How Stress Affects Health

What is stress?

It is what you feel when you have to handle more than you normally do.

When you are feeling it, your body responds with the fight-or-flight response, as if you are in danger.

It makes hormones that speed up your heart, make you breathe faster, and give you a burst of energy.

Some stress is actually normal and even useful. It can help keep you on your toes and react quickly. For example, it can help you to finish an important job on time.

If it continues too long, however, it can have bad effects on your health. It has been linked to headaches, digestion problems, back pain, and insomnia. It can weaken your immune system, making it harder to fight off disease.

If you have chest pain stress may be the cause. But with any chest pain it's important to see a doctor immediately, since it could be something more serious, and you may need a heart stress test.

If you already have a health problem, stress may make it worse. It can make you moody, tense, or depressed. It may cause problems in your relationships, and you may not do well at work or school.

Part of Life

A certain amount is a just a part of life for most people. You may not be able to eliminate it entirely.

The good news is that you can learn techniques to manage it. To begin, first you will need to:

• Find out what is the causing it
• Look for ways to reduce the amount of it in your life
• Learn healthy ways to manage the things that can't be eliminated from your life

Determine the Source

To determine the cause, you may have to sit down and really think about what is happening in your life. Sometimes it is clear where it is coming from.

Any major life change such as the death of a loved one, getting married, birth of a child will cause it. But other times the cause may not be so clear.

Eliminate or Reduce

Here are some tips to help you reduce the amount in your life:

• Learn better time management skills. Think about which things are most important, and do those first.
• Simplify your life. Keep your responsibilities and obligations outside work and family to a minimum.
• Don't hold your feelings in. Talk to someone you can trust. People who have a strong network of family and friends generally experience less stressful lives. This is very important.
• Don't be afraid to cry. Crying can be a physical as well as emotional tension reducer.

• Get a massage from a licensed massage therapist.

• Learn meditation techniques and practice positive thinking skills.
• Take a vacation, even if it is just a long weekend. Either do nothing or do something you find relaxing.
• Exercise. Regular exercise is one of the best ways to unwind and relax. Walking is a great way to get started!
• Try to lighten up and laugh. Forget your responsibilities just for a little while and go see a funny movie.
• Take good care of yourself. You know what that means - getting enough sleep, healthy eating and quit smoking. Limit your alcohol consumption.
• Learn to say "no". It's not a easy thing to do if you are used to saying yes, but it's important to your health to say no sometimes.
• Spend some time doing a hobby or something you enjoy to help you relax. Doing something to help others can be a great way to forget about your own problems for a while.

If you still have substantial amounts in your life, you may need to think about making some major life changes, such as changing jobs that may not be a good fit, changing your living arrangements, or whatever you need to do to feel calmer and live a healthier life.

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