Stress Management

How to Reduce, prevent, and Cope with Stress

It may seem that there’s nothing you can do about your stress level. The bills aren’t going to stop coming, there will never be more hours in the day for all your errands, and your career or family responsibilities will always be demanding. But you have a lot more control than you might think. In fact, the simple realization that you’re in control of your life is the foundation of stress management.

Managing stress is all about taking charge: taking charge of your thoughts, your emotions, your schedule, your environment, and the way you deal with problems. The ultimate goal is a balanced life, with time for work, relationships, relaxation, and fun – plus the resilience to hold up under pressure and meet challenges head on.

In This Article:

Identify sources of stress Look at how you cope with stress Avoid unnecessary stress Alter the situation Adapt to the stressor Accept the things you can’t change Make time for fun and relaxation Adopt a healthy lifestyle Related links

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Identify the sources of stress in your life

Stress management starts with identifying the sources of stress in your life. This isn’t as easy as it sounds. Your true sources of stress aren’t always obvious, and it’s all too easy to overlook your own stress-inducing thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Sure, you may know that you’re constantly worried about work deadlines. But maybe it’s your procrastination, rather than the actual job demands, that leads to deadline stress.

To identify your true sources of stress, look closely at your habits, attitude, and excuses:

Do you explain away stress as temporary (“I just have a million things going on right now”) even though you can’t remember the last time you took a breather?

Do you define stress as an integral part of your work or home life (“Things are always crazy around here”) or as a part of your personality (“I have a lot of nervous energy, that’s all”).

Do you blame your stress on other people or outside events, or view it as entirely normal and unexceptional?

Until you accept responsibility for the role you play in creating or maintaining it, your stress level will remain outside your control.

Start a stress journal

A stress journal can help you identify the regular stressors in your life and the way you deal with them. Each time you feel stressed, keep track of it in your journal. As you keep a daily log, you will begin to see patterns and common themes. Write down:

What caused your stress (make a guess if you’re unsure). How you felt, both physically and emotionally. How you acted in response. What you did to make yourself feel better.

Look at how you currently cope with stress

Think about the ways you currently manage and cope with stress in your life. Your stress journal can help you identify them. Are your coping strategies healthy or unhealthy, helpful or unproductive? Unfortunately, many people cope with stress in ways that compound the problem.

Unhealthy ways of coping with stress

These coping strategies may temporarily reduce stress, but they cause more damage in the long run:

Smoking Drinking too much Overeating or undereating Zoning out for hours in front of the TV

or computer

Using pills or drugs to relax       Sleeping too much Procrastinating Filling up every minute of the day to

avoid facing problems

Withdrawing from friends, family, and activities

Taking out your stress on others (lashing out, angry outbursts, physical violence)

Learning healthier ways to manage stress

If your methods of coping with stress aren’t contributing to your greater emotional and physical health, it’s time to find healthier ones. There are many healthy ways to manage and cope with stress, but they all require change. You can either change the situation or change your reaction. When deciding which option to choose, it’s helpful to think of the four As: avoid, alter, adapt, or accept.

Since everyone has a unique response to stress, there is no “one size fits all” solution to managing it. No single method works for everyone or in every situation, so experiment with different techniques and strategies. Focus on what makes you feel calm and in control.

Dealing with Stressful Situations: The Four A’s

Change the situation:

Avoid the stressor. Alter the stressor.    

Change your reaction:

Adapt to the stressor. Accept the stressor.

Stress management strategy #1: Avoid unnecessary stress

Not all stress can be avoided, and it’s not healthy to avoid a situation that needs to be addressed. You may be surprised, however, by the number of stressors in your life that you can eliminate.

Learn how to say “no” – Know your limits and stick to them. Whether in your personal or professional life, refuse to accept added responsibilities when you’re close to reaching them. Taking on more than you can handle is a surefire recipe for stress.

Avoid people who stress you out – If someone consistently causes stress in your life and you can’t turn the relationship around, limit the amount of time you spend with that person or end the relationship entirely. 

