Follow me as we take the journey through identifying stress and how you can help yourself or any stressed individual.
What is stress?
Stress is a
feeling of being under abnormal pressure e.g from increased workload, a
dispute with a family member, or financial worries.
It
is the ''wear and tear'' that our minds and bodies experience as we
attempt to cope with our continually changing environment.
Stress
is supposed to make us more alert and perform better in certain
situations like when we are in danger or when optimum productivity is
needed. These "stress" reactions are usually mediated by chemical
substances in the body called "stress or fright-flight" hormones.
Important examples of stress hormones are adrenaline and cortisol (now
you understand what it means to say "my adrenaline is high'', right?).
Despite the beneficial nature of positive stress, it is only healthy if it is short-lived.
Some Simple But Interesting Facts...
- A whooping 75-90% of adult visits to primary care physicians are for stress-related problems.
- The commonest problems worldwide are a mixture of anxiety and depression (both are stress related).
- More heart attacks on Mondays, 9am than at any other time of the week (guess why?..Stress!).
- Maximum absenteeism on an average work day is because of stress-related problems.
Causes of Stress
- Imbalance between work and life expectations.
- Money issues (raise your hands if you've never been there).
- Academic demamds
- Relationship problems
- Health problems
- Sick relatives
- Bereavement
- Substance abuse e.g Alcohol, cigarette, caffeine, recreational drugs like heroin, cocaine, marijuana
How do you know you are stressed?
Persons with excessive stress
could have a wide spectrum of features ranging from signs and symptoms
of compensated stress, in which the affected person is coping well with
the stress, to anxiety and panic attack with suicidal tendencies on the
other end of the spectrum. Generally, the following changes may be
noticed in a stressed individual.
Physical Changes: Headaches,
muscle tension/ vague aches, nausea, indigestion, dizziness, excessive
sleep or difficulty sleeping, high BP, pounding heart (palpitations),
tremors etc.
Mental Changes: Lack of concentration, memory lapses, difficulty in making decisions, confusion, disorientation, panic attacks.
Behavioural Changes:
heightened or poor appetite, other eating disorders, increased smoking
and drinking for smokers and drinkers, restlessness, fidgeting, nail
biting.
Emotional Changes:
Anxiety, bouts of depression, impatience, irritability, fits of rage,
low self-esteem, social withdrawal, tearfulness, deterioration of
personal hygiene and appearance.
Are
you experiencing any of the above changes, or do you have people around
you experiencing similar changes? Then watch out for the second part of
this article to learn how you can help yourself as well as friends and
relatives who are stressed.
Stay healthy!
