STRESS AND ITS MANAGEMENT What is Stress Stress

STRESS AND ITS MANAGEMENT

What is Stress? § Stress is the "wear and tear" our bodies experience as we adjust to our continually changing environment. § It has physical and emotional effects on us and can create positive or negative feelings.

Stress & Its Effects § As a positive influence, stress can help compel us to action § As a negative influence, it can result in feelings of distrust, rejection, anger, and depression, which in turn can lead to health problems such as headaches, upset stomach, rashes, insomnia, ulcers, high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke.

Recognizing Stress Which of these is stress? Promotion at work. Car has a flat tire. Party that lasts till 2: 00 a. m. Dog gets sick. New bedroom set is being delivered. Your best friend and his wife come to stay at your house for a week. You get a bad case of asthma. All of the above.

ALL OF THESE ARE STRESS § If you are used to thinking that stress is something that makes you worry, you have the wrong idea of stress. § Stress is many different kinds of things: happy things, sad things, allergic things, physical things. § Many people carry enormous stress loads and they do not even realize it!

ALL OF THESE ARE STRESS § TO MOST OF US, stress is synonymous with worry. If it is something that makes you worry, then it is stress. § TO YOUR BODY, STRESS IS SYNONYMOUS WITH CHANGE. § Anything that causes a change in your life causes stress. It doesn't matter if it is a "good" change, or a "bad" change, they are both stress.

ALL OF THESE ARE STRESS Even IMAGINED CHANGE is stress. Anything that causes CHANGE IN YOUR DAILY ROUTINE is stressful. Anything that causes CHANGE IN YOUR BODY HEALTH is stressful. IMAGINED CHANGES are just as stressful as real changes.

Emotional Stress When arguments, disagreements, and conflicts cause CHANGES in your personal life -- that is STRESS.

Emotional Stress ILLNESSES including Catching a cold, breaking an arm, a skin infection, a sore back, are all CHANGES in your body condition.

Pushing Your Body Too Hard A major source of stress is overdriving yourself. If you are working (or partying) 16 hours a day, you will have reduced your available time for rest. Sooner or later, the energy drain on your system will cause the body to fall behind in its repair work. There will not be enough time or energy for the body to fix broken cells, or replace used up brain neurotransmitters. CHANGES will occur in your body's internal environment.

Environmental Factors Of Stress Very hot or very cold climates can be stressful. Very high altitude may be a stress. Toxins or poisons are a stress. Each of these factors threatens to cause CHANGES in your body's internal environment.

Tobacco Use § Tobacco is a powerful toxin!! Smoking destroys cells that clean your trachea, bronchi, and lungs. Smoking causes emphysema and chronic bronchitis, which progress to slow suffocation. The carbon monoxide from cigarette smoking causes chronic carbon monoxide poisoning. Tobacco use damages the arteries in your body, causing insufficient blood supply to the brain, heart, and vital organs. Cigarette smoking increases the risk of cancer 50 fold. It is a powerful source of added stress to one's life.

Life Stress Event Scale § § § § § § STRESS DEATH OF SPOUSE DIVORCE MENOPAUSE SEPARATION FROM LIVING PARTNER JAIL TERM OR PROBATION DEATH OF CLOSE FAMILY MEMBER OTHER THAN SPOUSE SERIOUS PERSONAL INJURY OR ILLNESS MARRIAGE OR ESTABLISHING LIFE PARTNERSHIP FIRED AT WORK MARITAL OR RELATIONSHIP RECONCILIATION RETIREMENT CHANGE IN HEALTH OF IMMEDIATE FAMILY MEMBER WORK MORE THAN 40 HOURS PER WEEK PREGNANCY OR CAUSING PREGNANCY SEX DIFFICULTIES GAIN OF NEW FAMILY MEMBER BUSINESS OR WORK ROLE CHANGE IN FINANCIAL STATE CHANGE IN NUMBER OF ARGUMENTS WITH SPOUSE OR LIFE PARTNER MORTGAGE OR LOAN FOR A MAJOR PURPOSE SOCIAL ACTIVITIES (more or less than before)

OVERSTRESS § OVERSTRESS will make you sick. § § § Brain OVERSTRESS Fatigue, aches and pains, crying spells, depression, anxiety attacks, sleep disturbance. Gastrointestinal Tract Ulcer, cramps and diarrhea, colitis, irritable bowel. Glandular System Thyroid gland malfunction.

