[www.keralites.net] Stress!

 

 

STRESS What is stress? The Body's Stress Response Stress is a normal physical response to events. When you sense danger—whether it's real or imagined—the body's defenses kick into high gear in a rapid, automatic process known as the "fight-or-flight-or-freeze" reaction, or the stress response. Modern life is full of hassles, deadlines, frustrations, and demands. For many people, stress is so commonplace that it has become a way of life. Stress is defined as "The rate of wear and tear on the body". Increased stress can accelerate many aspects of the aging process. "Everyone feels what stress is, but nobody really knows what stress is." Many times we create our own stress because of faulty perceptions. When you perceive a threat, your nervous system responds by releasing stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones prepares the body for emergency action. Stress is caused by two things. you think situations around you are worthy of anxiety. And then it's how your body reacts to your thought processes.These changes are best described as the fight or flight response. At times of danger mind bypass all our rational thoughts. Priority is given to all physical functions which provide more power to face an enemy or to flee. To understand why stress can have negative impacts on your health, you must first understand the physiological changes that occur within your body during the fight or flight response. In the fight or flight response it quickly releases hormones that help it to survive. these hormones help us to run faster and fight harder. They increase heart rate and blood pressure - delivering more oxygen and blood sugar to power important muscles. They increase sweating in an effort to cool these muscles, and help them stay efficient. They divert blood away from the skin to the core of our bodies - reducing blood loss if we are damaged. As well as this, these hormones focus our attention on the threat, to the exclusion of everything else. Breathing is accelerated to supply more oxygen for conversion to energy. The heart moves into overdrive to supply the body with more oxygen and nutrients. Our immune system is activated, ready to administer to wounds. Attention and sight become acute and highly focused and our sense of pain is diminished as the body releases analgesic hormones. This physiological aspect leaves us viewing the world as a hostile place and we are fully prepared to fight or run. Whichever one we choose, our body will expend an immense amount of energy which in itself prevents the build up of stress related to this response.The stress response is the body's way of protecting you. When working properly, it helps you stay focused, energetic, and alert. In emergency situations, stress can save your life—giving you extra strength to defend yourself. The stress response also helps you rise to meet challenges. But beyond a certain point, stress stops being helpful and starts causing major damage to your health, your mood, your productivity, your relationships, and your quality of life. The most dangerous thing about stress is you get used to it. It starts to feel normal. You don't notice how much it's affecting you and it takes a heavy toll. Stress affects the mind, body, and behavior in many ways. More stress lead to serious mental and physical health problems. Signs and symptoms of stress overload The following table lists some of the common warning signs and symptoms of stress.. Mental effects - Memory problems Inability to concentrate Poor judgment Seeing only the negative Anxious or racing thoughts Emotional problems Constant worrying Moodiness Irritability or short temper Agitation, inability to relax Feeling overwhelmed Sense of loneliness and isolation Depression or general unhappiness Physical problems Aches and pains Diarrhea or constipation Nausea, dizziness Chest pain, rapid heartbeat Loss of sex drive Frequent colds Behavioral problems Eating more or less Sleeping too much or too little Isolating yourself from others Procrastinating or neglecting responsibilities Using alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs to relax Nervous habits (e.g. nail biting, pacing) How much stress is too much? Because of the widespread damage stress can cause, it's important to know your own limit. But just how much stress is "too much" differs from person to person. We're all different. Your ability to tolerate stress depends on many factors, including the quality of your relationships, your general outlook on life, your emotional intelligence, and genetics. Your supportive friends and family members can be an enormous help against life's stressors. The more lonely and isolated you are, the greater your stress. confidence in yourself and your ability to influence events and persevere through challenges likely to have more tolerance for stress. Your attitude and outlook, your Optimism to embrace challenges, strong sense of humor, and accept change is important for life. You're extremely vulnerable to stress if you don't know how to calm and soothe your emotions  when you're feeling sad, angry, or overwhelmed by a situation. The ability to bring your emotions into balance helps you from adversity and is a skill that can be learned at any age. The more you know about a stressful situation, the easier it is to cope. Causes of stress anything that puts high demands on you or forces you to adjust can be stressful. This also includes positive events such as getting married, buying a house, going to college, or receiving a promotion. Stress can also be self-generated, for example, when you worry excessively about something that may or may not happen, or have irrational, pessimistic thoughts about life. What causes stress depends on your perception of it. Something that's stressful to you may not  be for someone else; they may even enjoy it. external causes of stress     Major life changes Work or school Relationship difficulties   Financial problems Being too busy Children and family internal causes of stress     Chronic worry Pessimism Negative self-talk   Unrealistic expectations/Perfectionism Rigid thinking, lack of flexibility All-or-nothing attitude Effects of chronic stress The body doesn't distinguish between physical and psychological threats. When you're stressed over a busy schedule, an argument with a friend, a traffic jam, or of bills, your body reacts just