A person can be so anxious about the problem that is causing the stress that they do not notice the effects on their body.

9.     Find your own disstressor:  Most people have something that helps them, relax, such as reading a book, going for a walk, listening to music, or spending time with a friend or a pet.  Joining a choir or a gym helps some people.

10.     Establishing support networks:  The APA encourages people to develop networks of social support, for example, by talking to neighbors and others in the local community, or joining a club, charity, or religious organization.

     Even if you are not feeling stressed NOW, being part of a group can prevent stress from developing and provide support and practical help when hard times come.

     Online social networking can help, as long as it does not replace face-to-face contact.  It can allow you to stay in touch with friends and family who are far away, and this can reduce anxiety.

     If the stress is affecting your daily life, you should seek professional help.  A doctor or psychiatric specialist can often help, for example, through stress management training.

     Stress management can help you to:         

·        Remove or change the source of stress

·        Alter the way you view a stressful event

·        Lower the impact that stress might have on your body

·        Learn alternative ways of coping

     Stress management therapy pursues one or more of these approaches.

  

     Techniques for stress management can be gained from self-help books, online resources, or by attending a stress management course.  A counselor or phychotherapist can put you in touch with personal development courses, or individual or group therapy sessions.

     Therapies that may help you relax include aromatherapy or reflexology.

     Some insurance providers cover this type of treatment, but not all.  You will need to check with your own carrier.

     Doctors will not usually prescribe medications for coping with stress, unless the patient has an underlying illness, such as depression or a type of anxiety.  In that case, the doctor is treating a mental illness and not the stress.

     In such cases, an antidepressant may be prescribed.  However, there is a risk that the medication will only mask the stress, rather than help you deal and cope with it.  Antidepressants can also have adverse effects.

     Developing some coping strategies before stress hits can help you manage new situations and maintain your physical and mental health.  If you are already experience overwhelming stress, seek medical help

     I am NOT a doctor and don’t intend to be giving anyone medical advice about stress.  I’ve just provided some information that may be helpful to some.

    I can assure you, although it was not mentioned in this blog, that writing a blog on a regular basis can also be very stressful.  Maybe I’d better re-read the information I posted here and see if I can help myself

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"Sometimes we look at others and think:

'How Strange!'

Get a mirror"