The Effects Of Stress On The Body

Posted By Samantha Jones
Categoirzed Under: Stress Management
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by Samantha Jones

There are many different effects of stress on the body. The short term effects have been well documented and studied by biologists. The long term effects are harder to assess in scientific research because they can vary from person to person, but stress is much better understood now than it was a few decades ago.

Stress causes a set of physical responses collectively known as the “fight or flight” response. The hormone adrenaline is released into our bodies in order to prepare us to escape from danger or fight off the threat. Our heart rate increases, respiration becomes more rapid, muscles tense and our senses become sharper. This is a response possessed by most animals.

How all of this works is that the hypothalamus gland is activated by stress. Our hormonal system cannot distinguish between different types of stress stimuli, but it does react differently depending on the perceived severity of the threat as well as whether not the threat is an imminent one.

The sympathetic nervous system and the endocrine glands receive a signal from the brain and then fill the body with the stress hormones. These hormones include adrenaline, cortisol and norepinephrine. These are our bodies’ equivalent of putting “all hands on deck”.

The heart rate goes up and more blood flows to the large muscle groups, preparing us for fighting or running away. The blood vessels nearest the skin retract to restrict bleeding if we are injured. Our blood sugar soars to quicken our reaction time and boost our energy levels.

During this time, our reproductive and digestive systems slow down, as does the flow of growth hormones and the immune system.

If we are facing a real physical threat, these autonomic responses are incredibly useful and can help us to survive a dangerous situation.

Most of the stressful situations we face do not have to do with facing off against predatory animals, however. Instead, these stimuli are more likely to be along the lines of deadlines at work or in other situations where fight or flight is usually not the best response.

When we have this response and do not have to actually respond in a “fight or flight” fashion, then the physical effects linger. In many case, this lasts until the next stressful stimulus comes up.

As a result, a good number of us spend our lives in a near constant stressed out state ? which is not healthy for us. Our cardiovascular system can be overworked and our digestive systems underactive. Immune function can be compromised and the reproductive system working at a lower capacity. We can suffer from indigestion, migraines or even heart problems due to this heightened stress level.

The effects of stress on the body are harmful to our cardiovascular system and keep our immune system from doing its job properly ? it’s no mystery why people get sick so often these days!

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Handling Adolescent Stress

Posted By Samantha Jones
Categoirzed Under: Stress Management
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by Samantha Jones

Everyone has a hard time in their teenage years to some extent. Adolescent stress is something which everyone experiences as a teenager. Many things can contribute to adolescent stress, such as the physical changes and hormonal shifts which are a natural part of puberty. Adolescents are also learning how to cope with their growing and changing bodies and emotions, even as they struggle with becoming adults and making important decisions for themselves. All of these factors can lead to adolescent stress.

The list which follows are some of the factors which can lead to adolescent stress:

- their parents separating or divorcing

- moving

- starting at a new school

- a death in the family

- conflict with peers, teachers or parents

- beginning or ending their first romantic relationships

- having sex for the first time

- family illness (physical or mental), alcoholism or other troubles

- financial problems in the family

- living in a dangerous neighborhood

- the physical changes to their bodies which accompany puberty

- pressure to achieve academically

- negative feelings and thoughts about themselves

Many of those would also cause stress in adults. However, adolescents often suffer even more because they have less control over their lives. They cannot choose where to live or who to live with, for example.

All adolescents experience stress, which they may display in the form of:

- irritability and mood swings

- anxiety, worrying

- withdrawal, avoiding other people

- the use of alcohol or drugs

- physical illness

There are methods which adolescents can use to control stress. So0me give teens near-immediate relief from stress but others are a long term strategy to achieve stable hormonal levels and emotional balance.

