Stress in Your System

If you are flesh and blood, then you must have some  element of stress in your system. This can range from minimum, that is at times, to maximum, when you are always stressed up.
What then is stress ? It  is the non-specific response of the body to any demand for change. Stress could be positive /good stress,  Eustress,  or negative /bad stress,  Distress. This is so because this state can be perceive differently by different people. This is why in this article, we will be looking at everyday stress, and how it affects man and the remedy to alleviate and restore normalcy.

Physiological stress is response to a stressor such as an environmental condition. Stress is a body’s method of reacting to a challenge.  In response to a  stressful event, the body’s way to respond to stress is by sympathetic nervous system activation which results in the fight-or-flight response. Because the body cannot keep this state for long periods of time, the parasympathetic system returns the body’s physiological conditions to normal (homeostasis). This is why it is common that people go in and out of stressful conditions.  In humans, stress typically describes a negative condition or a positive condition that can have an impact on a person’s mental and physical well-being.
Stress is the body’s reaction to any change that requires an adjustment or response. The body reacts to these changes with physical, mental, and emotional responses. Stress is a normal part of life. Many events that happen to you and around you and many things that you do yourself  put stress on your body. You can experience stress from your environment, your body, and your thoughts.

Stress in humans results from interactions between persons and their environment that are perceived as straining or exceeding their adaptive capacities and threatening their well-being. The element of perception indicates that human stress responses reflect differences in personality, as well as differences in physical strength or general health.
Risk factors:
For stress-related illnesses are a mix of personal, interpersonal, and social variables. These factors include lack or loss of control over one’s physical environment, and lack or loss of social support networks. People who are dependent on others (e.g., children or the elderly) or who are socially disadvantaged (because of race, gender, educational level, or similar factors) are at greater risk of developing stress-related illnesses. Other risk factors include feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, extreme fear or anger, and cynicism or distrust of others.

Common Symptoms
The symptoms of stress can be either physical or psychological. Stress-related physical illnesses, such as irritable bowel syndrome, heart attacks, arthritis, and chronic headaches, result from long-term overstimulation of a part of the nervous system that regulates the heart rate, blood pressure, and digestive system.  Stress-related emotional illness results from inadequate or inappropriate responses to major changes in one’s life situation, such as marriage,  completing one’s education, becoming a parent, losing a job, or retirement. Psychiatrists sometimes use the term adjustment disorder to describe this type of illness. In the workplace, stress-related illness often takes the form of burnout—a loss of interest in or ability to perform one’s job due to long-term high stress levels. For example, palliative care nurses are at high risk of burnout due to their inability to prevent their patients from dying or even to relieve their physical suffering in some circumstances.

Effects of stress :
• The human body is designed to experience stress and react to it. Stress can be positive, keeping us alert and ready to avoid danger.
•  Stress becomes negative when a person faces continuous challenges without relief or relaxation between challenges. As a result, the person becomes overworked and stress-related tension builds. Stress that continues without relief can lead to a condition called distress — a negative stress reaction. Distress can lead to physical symptoms including headaches, upset stomach, elevated blood pressure, chest pain, and problems sleeping.  Research suggests that stress also can bring on or worsen certain symptoms or diseases.
• Stress also becomes harmful when people use alcohol, tobacco, or drugs to try to relieve their stress. Unfortunately, instead of relieving the stress and returning the body to a relaxed state, these substances tend to keep the body in a stressed state and cause more problems.
•  Forty-three percent of all adults suffer adverse health effects from stress.
•  Seventy-five percent to 90% of all doctor’s office visits are for stress-related ailments and complaints.
• Stress can play a part in problems such as headaches, high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, skin conditions, asthma, arthritis, depression, and anxiety.
• Stress is  declared stress a hazard of the workplace.
• The lifetime prevalence of an emotional disorder is more than 50%, often due to chronic, untreated stress reactions.
Managing stress by measuring it :
Stress can be  Managed by  Measuring it. What are the causes of stress in your life ?
Feeling stress is a fact of life for most people. But it affects everyone differently. What causes stress for you may not be stressful for someone else. That’s because how you view a situation affects how much stress it causes you. Only you can figure out whether you have too much stress in your life.

Ask yourself these questions to find out what is causing your stress:
What job, family, or personal stress do you have?
1. Stress can be caused by an ongoing personal situation such as:    Problems in your family or with a relationship.
Caring for a family member who is elderly, has chronic health problems, or is disabled. Caregiving is a major source of stress.
2. Your job.
3. Dealing with a family member who is under stress.
4. Have you had any recent major life changes? Life changes such as getting married, moving to a new city, or losing a job can all be stressful. You can’t always control these things, but you can control how you respond to them.
Always try to find out your current stress level based on recent changes in your life.
What Is Your Stress Level?
Do your beliefs cause you stress ?
Some people feel stress because their beliefs conflict with the way they are living their life. Examine your beliefs, such as your values and life goals, to find out if you have this kind of conflict in your life.

How are you coping with stress?
Your lifestyle choices can prevent your body from recovering from stress. For example, as you sleep, your body recovers from the stresses of the day. If you’re not getting enough sleep or your sleep is often interrupted, you lose the chance to recover from stress.
The way you act and behave can also be a sign of stress. Some people who face a lot of stress react by smoking, drinking too much alcohol, eating poorly, or not exercising. The health risks posed by these habits are made even worse by stress.
Your body feels stress-related wear and tear in two ways:
• the stress itself ,
• and the unhealthy ways you respond to it.
With all of these looked at, you can now ask yourself how quickly you recover from your stress condition.

How to deal with stress:
Engage in stress releasing activities like:
Meditation,
Get enough sleep,  nap regularly, try to get at least  about 7hours of sleep daily
Massage,
Swim leisurely,
Keep a journal.
Exercise regularly, as this triggers the release of chemicals in the brain , that blocks stress.
Reading a good book
Get into a hobby
Engage help by walking, running, jogging with a loved one,
Take a time to close down on  intruding conditions, a deliberate time of shutting down everything.  This can be done with only your close family enclosed.
Cut off caffeine drinks, and taking tobacco.
The secret is that you must deliberately reduce things that cause you stress. Live a healthy balanced life. Try and eat right, exercise and  get enough sleep.  Taking decisive steps can actually go a long way.

Chewing gum, increases blood flow to your brain, this helps. Spend some time outdoors in calm natural environment, it calms you. Take time out , and be with friends and family that make  you happy. Smiling with loved ones, relaxes the muscle around your facial area, which helps to release tension.
Talk all nagging issues with a trusted friend, write down issues bothering you, it translates to a burden shared. Think nice about yourself. This gives you the assurance that all will be well.