Why You Need to Learn How to Handle Stress

Stress is something that negatively affects our lives. Many of us are under a lot more stress nowadays more than our parents were twenty years ago. If you’ve ever believed this yourself, you’re correct. Many surveys confirm that adults in the US perceive that they’re under a lot more stress than one or two decades ago.   

Many, many people seek ways to manage stress these days.  While job related stress is the leading source, many elderly people, college students, and even high school students suffer too!  There are many reasons why, including: 

·         Social isolation and loneliness 

·         Peer pressure and bullying 

·         Violence and threats to personal safety and well-being 

·         An increasing sense of control loss 

·         Substance abuse 

·         Loss of social support and friends 

·         Familial and relationship troubles 

What is stress, exactly? 

Stress tends to be rather complex.  It has had many definitions.  One way to simply put it is that it is “the wear and tear of everyday existence.”  No matter what it is to you, you are probably always searching for stress relief tips. 

Click Here to Learn How to Handle Stress Effectively

You’ve probably noticed that some days are more stressful than others, and sometimes it is as if there is no end to it all.  Daily stress seems as if it can be unavoidable, and if it were probably managed, it wouldn’t be causing too many health troubles!  Thus, on-going stress needs to be managed well.  It’s believed that 96% of all illness is either a result of stress or greatly intensified from it. 

Stress is both a physical and psychological response to the perceived pressures and demands from both the outside world and within.  To respond to the pressure and demand, we mobilize physical and psychological resources, which results in an increase of stress hormones in the body.  This is why anxiety stress management is essential to our physical and emotional well-being.   

Extreme, prolonged, or frequent mobilization can strain us a great deal and thus generate distress signals.  The body tries to convey distress signals in different ways, even in the form of symptoms, which can include: 

·         Irritability 

·         Anxiety 

·         Fatigue 

·         Anger 

·         Hypertension 

·         Headaches 

·         Depression 

·         Stomach aches 

·         Ulcers 

·         Heart troubles 

·         Colitis 

·         A number of other symptoms 

Ultimately, if not handled well, stress can lead to more serious illnesses and conditions like cancer, heart disease, diabetes, etc.  These are some of the leading causes of death. 

What can cause stress? 

Stress can be caused by financial pressures, heavy workloads, relationship problems, marital troubles, unrealistic expectations, aging, career pressures, etc.  While these can cause some stress, it is our own perception of these factors that actually causes the chemical responses that can potentially harm the body and mind.  We need to realize as we learn how to handle stress. 

What are some of the physiological effects? 

Stress can cause both pleasant unpleasant affects for the body and the mind.  For instance, winning the lottery may result in pleasant stress that produces an overwhelmingly exciting and happy response.  The physiological factors can include increased heart rate, extreme burst of energy, blood pressure, etc.  A difficult relationship break up, however, can also cause the same physiological and biological problems. 

The physiological aspects occur because stress can cause a proportional, immediate release of stress hormones to flood into the bloodstream.   This is why it’s important to learn stress management skills.   

What are the psychological effects? 

There are also psychological and emotional effects associated with stress.  For instance, anxiety and panic attack consequences, depression, obsessive compulsive disorders, post traumatic stress disorders, and substance addiction can result from unrelieved stress.  Some other symptoms can include frustration, persistence anger, lack of motivation, unhappiness, insomnia, short-term memory loss, and depersonalization. 

What are some of the implications of long term stress? 

Persistent stress, when unrelieved, can negatively affect our lives, to the point where it even leads to death.  Here are some ways in which you can learn how to manage stress and relieve it: 

·         Try to truly understand what stress is, why you are feeling it, and what it can do to you. 

·         Become aware of all the stress in your life and accept that it is harmful to you. 

·         Take immediate steps to managing it and your health. 

·         Make the necessary changes in order to change your lifestyle. 

·         Make a lasting commitment to managing the stress in your life.  The more you work on managing it, the healthier you will be. 

Click Here to Learn How to Handle Stress Effectively

  

To find out more about learning how to handle stress and effective manage stress out of your life, check out  Conquering Stress.

by Patricia Adams