Take control of your environment – If the evening news makes you anxious, turn the TV off. If traffic’s got you tense, take a longer but less-traveled route. If going to the market is an unpleasant chore, do your grocery shopping online.

Avoid hot-button topics – If you get upset over religion or politics, cross them off your conversation list. If you repeatedly argue about the same subject with the same people, stop bringing it up or excuse yourself when it’s the topic of discussion.

Pare down your to-do list – Analyze your schedule, responsibilities, and daily tasks. If you’ve got too much on your plate, distinguish between the “shoulds” and the “musts.” Drop tasks that aren’t truly necessary to the bottom of the list or eliminate them entirely.

Stress management strategy #2: Alter the situation

If you can’t avoid a stressful situation, try to alter it. Figure out what you can do to change things so the problem doesn’t present itself in the future. Often, this involves changing the way you communicate and operate in your daily life.

Express your feelings instead of bottling them up. If something or someone is bothering you, communicate your concerns in an open and respectful way. If you don’t voice your feelings, resentment will build and the situation will likely remain the same.

Be willing to compromise. When you ask someone to change their behavior, be willing to do the same. If you both are willing to bend at least a little, you’ll have a good chance of finding a happy middle ground.

Be more assertive. Don’t take a backseat in your own life. Deal with problems head on, doing your best to anticipate and prevent them. If you’ve got an exam to study for and your chatty roommate just got home, say up front that you only have five minutes to talk.

Manage your time better. Poor time management can cause a lot of stress. When you’re stretched too thin and running behind, it’s hard to stay calm and focused. But if you plan ahead and make sure you don’t overextend yourself, you can alter the amount of stress you’re under.

Stress management strategy #3: Adapt to the stressor

If you can’t change the stressor, change yourself. You can adapt to stressful situations and regain your sense of control by changing your expectations and attitude.

Reframe problems. Try to view stressful situations from a more positive perspective. Rather than fuming about a traffic jam, look at it as an opportunity to pause and regroup, listen to your favorite radio station, or enjoy some alone time.

Look at the big picture. Take perspective of the stressful situation. Ask yourself how important it will be in the long run. Will it matter in a month? A year? Is it really worth getting upset over? If the answer is no, focus your time and energy elsewhere.

Adjust your standards. Perfectionism is a major source of avoidable stress. Stop setting yourself up for failure by demanding perfection. Set reasonable standards for yourself and others, and learn to be okay with “good enough.”

Focus on the positive. When stress is getting you down, take a moment to reflect on all the things you appreciate in your life, including your own positive qualities and gifts. This simple strategy can help you keep things in perspective.

Adjusting Your Attitude

How you think can have a profound affect on your emotional and physical well-being. Each time you think a negative thought about yourself, your body reacts as if it were in the throes of a tension-filled situation. If you see good things about yourself, you are more likely to feel good; the reverse is also true. Eliminate words such as "always," "never," "should," and "must." These are telltale marks of self-defeating thoughts.

Source: National Victim Assistance Academy, U.S. Department of Justice

Stress management strategy #4: Accept the things you can’t change

Some sources of stress are unavoidable. You can’t prevent or change stressors such as the death of a loved one, a serious illness, or a national recession. In such cases, the best way to cope with stress is to accept things as they are. Acceptance may be difficult, but in the long run, it’s easier than railing against a situation you can’t change.

Don’t try to control the uncontrollable. Many things in life are beyond our control— particularly the behavior of other people. Rather than stressing out over them, focus on the things you can control such as the way you choose to react to problems.

Look for the upside. As the saying goes, “What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.” When facing major challenges, try to look at them as opportunities for personal growth. If your own poor choices contributed to a stressful situation, reflect on them and learn from your mistakes.

Share your feelings. Talk to a trusted friend or make an appointment with a therapist. Expressing what you’re going through can be very cathartic, even if there’s nothing you can do to alter the stressful situation.

Learn to forgive. Accept the fact that we live in an imperfect world and that people make mistakes. Let go of anger and resentments. Free yourself from negative energy by forgiving and moving on.