EFFECTS OF OVERSTRESS § Cardiovascular § High blood pressure, heart attack, abnormal heart beat, stroke. § Skin § Itchy skin rashes. § Immune System § Decreased resistance to infections and neoplasm.

EFFECTS OF OVERSTRESS § OVERSTRESS is caused by brain CHEMICAL MALFUNCTION. § Trillions of messages are sent and received by the brain. § The messages that are happy, are carried by the brain's "HAPPY MESSENGERS" (technically known as Biogenic Amine/Endorphin System). § Other messages are somber and quieting. They are carried by the brain's "SAD MESSENGERS".

EFFECTS OF OVERSTRESS § As the stress continues, the happy messages begin to fail. § Important nerve centers then receive mostly SAD MESSAGES, and the whole brain becomes distressed. § The person enters a state of brain chemical imbalance known as -- OVERSTRESS.

EFFECTS OF OVERSTRESS

Low Stress Tolerance -- The Inherited Factor § Everyone inherits a certain ability to make and use Happy Messengers in the brain. § The amount of stress that you can tolerate before your Happy Messengers malfunction is referred to as your "Stress Tolerance". Your Stress Tolerance is set by your genetic inheritance.

Individual Stress Tolerance § ONE in TEN persons have inherited a Low Stress Tolerance § Ten percent of your friends, your acquaintances, your employees, your coworkers, your employers. . . everywhere around you there are persons who are not able to cope with the stress of daily life.

OVERSTRESS § With SAD MESSAGES overwhelming the happy messages, a person feels "overwhelmed" by life. § People complain of being tired, unable to fall asleep or to obtain a restful night's sleep. § They have plagues of aches and pains, lack of energy, lack of enjoyment of life. They feel depressed, anxious, or just unable to cope with life.

Pick-Me-Up's are the wrong way to handle overstress!!!! Sugar Caffeine Alcohol Tobacco, Marijuana, Amphetamines Your Own Adrenalin - The workaholic is terribly OVERSTRESSED.

Pick-Me-Up's are the wrong way to handle overstress!!!! § DESPITE THE USE OF PICK-ME-UP'S, A PERSON WHO IS SUFFERING FROM OVERSTRESS WILL CONTINUE TO FEEL "UNBALANCED". § Depression, anxiety attacks, Hypochondriasis, Alcoholism, Compulsive gambling, Insomnia, stress-o -holism, these are all names given to SYMPTOMS of OVERSTRESS.

What you should do is. . . § Stop using the Pick-Me-Up's, lower your stress level, and give your body a chance to re-balance itself. § Then you can achieve balance, feel well, and STAY well. § OVERSTRESS IS TREATED BY § REDUCING YOUR STRESS LOAD

TEN SIMPLE WAYS TO REDUCE YOUR STRESS LOAD. . § 1. MAKE YOUR LIFE REGULAR. . . as "clock work" § 2. GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK TODAY § 3. LIGHTEN UP YOUR LOAD OF SOCIAL ENGAGEMENTS § 4. POSTPONE MAKING ANY CHANGES IN YOUR LIVING ENVIRONMENT § 5. REDUCE THE NUMBER OF HOURS YOU SPEND AT WORK OR SCHOOL

TEN SIMPLE WAYS TO REDUCE YOUR STRESS LOAD. . § § 6. THE OVERSTRESS DIET 7. REDUCE YOUR USE OF PICK-ME-UP'S 8. AVOID ALLERGIES 9. START AN ENJOYABLE EXERCISE REST YOUR MIND § 10. STOP YOUR PUT-ME-DOWN'S

Unconventional Stress-Relievers § Cleaning § Gardening § Playing With Kids § Singing. Loudly. § Sex § Holidays

DO YOU HAVE THIS ? ? ? § Excessive headaches, nausea and abdominal pain; § Tendency to worry a lot; § Low self-esteem § Sleep disturbances; § Excessive anger; § Moodiness; § Difficulty concentrating; § Having a delicate equilibrium / being easily upset.

IF YES YOU NEED TO REDUCE YOUR STRESS LEVELS