as strongly as if you were facing a life-or-death situation. If you have a lot of responsibilities and worries, your emergency stress response may be "on" most of the time. The more your body's stress system is activated, the harder it is to shut off. Long-term exposure to stress can lead to serious health problems. Chronic stress disrupts nearly every system in your body. It can raise blood pressure, suppress the immune system, increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, contribute to infertility, and speed up the aging process. Long-term stress can even rewire the brain, leaving you more vulnerable to anxiety and depression. Many health problems are caused or exacerbated by stress, including Pain of any kind Heart disease Digestive problems Sleep problems   Depression Weight problems Autoimmune diseases Skin conditions, such as eczema Dealing with stress and its symptoms "Feeling loved is nature's antidote to stress." unchecked stress is undeniably damaging. Unfortunately, many people cope with stress in ways that only compound the problem. You might drink too much to unwind at the end of a stressful day, fill up on comfort food, zone out in front of the TV or computer for hours, use pills to relax, or relieve stress by lashing out at other people. However, there are many healthier ways to cope with stress and its symptoms. Since everyone has a unique response to stress, there is no "one size fits all" solution to dealing with it. No single method works for everyone or in every situation. Focus on what makes you feel calm and in control. Learn how to manage stress You may feel like the stress in your life when out of your control, but you can always control the way you respond. Managing stress is all about taking charge: taking charge of your thoughts, your emotions, your schedule, your environment, and the way you deal with problems. Stress management involves changing the stressful situation when you can, changing your reaction when you can't, taking care of yourself, and making time for rest and relaxation. Remember the four As: avoid, alter, adapt, or accept. Avoid unnecessary stress. Not all stress can be avoided, but by learning how to say no, distinguishing between "shoulds" and "musts" on your to-do list, and be clear of people or situations that stress you out, you can eliminate many stressors. Alter the situation. If you can't avoid a stressful situation, try to alter it. Be more assertive and deal with problems. Instead of increasing your stress, let others know about your concerns. Be more willing to compromise and try meeting others halfway on an issue. Adapt to the stressor. When you can't change the stressor, try changing yourself. Reframe problems. Focus on the positive things in your life. If some work has stressed you, focus on the aspects of your job which you enjoy. And always look at the big picture. Accept the things you can't change. There will always be stressors in life that you can't do anything about. Learn to accept the inevitable rather than fight against a situation and making it even more stressful. Look for the upside in a situation—even the most stressful circumstances can be an opportunity for learning or personal growth. Learn to accept that no one is ever perfect. You can also better cope with the symptoms of stress by strengthening your physical health. Set aside relaxation time in your daily work. Exercise regularly. Physical activity plays a key role in reducing and preventing the effects of stress. Eat a healthy diet. Well-nourished bodies are better prepared to cope with stress. Start your day with a healthy breakfast, reduce your caffeine and sugar intake, and cut back on alcohol and nicotine. Get plenty of sleep. Feeling tired can increase stress by causing you to think irrationally. Keep cool by getting a good night's sleep. Quick stress relief. The best way to reduce stress quickly and reliably is by using your senses—what you see, hear, smell, taste, and touch—or through movement. By viewing a favorite photo, smelling a specific scent, listening to a favorite piece of music, tasting a piece of gum, or hugging a pet, for example, you can quickly relax and focus yourself. The key is to use your senses and know what sensory experiences work best for you. Emotional connection. Nothing contributes more to chronic stress than emotional disconnection from ourselves and others. Understanding the influence emotions have on your thoughts and actions is vital to managing stress. Life doesn't have to feel like a rollercoaster ride with extreme ups and downs. Once you're aware of your emotions, the easier it is to understand your own motivations, stop saying or doing things you later regret, gain renewed energy, and smooth out the ride.   Once you've mastered these core skills you'll have the confidence to face stressful challenges, knowing that you'll always be able to rapidly bring yourself back into balance. STRESS RELIEVING LESSIONS 1. CHANGE YOUR FOCUS: The words "SEEK AND YE SHALL FIND" offer timeless wisdom with profound implications. Simply put, we will FIND whatever it is we're SEEKING. In every situation, there is good and bad happening at the same time. Take this headline for instance: BJP WIN THE SENATE. That is decidedly good news if you're a BJP...not so great if you are CONGRESS. The headline is the same for both people reading it. It's the meaning they assign to it that gives it its power. It's the same with everything happening around you. SEEK what could be good in a situation instead of instantly gravitating toward what's WRONG. Believe me when I say this takes conscious effort. If you look back at your life, some of the hardest things you've gone through have had some element of good that came of it, even if it only served to make you more resilient and offer experience that you've brought forward with you. Our natural tendency is to notice what's wrong. If you don't believe it, ask yourself, when was the last time you woke up and said, "HEY! The electricity is on today!" We expect that when we flip a switch the light will go on...but we seldom notice it until it doesn't. 2. RESIGN AS GENERAL MANAGER OF THE UNIVERSE. When my kids were living at home I woke up one morning to a cartoon posted on the refrigerator that said, "If you want peace in your life, resign as general manager of the universe." I think they were trying to tell me something. It was true of me and I see so many other people wearing the title. There are things we must do, things we can do, and things we just shouldn't do. Among the things we just shouldn't do is trying to manage the universe. We're managing the universe when we think it's our job to run someone else's life for instance. So, let me simplify it for you. 3 STOP TRYING TO CHANGE EVERYONE INTO YOU. If you're trying to change someone...regardless of what you may THINK, your motives are, you're probably trying to clone yourself. Ever notice that people with "great taste" have YOUR TASTE? If everyone were just like you, you would be completely unnecessary. AND, believe it or not, most people aren't trying to annoy you. Most of them don't even notice that you're annoyed. My kids were right! This one made a huge difference. 