Stress management strategy #5: Make time for fun and relaxation

Beyond a take-charge approach and a positive attitude, you can reduce stress in your life by nurturing yourself. If you regularly make time for fun and relaxation, you’ll be in a better place to handle life’s stressors when they inevitably come.

Healthy ways to relax and recharge

Go for a walk. Spend time in nature. Call a good friend. Sweat out tension with a good workout. Write in your journal. Take a long bath. Light scented candles

Savor a warm cup of coffee or tea. Play with a pet. Work in your garden. Get a massage. Curl up with a good book. Listen to music. Watch a comedy

Don’t get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of life that you forget to take care of your own needs. Nurturing yourself is a necessity, not a luxury.

Set aside relaxation time. Include rest and relaxation in your daily schedule. Don’t allow other obligations to encroach. This is your time to take a break from all responsibilities and recharge your batteries.

Connect with others. Spend time with positive people who enhance your life. A strong support system will buffer you from the negative effects of stress.

Do something you enjoy every day. Make time for leisure activities that bring you joy, whether it be stargazing, playing the piano, or working on your bike.

Keep your sense of humor. This includes the ability to laugh at yourself. The act of laughing helps your body fight stress in a number of ways.

Learn the relaxation response

You can control your stress levels with relaxation techniques that evoke the body’s relaxation response, a state of restfulness that is the opposite of the stress response. Regularly practicing these techniques will build your physical and emotional resilience, heal your body, and boost your overall feelings of joy and equanimity.

Read Stress Relief: Relaxation Practices That Reduce Stress

Stress management strategy #6: Adopt a healthy lifestyle

You can increase your resistance to stress by strengthening your physical health. 

Exercise regularly. Physical activity plays a key role in reducing and preventing the effects of stress. Make time for at least 30 minutes of exercise, three times per week. Nothing beats aerobic exercise for releasing pent-up stress and tension.

Eat a healthy diet. Well-nourished bodies are better prepared to cope with stress, so be mindful of what you eat. Start your day right with breakfast, and keep your energy up and your mind clear with balanced, nutritious meals throughout the day.

Reduce caffeine and sugar. The temporary "highs" caffeine and sugar provide often end in with a crash in mood and energy. By reducing the amount of coffee, soft drinks, chocolate, and sugar snacks in your diet, you’ll feel more relaxed and you’ll sleep better.

Avoid alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs. Self-medicating with alcohol or drugs may provide an easy escape from stress, but the relief is only temporary. Don’t avoid or mask the issue at hand; deal with problems head on and with a clear mind.

Get enough sleep. Adequate sleep fuels your mind, as well as your body. Feeling tired will increase your stress because it may cause you to think irrationally.

Related Articles

Understanding Stress Signs, Symptoms, Causes, and Effects

Quick Stress Relief How to Manage and Relieve Stress in the Moment

More Helpguide Articles:

Improving Emotional Health : Strategies and Tips for Good Mental Health Preventing Burnout : Signs, Symptoms, Causes, and Coping Strategies Stress at Work : How to Reduce and Manage Workplace and Job Stress How to Stop Worrying : Self-Help Strategies for Anxiety Relief

Related links for stress management

General information about managing and coping with stress

Managing Stress: A Guide for College Students – Offers a total wellness lifestyle plan for managing, reducing, and coping with stress. (University Health Center, University of Georgia)

Stress Management: How Do You React During Stressful Situations? – Evaluate the way you react to stress and learn how to transform your negative responses. (Mayo Clinic)

Stress Management for Parents – Stress management suggestions for stressed-out parents, including fifty-two proven stress reducers. (Child Development Institute)

The Road to Resilience (PDF) – Learn how to increase your resilience, the trait that allows you to bounce back from adversity and stress. (American Psychological Association)

Stress management strategies

Assert Yourself – Self-help modules designed to help you reduce stress, depression, and anxiety by improving your assertiveness. (Centre for Clinical Interventions)

Put Off Procrastinating – Work your way through a self-help series on how to stop procrastination problems. (Centre for Clinical Interventions)

