You're Stressing Me Out!

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 put stress on your body. You can experience stress from your environment, your body, and your thoughts.

The human body is designed to experience stress and react to it.  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. It can disturb the body's internal balance or equilibrium - leading 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. Consider the following facts:

• Forty-three percent of all adults suffer adverse health effects from stress.

• Seventy-five to 90% of all doctor's office visits are for stress-related ailments and complaints.

• Stress is linked to six of the leading causes of death: heart disease, cancer, lung ailments, accidents, cirrhosis of the liver, and suicide.

• The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) declared stress a hazard of the workplace. In terms of lost hours due to absenteeism, reduced productivity and workers' compensation benefits, stress costs American industry more than $300 billion annually.

• The lifetime prevalence of an emotional disorder is more than 50%, often due to chronic, untreated stress reactions.

If you are one of the millions of stressed-out Americans, there's good news. People can learn to manage stress. Start with these tips:

• Keep a positive attitude.

• Accept that there are events that you cannot control.

• Be assertive instead of aggressive. "Assert" your feelings, opinions, or beliefs instead of becoming angry, defensive, or passive.

• Learn and practice relaxation techniques..

• Exercise regularly. Your body can fight stress better when it is fit.

• Eat healthy, well-balanced meals.

• Get enough rest and sleep. Your body needs time to recover from stressful events.

• Learn to manage your time more effectively.