Stressin'

     Imagine waking up at 7am and realizing that you over slept.  You wolf down a bagel and guzzle a mug of coffee while getting ready for work.  Then you proceed to get into your vehicle only to discover that the traffic on the freeway is bumper to bumper.  After 45 minutes of gridlock you make it to your desk only to be greeted by your boss who says, “You’re late.”

     After eight and a half hours of feeling like you can’t get ahead due to a late start, you finally get home.  You say to yourself, “Finally I can relax.”  But you discover that you can’t.  You’re too stressed out. 

     I suspect many of you have had days like that.  I know I have.  It is so hard to just unwind when you have been running in circles mentally as well as physically.  But it is not wise to ignore stress or the consequences could be worse.

     “In small doses, acute stress may feel exciting, but too much eventually becomes exhausting and taxing on the body, mind, and spirit. Most people are able to recognize the symptoms of acute stress. Common symptoms include:

• emotional distress (irritability, resentment, anger, anxiety, and depression)
• muscular problems (tension headache, back pain, jaw pain, etc.)
• problems involving the stomach, gut, and bowels (heartburn, diarrhea, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome)”  www.helpguide.org

     Acute stress usually appears when changes happen in your life.  After the stressful event is over, the body will rest and you’re back to normal.  This period of acute stress is generally short term so normally there are not any lasting effects on the body.

     A very serious type of stress is chronic stress.  This type of stress is unrelenting and will make you feel wiped out.

     “Chronic stress is stress that wears you down day after day and year after year and seems endless. Common causes of chronic stress include:

• poverty and financial worries
• dysfunctional families
• caring for a chronically-ill family member
• feeling trapped in unhealthy relationships or career choices
• long-term unemployment
• personal belief systems (i.e., believing that the world is a threatening place or you that must be perfect at all times)
• traumatic experiences” www.helpguide.org

     Chronic stress could go on for so long that you many not realize it.  But if it is allowed to continue, you could develop health issues such as: obesity, heart disease, substance abuse, and ulcers.

     There are several ways to positively deal with stress.  Living a well-balanced life and managing your time are great ways to get and stay organized.  Those techniques can keep you from feeling like you are being pulled in to many directions at once.  If you have a busy life, taking breaks from it is very helpful.  This could be as simple as setting aside some personal time or going on vacation.  Some people find activities such as meditation and Yoga to be very helpful. 

     Everyone is different.  What may work for your sister or brother may not work for you.  But if you find yourself stressing more often than you think you should, it’s probably time that you do something about it.  Stress affects us all.  But that does not mean that we have to live with it.