What Are Some Specific Stress Reduction Methods? – Simple stress reduction suggestions, including diet, exercise, and cognitive-behavioral techniques. (University of Maryland Medical Center)

Exercise Fuels the Brain's Stress Buffers – Explains how regular exercise helps reduce and manage stress levels. (American Psychological Association)

Strategies for Coping with Stress – Offers twenty-four tips for reducing and coping with stress (Texas Woman’s University)

Melinda Smith, M.A., Ellen Jaffe-Gill, M.A., and Robert Segal, M.A contributed to this article. Last modified on: December 2008.

Introduction to Stress Management A lot of research has been conducted into stress over the last hundred years. Some of the theories behind it are now settled and accepted; others are still being researched and debated. During this time, there seems to have been something approaching open warfare between competing theories and definitions: Views have been passionately held and aggressively defended.

What complicates this is that intuitively we all feel that we know what stress is, as it is something we have all experienced. A definition should therefore be obvious…except that it is not.

Definitions

Hans Selye was one of the founding fathers of stress research. His view in 1956 was that “stress is not necessarily something bad – it all depends on how you take it. The stress of exhilarating, creative successful work is beneficial, while that of failure, humiliation or infection is detrimental.” Selye believed that the biochemical effects of stress would be experienced irrespective of whether the situation was positive or negative.

Since then, a great deal of further research has been conducted, and ideas have moved on. Stress is now viewed as a "bad thing", with a range of harmful biochemical and long-term effects. These effects have rarely been observed in positive situations.

The most commonly accepted definition of stress (mainly attributed to Richard S Lazarus) is that stress is a condition or feeling experienced when a person perceives that “demands exceed the personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilize.” In short, it's what we feel when we think we've lost control of events.

This is the main definition used by this section of Mind Tools, although we also recognize that there is an intertwined instinctive stress response to unexpected events. The stress response inside us is therefore part instinct and part to do with the way we think.

Fight-or-Flight

Some of the early research on stress (conducted by Walter Cannon in 1932) established the existence of the well-known “fight-or-flight” response. His work showed that when an organism experiences a shock or perceives a threat, it quickly releases hormones that help it to survive.

In humans, as in other animals, these hormones help us to run faster and fight harder. They increase heart rate and blood pressure, delivering more oxygen and blood sugar to power important muscles. They increase sweating in an effort to cool these muscles, and help them stay efficient. They divert blood away from the skin to the core of our bodies, reducing blood loss if we are damaged. As well as this, these hormones focus our attention on the threat, to the exclusion of everything else. All of this significantly improves our ability to survive life-threatening events.

Not only life-threatening events trigger this reaction: We experience it almost any time we come across something unexpected or something that frustrates our goals. When the threat is small, our response is small and we often do not notice it among the many other distractions of a stressful situation.

Unfortunately, this mobilization of the body for survival also has negative consequences. In this state, we are excitable, anxious, jumpy and irritable. This actually reduces our ability to work effectively with other people. With trembling and a pounding heart, we can find it difficult to execute precise, controlled skills. The intensity of our focus on survival interferes with our ability to make fine judgments by drawing information from many sources. We find ourselves more accident-prone and less able to make good decisions.

There are very few situations in modern working life where this response is useful. Most situations benefit from a calm, rational, controlled and socially sensitive approach.

In the short term, we need to keep this fight-or-flight response under control to be effective in our jobs. In the long term we need to keep it under control to avoid problems of poor health and burnout.

Managing Stress

There are very many proven skills that we can use to manage stress. These help us to remain calm and effective in high pressure situations, and help us avoid the problems of long term stress. In the rest of this section of Mind Tools, we look at some important techniques in each of these three groups.

Keeping a Stress Diary or carrying out the Burnout Self-Test will help you to identify your current levels of stress, so you can decide what action, if any, you need to take. Job Analysis and Performance Planning will help you to get on top of your workload. While the emotionally-oriented skills of Imagery, Physical Techniques and Rational Positive Thinking will help you

change the way you see apparently stressful situations. Finally, the article on Anger Management will help you to channel your feelings into performance.

