Under pressure: identifying and coping with stress - includes related information and continuing education test

American Fitness, Nov-Dec, 1997 by Anne Clifford Bradley

Identifying and coping with stress.

According to the National Mental Health Association, 75-90% of visits to physicians are stress related. Job stress is a major health factor costing businesses an estimated $150 billion annually. Stress-related disorders are a major cause of rapidly increasing health care costs.

These statistics are staggering and continue to escalate as schedules become more crammed, people's lives are busier, and chaos seems to reign. The impact of stress in our lives is overwhelming and perhaps, at times, underestimated. Americans appear to have become used to a high degree of stress everyday. Many people may have difficulty discerning when stress has increased to dangerous levels, leading to a series of negative outcomes such as illness or a mental health disorder.

Stress is an inevitable yet essential part of life. All kinds of events, positive (getting a new job, buying a house) and negative (having a job you hate, getting a divorce) bring out the specific response of the body we all know as stress.

Not all stress is bad. In fact, some can be good for us. A healthy amount can make life stimulating and exciting. It can keep us on our toes and be a real motivator for change. There is nothing like a little stress and fear to create a challenge, perhaps allowing us to reach places we never dared to venture before.

Stressors usually do not come one by one. They travel in packs. It is the combination and culmination of them that cause most people to experience negative responses.

Stress is the physical, emotional and mental response to various events or conditions. Feeling stressed is a state--like being happy, sad, excited or angry. It is a physiological, emotional and mental storm that occurs in the body when faced with anything uncertain, unpleasant, frightening or confusing. Being "stressed out" is when your body, mind and heart cannot comprehend handling or facing one more event or circumstance.

Where does our stress come from? What is stressful to one person may not be to another. When we look at where our stress originates, it is important to evaluate what caused great distress to us as children. Was it being left alone (abandonment), having strangers near us, speaking in public, divorce of parents or early trauma of some kind?

These early experiences set the stage for what could be, and may cause, stress for us as adults. How one learned to manage stress and fear as a child may provide insight to coping techniques as adults.

The following are the top 10 sources of stress, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

1. Overscheduled daily calendars.

2. Job stress/demands.

3. Lack of play/down time.

4. Lack of time with family, friends and significant other.

5. Inequity in home responsibilities.

6. Lack of time to explore own interests.

7. Guilt (about everything).

8. In families: children's behavior and how to discipline.

9. Lack of time.

10. Lack of money.

Signs and Symptoms of Stress

To manage and cope with stress, it is important to recognize and understand the body's reaction to it. Developed as a survival mechanism in humans, the responses to an immediate stressor remain with us. The process that occurs activates the body to respond with physical exertion.

When faced with an immediate problem, the body's stress response, called "fight or flight," is summoned into play when it senses dangers or threats. The brain decides between facing the threat or running from the danger, then sends this message to your body. The hypothalamus (in the base of the brain) signals the adrenal gland to send out adrenaline, a hormone which raises the heart rate and increases respiration. Our pupils dilate, mouths get dry and stomachs stop digestion so the body is prepared for quick response.

There is a complete focus on the immediate stressor, and time feels like it is slowing down. Feelings of generalized unrest and emotional hypersensitivity exist. Most describe having "butterflies" in their stomach. Many feel nauseous and out of breath-like their "heart is in their throats."

This short-term response can be good--it was designed to save your life. It not only alerts you of danger, but it can be a great motivating force.

Long-Term Effects of Stress

If the stress response is triggered over and over, it can take a toll on the body, mind and quality of life. There can be many negative effects when stress piles up over time.

Physically, long-term stress is associated with illnesses, real and imagined (psychosomatic). People can experience headaches and migraines, ulcers, loss or gain of weight, fatigue, insomnia or excessive sleeping.

Emotionally, people who encounter daily stress tend to experience irritability, sensitivity and an inability to cope with minor details. They quickly feel overwhelmed and can experience anxiety or panic attacks. Often, they feel out of control, paranoid, depressed or angry.

Over time, excessive stress can affect one's work habits. Feeling pressured can cause poor behavioral presentation, difficulties in problem solving, daydreaming and disorganization. Stress-related concerns can cause frequent absences, tardiness and clock-watching. Often, people isolate themselves from co-workers or make excuses for work not accomplished. Those who feel excessively burdened may lack a sense of direction and have trouble starting and finishing projects.