- watch or read something that makes you laugh

- listen to relaxing music

- talk to friends or play with your pets

- get regular exercise

- eat a healthy diet which is rich in fresh vegetables and fruits

- avoid stimulants and other chemicals (coffee, tea, cola, chocolate, sugar, tobacco, alcohol and drugs), especially when experiencing stress

- learn deep breathing and other relaxation techniques

- practice yoga, tai chi or meditation

- learn to be assertive (to say how you feel or ask for what you want in a way that is not threatening to others)

- if you feel overwhelmed by a problem, try breaking it down into more manageable parts and tackle them one at a time

- try to replace negative thoughts with positive ones such as affirmations

- do not indulge in imagining all the bad things that might happen

If you are experiencing a level of stress which is compromising your health or your quality of life, then you may find that stress management training can help. You’ll learn some valuable stress management techniques such as those listed above ? even to the point of eliminating stress as it arises!

Finally, do not feel bad if you get stressed from time to time. Remember, everybody does. The difference is only in how we deal with it. Adolescent stress does not have to take over your life.

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How Stress Affects Your Health?

Posted By Samantha Jones
Categoirzed Under: Stress Management
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by Samantha Jones

When considering how does stress affect health, it is important to realize that a wide variety of health problems can be related to stress.

Studies suggest that somewhere between 60% and 90% of illnesses may be either caused or complicated by stress. This does not necessarily mean that stress is the sole cause of the disease, but that it is a factor or is making the disease worse than it would be otherwise. Corporations have taken notice, since stress related illness causes a lot of absenteeism and reduced productivity in the workplace. This has led to a number of companies offering training in stress management to their staff, with some firms going so far as to help fund stress management research.

The immune system cannot work at peak efficiency while you are experiencing stress. Suppose there are two people ? one is under a high degree of stress, the other relaxed. Now expose the two to a flu virus. The person who is under stress is much more likely to come down with influenza than is the person who is not under stress; when your immune system is weakened by stress, you are far more likely to get sick.

Each person may be disposed to developing certain problems as a result of stress. When there are preexisting medical conditions, it is unsurprising to see them get worse when going through a stressful time.

These disorders that tend to be caused or exacerbated by stress include the following:

- ulcers

- migraine headaches

- high blood pressure

- skin disorders (acne, psoriasis, eczema and the like)

- rheumatoid arthritis

- heart disease

- back and other muscle pain

- depression

- infertility

- erection problems in men

- menstrual problems in women

- asthma

- irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

- eating disorders

- alcohol and drug abuse

- susceptibility to infections

Some of these conditions may happen for the first time while a person is experiencing stress, but there is often an underlying predisposition to these ailments. In people with a family history of a disease, it may be a stress related suppression of immune function which allows the disease to surface for the first time.

Some may develop heart problems due to stress, others have respiratory difficulties such as asthma and others may eat in response to stress, developing diabetes or becoming obese as the end product of stress. The exact nature of the stress related illness varies from individual to individual.

However, a person would not necessarily have the same reaction every time. Most people will suffer from two or more stress-related diseases or disorders. They may have several symptoms happening at the same time, or they might have an asthma attack one time and a migraine another time.

To answer the question of how does stress affect health as briefly as possible, the answer is in a lot of different ways, all of them negatively.

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Ending Panic With Anxiety Therapy

Posted By Hiel Strassman
Categoirzed Under: Mental Health
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by Ed Lathrop

Anxiety disorder is a very serious but very treatable illness. Millions of people suffer from anxiety disorders. This article discusses the very heart of anxiety therapy which will lead the sufferer to an understanding of anxiety disorder. This, in itself, will many times bring the sufferer toward the cure.

Realizing anxiety disorder is not rare and many other people have been cured of it is a very important fact any anxiety sufferer needs know. Equally important is the realization the cure to anxiety with all its horrible tricks, lies inside and will be set free as soon as the sufferer learns how to let his/her body heal itself.

Minor Anxiety Can Develop Into Full-Fledged Panic Attacks

Often anxiety disorders come on or become exacerbated with alcohol or substance abuse. However, this isn’t always the case as evidenced by the fact many children suffer from anxiety disorders. Old or young, whatever race, color or creed, anxiety disorders play no favorites. They can strike anyone.