This is a much-abridged excerpt from the ‘Understanding Stress and Stress Management’ module of the Mind Tools Stress Management Masterclass. As well as covering this material in more detail, it also discusses:

Long-term stress: The General Adaptation Syndrome and Burnout The Integrated Stress Response Stress and Health Stress and its Affect on the Way We Think Pressure andPerformance: Flow and the ‘Inverted-U’

These sections give you a deeper understanding of stress, helping you to develop your own stress management strategies for handling unique circumstances. Click here to find out more about the Stress Management Masterclass and here to visit the Stress.MindTools.Com site, which has many more articles on stress management.

The first of these articles shows you how to keep a stress diary - an important technique for understanding the most important sources of stress in your life. To read this, click 'Next article' below. Other relevant destinations are shown in the "Where to go from here" list underneath.

Warning: Stress can cause severe health problems and, in extreme cases, can cause death. While these stress management techniques have been shown to have a positive effect on reducing stress, they are for guidance only, and readers should take the advice of suitably qualified health professionals if they have any concerns over stress-related illnesses or if stress is causing significant or persistent unhappiness. Health professionals should also be consulted before any major change in diet or levels of exercise.

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ypes of Stress - Some Good, Some Bad

Did you know that some types of stress can be good for you? That's right! Some forms of stress can be good for you, but other types of stress disorders can cause major health problems and even be life threatening.

Stress is a natural function of the body, but understanding the different types of stress, such as distress and eustress, helps you to better understand how to deal with the stress you find in your life.

Types of StressSo, what are the major types of stress? While there are many subcategories of stress that are being treated today, the major types of stress can be broken down into four different categories: Eustress, Hyperstress, Hypostress, and Distress.

EustressEustress is one of the helpful types of stress. What is the definition for eustress? It is the type of stress you experience right before you have the need to exert physical force. Eustress prepares the muscles, heart, and mind for the strength needed for whatever is about to occur.

Eustress can also apply to creative endeavors. When a person needs to have some extra energy or creativity, eustress kicks in to bring them the inspiration they need. An athlete will experience the strength that comes form eustress right before they play a big game or enter a big competition. Because of the eustress, they immediately receive the strength that they need to perform.

When the body enters the fight or flight response, it will experience eustress. The eustress prepares the body to fight with or flee from an imposing danger. This type of stress will cause the blood to pump to the major muscle groups, and will increase the heart rate and blood pressure to increase. If the event or danger passes, the body will eventually return to its normal state.

DistressDistress is one of the negative types of stress. This is one of the types of stress that the mind and body undergoes when the normal routine is constantly adjusted and altered. The mind is not comfortable with this routine, and craves the familiarity of a common routine. There are actually two types of distress: acute stress and chronic stress.

Acute StressAcute stress is the type of stress that comes immediately with a change of routine. It is an intense type of stress, but it passes quickly. Acute stress is the body's way of getting a person to stand up and take inventory of what is going on, to make sure that everything is OK

Chronic StressChronic stress will occur if there is a constant change of routine for week after week. Chronic stress affects the body for a long period of time. This is the type of stress experienced by someone who constantly faces moves or job changes.

Continue to: Other Types of Stress

Related ArticlesDiscover the basic of stressFind out if you are stressedBeware! Stress Could Cause Serious Long-Term EffectsPost Traumatic Stress Disorder: Has the Past Come Back to Haunt You?Dealing with physiological stress responseIs your work stressing you? Find out the better way to deal withAdolescents stress - It can cause adverse effect in futureStress Can Have Positive Effects - Can You Believe it?

Discover the Basics of Stress

Many would find it difficult to define stress, Stress is nothing but a normal physiological response of the body to situations or stimulus which are perceived as 'dangerous' to the body. Stress can affect anyone at anytime in some point of life. When stress occurs regularly it cause harm to body. This article on stress covers

What is 'Milieu Interior or Internal Homeostasis'? Will adapting to the hostile environment helps in tackling stress? What is the effect of hyperthyroidism?

