Stress can be dangerous to your health.

Stress can be dangerous to your health.  People think and talk about stress all the time.  For example, you might be stressed about a test, your bills, your marriage, your health, or your inability to sleep because stress is keeping you awake at night.  Many people use the word stress when their feelings become too overwhelming to deal with.

Stressors.

Most people are reacting to a “stressor,” the agent causing the stress when they say they are stressed.  Stress is what your body feels and reacts to.  For example, when you feel anxious, your blood pressure goes up, breathing becomes more rapid, and your heart-rate rises.  This is stress.  The stressor is something that caused the stress, such as the exam you are hoping to pass, your partner having an affair, or the large amount of debt you have is the stressor.  When there are a lot of stressors present, a person’s level of stress becomes quite large and begins to feel unmanageable.

We need some stress in our lives otherwise we could die or get hurt.  The body picks up on danger signals and activates to protect.  It either tells you to run or to stay and fight.  This is called the “fight-or-flight response” an instinctive physiological response to a threatening situation, which readies one either to resist forcibly or to run away.  It was first described by Walter Bradford Cannon in the 1920s when he was studying animals whose survival was being threatened.  It is also known as “acute stress response” because it prepares the body for one of two reactions to a threat, to fight or to run.

Positive Stress.

All stress is not bad.  Years ago when I met my current husband and we started dating, I became very stressed out.  I remember one night waiting for him to pick me up for a date.  My dress was pretty, I was having a good hair day, and we were going to a fun Valentine’s Day event in the community.  I really liked this guy and so did my family.  I thought he might “be the one.”

Without any warning, I started to cry hysterically and not the pretty little cry with a few tears spilling out my eyes.  This was the sobbing, snotty nosed, make-up running down my face kind of crying.  I walked into my room.  With my clothes on I climbed into my bed and pulled the covers over my head.  I was sobbing and crying saying, “I can’t do this. I can’t do this.”  Eventually I stopped crying, dragged myself out of the bed, combed my hair, fixed my makeup, and went on my date.

A few days later I mentioned my behavior to my singles pastor, and he said, “Julie, don’t you remember in school learning about positive stress?  It can be just as stressful as negative stress.”  “Oh yeah, but I only know how to manage negative stress.”  That was a wakeup call for me.  All my energy had gone towards my survival and getting out of a bad situation.  I did not have the skills to manage positive stress.

Learn what your stressors are.

Once I learned what my stressors were, I learned how to manage the positive stress.  Thoughts are very powerful.  Sometimes we believe we are not prepared to cope with new or different situations.  It is important to decide what matters most.  At first, I saw my new, healthy relationship as overwhelming and stressful.   I had a physical reaction to the changes that were occurring in my life.  Fleeing was my first choice.  Instead, I reached out to a trusted friend who offered me guidance.  Changing my thinking and interpretation of the stress was important, and I decided being in a healthy relationship was something I wanted.  I learned how to identify and manage the stressors in my life and changed my reaction to the stress.

A stressor is anything that causes the release of stress hormones.  There are two broad categories of stressors: physiological stressors and psychological stressors.  Things that cause stress are stressors, and stress is a personal reaction to a stressor.

Some causes of stress.

Here are some things that can cause the release of stress hormones:

• Money problems.
• Marital problems.
• Being a single parent.
• Health problems.
• Workplace environment.
• Death in the family.
• Raising children.
• Job loss.
• Getting married.

 

Some effects of stress.

Some effects of stress are:

• Alcohol abuse.
• Using drugs to self-medicate.
• Increased cigarette smoking.
• Crying more than usual.
• Angry outbursts.
• More accidents.
• More illnesses.
• Withdrawing from friends and family.
• Relationship problems.
• Asthma attacks.
• Menstrual problems.
• Over sleeping.
• Feeling insecure.
• Low self-esteem.

 

How to reduce stress.

• This reduces stress and has a terrific effect on people both mentally and physically.  Go for a walk, run, or work out on a regular basis.
• Reach out to people. Call a friend, write a letter, or invite someone to walk and talk with you.
• Reduce your chores. Make them into smaller chores.  You do not have to accomplish everything in a day.  Recruit others to help you out.  Divide up chores within the family.
• If you drink a lot of caffeine, cut it back.
• Know your personal boundaries. Don’t say yes to everything.  Take a pass on some things.
• Take personal breaks throughout the day. Read a book, sip some tea, or do some gardening.
• Get involved in anything that inspires you.
• Eliminate the use of illegal drugs and avoid excessive alcohol consumption.
• Eat a healthy and balanced diet full of fruits, vegetables, and proteins.
• Deep breathe. Breathe all the way down into your gut.  This slows down your nervous system and helps you relax.
• Talk openly and honestly. Align your head, heart, and gut, and say it like you mean it.
• Get counseling or see a medical professional if you are unable to reduce your stress on your own.
• Participate in relaxation techniques like massages, yoga, or meditation.
• Laugh whenever and wherever you can.
• Consider getting a pet. Pets help some people reduce their stress.
• Most importantly be yourself. Be the best you-you can be!

 

Committing to change.

What will you commit to doing differently to reduce your stress?  List some things you are willing to change and work on.

 

• _____________________________________
• _____________________________________
• _____________________________________

 

 

 

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