At its root, anxiety is about phobia or fear of something. Still, to the sufferer it is much more than that. Anxiety brings on panic which leaves its victim wondering what is happening. Other than this most disturbing condition, it also makes the sufferer believe he or she is falling prey to heart attack or stroke.

Anxiety Disorder Makes Normal Routine a Thing of the Past

In short, anxiety disorders steal a person’s life because he can no longer behave or act normally. The sufferer can no longer make plans, because his life has become centered around anxiety. An anxiety sufferer fears these terrible feelings he has been experiencing, but even more, he/she fears that the worst has not yet happened and so he/she fears what the unknown more than the known.

However, no matter how bad the anxiety disorder has become, there is always hope. Anxiety disorders can be cured. The first and most important part is to learn what anxiety disorder is all about.

A doctor may prescribe different medications, which will help the sufferer tolerate anxiety disorders, but the cure can only come from inside the sufferer. Anxiety disorders are like a storm that has to run its course and if let to do so, it will go away.

The Force Behind It All

Gaining total relief from anxiety disorder cannot occur until the anxiety victim realizes it is adrenaline that is causing all the strange sensations he or she is experiencing. He or she must also understand it is the body overproducing adrenaline that is what anxiety disorder is all about.

The cure takes a certain amount of time, but a good once a good understanding of what has been happening is realized, this feeling will inevitably follow. The sufferer has to take heart and realize that he/she has found the cure once he/she realizes that fearing the havoc adrenaline has been causing in his or her body feeds anxiety. He/she must also learn to not let this fear seize control of his life.

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Stress Anxiety Relief Tips

Posted By Zul Rahman
Categoirzed Under: Depression
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by Zul Rahman

There are a list of elements that spark off the anxiety attacks. So in order to get the prompt anxiety relief a great deal would depends on those factors.

One of the factor that trigger the anxiety attacks is the immediate interaction with the source of the stress. For this condition the only way to relief the anxiety attack is to remove the source of the stress.

While the other factor of the anxiety attack may develop from the underlying phobia. The best way to get relief from anxiety attack in this situation is to seek help from the professional therapist.

Sometimes you can also get an anxiety attacks without any apparent causes. This is a tough case scenario. We are going to talk about this case and how you can get relief from such anxiety attack that occur with no known causes.

First step is to relax

I know this is difficult to do, because you would not get anxiety attacks in the first place if you can relax. However you could do it if you calm down and instruct your mind to relax.

Normally before you get an anxiety attacks, you would feel uncomfortable and there are some signs and symptoms that I have discussed in other articles on my websites. At this point make yourself physically relax. Loosen up your shirt and tie if you have one. Do whatever you can just to make yourself relax.

Find yourself a place to sit down but do not lie down, maintain your hand straight over some back up. Take a breath slowly and deeply. Ease yourself while you take a breath out.

At this point clear your mind from any thought surrounding you. Tell yourself that you are in a calm situations just like you are relaxing on a couch in your living room. Your body will stop sending any signal that provoke the anxiety to adrenal glands.

Second step is to clear up all the damaging thought.

In order to get relief from anxiety attacks, you have to clear your mind of any negative thought at all. You have to talk to yourself and keep telling yourself that this is just temporary and it will be over soon.

Get in command, be convinced and tell yourself that you know how to cope with this situation and you are not at risk. It is very crucial to send these positive messages to your mind. It will assist you to relax and cut down the level of stress and anxiety.

Step number three is to accept your condition.

If you accept the condition that what you are experiencing is just a recurring panic or anxiety attack, then it will be easier for you to take a better precautions in the future.

Whenever your mind has accepted the reality that this is an anxiety attacks, then you will be able to figure a strategy on how to better handle yourself when you get attack the next time.

When you have the strategy about how to ease yourself from the anxiety attack should it come once again next time, you may also find that you could reduce the chances that would bring out the attack.

In addition to whatever strategy that you have devised, don’t forget to get professional advice from your doctor or other professionals in the field.

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