We can define stress as a normal physiological response of the body to situations or stimulus which are perceived as 'dangerous' to the body. Stress can affect anyone and everyone at some point of time in their life. When it occurs frequently it affects health - both physical and mental.

Understanding StressHuman body is a complex organization of various tissues and each Thesystem of it should function properly and in a coordinated way. Moreover it has to function within the physiological limits which are very restricted and narrow (see Table: 1).Technically this team work is called 'Milieu Interior or Internal Homeostasis'.

Table 1: Physiological range of certain blood parametersAnalysis Reference Range

1. pH 7.36 - 7.45

2. Bicarbonate 21 - 27.5 m mol / l

3. Oxygen saturation Normally > 97%

4. Glucose 3.6 - 6.8 m mol / l

The normal physiological range of a few blood parameters is given above. It is just to show how narrow the physiological limits are. The body has to function within this narrow limits maintaining Internal Homeostasis.

The human body is exposed everyday to different person, species, situations and stimuli. Some of the exposures are rewarding and certain others are hazardous. If the exposure is hazardous then the body prepares itself to face the situation - the reason being its 'Internal Homeostasis'and hence its normal functioning should not be affected. This response is called the Fight or Flight response. This response is to make persons cope with the situation successfully.

Physiology of StressWhen a person is exposed to a 'dangerous' situation his body gets ready to face it. It needs more energy for that. The extra energy is got by the 'Fight or Flight' response. The initial step is taken by the Hypothalamus of the brain which secretes Adrenocorticotrophic releasing Hormone ARH). ARH stimulates the adjacent pituitary gland to secrete Adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH). This in turn stimulates the adrenal glands which are situated on the kidneys to secrete Adrenaline and Cortisol.

Now these two hormones work together to see that the body gets more energy by providing more oxygen and glucose. For these things to occur, the following adjustments are done.

Diversion of the blood from less vital to more vital organs. Increase in the heart rate to supply more blood quickly. Increase in the blood pressure to supply blood efficiently. Increase in the respiratory rate to get more oxygen from the atmosphere. Breakdown of glycogen stores in liver and muscle to get more glucose. Formation of more glucose from non carbohydrate substances.

So at the end of the response, the body is well geared up and it tackles the situation. To put it in a nut shell -"The mind feels the danger and the body tackles it. These actions are coordinated by hormones".

Once the trigger is gone the hormonal levels drops and the body returns to normal. But if this happens repeatedly, then all the hormonal levels are persistently high not allowing the body to come back to normal .The body keeps experiencing the above mentioned 'adjustments'. Soon the hormonal and energy stores get exhausted. The vital link between the mind and the body is lost and the person suffers. The mind gets disturbed by the fact that the threat is there. But the body is too tired to handle it. The coordination between the two is disturbed.

Causes of StressStress is a normal physiological phenomenon. So 'Undue or Unrelieved Stress' is the right term when we discuss about the pathological aspects of stress. 'Undue or Unrelieved Stress' can occur in any person in

whom the normal 'Fight or Flight' response is overdone. It can occur as a short term response, delayed response or a prolonged response.

Short Term Response or Acute StressAcute stress is the normal physiological 'Fight or flight response'. The effects will be present only till the person is exposed to transient trigger. The trigger could be

Hunger A narrow miss of an accident A competitive exam A job interview A short lived illness

Delayed ResponseThis is a separate entity. It is also called 'Post traumatic stress disorder'. It is caused by exceptionally stressful conditions in which the person feels helpless, like

Natural calamities War Rape Death of beloved ones

Prolonged Response or Chronic StressWe define stress due to a prolonged response as chronic stress when the trigger is persistent or repetitive not allowing the body to come back to normal by keeping the stress hormones at the higher level. The persistent stressors could be any one of the following.