4. STOP WAITING FOR "THINGS TO CHANGE." Things don't change, PEOPLE change. If there's something bothering you about your current situation, don't assume you can just wait it out and it will suddenly become what you want it to be. Change happens as a direct result of ACTION. The only action you can absolutely control is your own. You can take action to refocus and see the good in the situation, leave the situation, or take action to improve the situation. Sometimes we "feel" helpless to leave or change our circumstances, but there is ALWAYS something we can do. SEEK AND YE SHALL FIND. 5. TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR OWN HAPPINESS. One of the biggest myths ever sold to us by Hollywood is the idea that someone will come along and MAKE US HAPPY. Complete nonsense. How can we expect anyone else to know what it is that will make us happy? A lot of the time, we're not even sure ourselves what makes us happy. Even if others did know, who died and left them in charge of it? People who depend on the actions of others for their happiness, end up bitter and disappointed. Their relationships suffer because those in their lives feel pressure to continuously fill a bottomless pit. 6. JUST SAY NO. A two letter word that can change your life and is so totally underused. Many people say yes to things they have no interest or desire to do because they believe saying no makes them seem unkind and therefore unlikeable. The truth is just the opposite. When we say yes, when we really mean no, two things happen: first, we become resentful of the request and toward the requestor, and second, we DO become unlikeable...to ourselves. FYI: being resentful does NOT make us more likable. I have a new motto that has helped reduce my own stress thereby making me a much happier person: If I can't say YES with PASSION, I will say NO without APOLOGY. Feel free to adopt it. It'll bring you one step closer to living an authentic lifewhich is ALWAYS less stressful. 7. JUST SAY YES. Seek and find things that you enjoy and that fill you up. Denying your own needs has the same effect as saying yes when you mean no. It's just another way to become resentful and bitter. Say yes to causes that inspire you. Say yes to taking time with loved ones. Say yes to that good book you've wanted to read. Saying yes enough is just as important as saying no enough. Each leads to greater inner peace and allows you to give from your heart-which always feels wonderful and reduces stress. Even working twice as hard  on something you choose, or that inspires you, will feel like half the burden of something you've taken out of fear, intimidation, or obligation. 8. ASK. Asking is an under used muscle that needs a good workout. Our ASSUMING muscles are usually over developed however. We ASSUME that people know what we need or want. We have ridiculous thoughts like "if they loved me they'd know and I wouldn't have to ask." This is the second biggest myth we've adopted from who knows where. The truth is unless you can read minds, you have no business assuming that anyone else can either. Asking for what we need or want improves our odds of getting it by 100%. Keep in mind it's within everyone's right to say no to our requests, but if we don't ask, "No" is always going to be the answer by default. 9. LET GO. Examine your life for ways that you're holding on to the past that could be ruining your present and threatening to destroy your future. Being alive means living in an imperfect world, with imperfect people, while being imperfect ourselves. We will get hurt. Sometimes by design and sometimes just by means of others exercising their preferences. Those things sting but don't have to scar. Hanging on to past pain and resentment takes an enormous amount of energy. It saps you of mental and physical strength that you need to handle current tasks and responsibilities. It's been said that holding a grudge is like drinking poison and hoping the other person dies. It will destroy you while those who have hurt you have already moved on. 10. GIVE AWAY WHAT YOU WANT. I know. That sounds crazy, but hear me out. We get what we give. If you want more love, be more loving. If you want to be respected, be more respectful. We teach people how to treat us-usually by how we treat them. Does this work on a case by case basis? Not always. Saying if you're kind to X then X will be kind to you is a way to disappoint yourself early and often-but played out in the grand scheme of things it absolutely does work. You attract into your life not what you WANT, but what you ARE. In order to bring good things to you, you must give what you most want to receive. 11. DECIDE. This is a BIG one. Decide what it is that you want your life to look like, feel like, and be about. Happiness is an elusive more so when you don't know what it looks like. Trying to be happy without knowing what it is that makes you happy is like shooting arrows into the woods. Without a target, how will you know if you're getting any better? Nothing is more stressful than feeling like you're spinning your wheels and getting nowhere. I love the quote, "If you don't know where you're going, pretty much any road will get you there." A happy life is a life lived on purpose with direction. You get one shot at a great life. Don't fire a blank!Unlike exercising, getting more sleep, and eating well, I hope you'll give these things a try. You've got nothing to lose but stress.

 

 

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Posted by: Cool Kis <cooolkis@gmail.com>

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