Workplace stress Stress at home Financial stress

Beware! Stress Could Cause Serious Long-Term Effects

The long term and short term effects of stress on the body manifest itself irrespective of the age groups. When the trigger is repetitive, prolonged or unanticipated, then it becomes pathological. The effects of stress affect not only man, but also animals. This article throws light on:

What are the functional adjustments which are responsible for the short term effects of stress? What are the symptoms of post Traumatic Stress Disorder? Will misunderstanding with the spouse result in stress?

Stress is a normal physiological response of the body to hostile environment. The effects of stress affect not only man, but also animals. Stress can affect children, adolescents and adults. Though the stress factor may be different in different age groups, the outcome is more or less the same. The effects of

stress on the body can be categorized into short term and long term effects irrespective of the age groups. When the trigger is repetitive, prolonged or unanticipated, then it becomes pathological. The immediate, transient or the short term effects are the normal physiological responses whereas the delayed, persisting or the long term effects of stress are the pathological responses.

Short Term Effects of StressWhen a person encounters a threat, his body gets geared up to handle it by the 'Fight or flight' response. During this response certain functional adjustments occur in the body. These changes persist till the threat exists. When the threat no longer exists, the body returns to normal. These immediate, transient effects are the short term effects of stress. This is a physiological response seen in all persons exposed to stress.The few functional adjustments which are responsible for the short term effects are

Diversion of the blood from less vital to more vital organs. Increase in the heart rate to supply more blood quickly. Increase in the blood pressure to supply blood efficiently. Increase in the respiratory rate to get more oxygen from the atmosphere. Breakdown of glycogen stores in liver and muscle to get more glucose. Formation of more glucose from non carbohydrate substances.

These functional adjustments responsible for the stress effects on the body, manifest themselves with an array of signs and symptoms which include

Palpitation Chest pain frozen shoulder Cold clammy skin with gooseflesh Flushing and feeling of warmth Breathlessness Dry mouth with difficulty in speaking and swallowing Abdominal discomfort Aggravation of Peptic Ulcer Loose stools Increased blood glucose levels. Headache, back ache and neck pain Depletion of energy stores Flare up of diseases like eczema, psoriasis, arthritis Difficulty in concentrating Memory disturbances Sleeplessness Decreased sexual drive

Loss of appetite Anxiety Depression Outbursts of anger

We can take the example of a guy appearing for a competitive exam for a job. When he has to study a lot, if he is not able to cover all the topics or if he finds the topics very tough, then preparation for the exams acts as a trigger for stress. The affected person undergoes either some or all of the above mentioned symptoms with their severity based on his susceptibility.

If he is able to complete all the topics and if he is able to understand what he studies, then the trigger is gone and he is relieved of the physical effects stress and his body returns to normal state.

Long Term Effects of stressWhen the stress factor is persistent or repetitive, the body keeps secreting the stress hormones and their blood levels remain continuously at a higher level and hence the associated functional adjustments. The body now experiences stress with extra burden due to the side effects of the persistently high stress hormones. Some irreversible physiological damages of the brain and related stress physical symptoms like organ damage are caused by these substances. The manifestations could be

Chronic head ache Mood swings Anxiety disorder Substance abuse Memory disturbances Heart attack due increased blood pressure, sugar and cholesterol Stroke due to similar reasons Weight loss Exacerbation of allergies including asthma Irritable Bowel disease Ischemic Bowel disease like Crohn's disease Decreased sexual drive Sleeplessness

Even when the stress factor is absent some of these physical and physiological effects of stress persist unless steps are taken to treat them.

Let us take the same example. If the person fails in the exam, he loses the opportunity of getting a job and a financial security. The stress factor persists as he is jobless and has financial insecurity. He gets affected by the above mentioned symptoms. Even if he learns to live without a job some of the above mentioned conditions like substance abuse may persist.

Post Traumatic Stress DisorderPost traumatic stress disorder is a delayed reaction to an exceptionally stressful situation or a life threatening event where the person feels helpless. After a dormant period the person re-experiences the past traumatic events as 'flash backs', or dreams and tries to avoid any stimuli or situation which reminds of the past trauma. The symptoms include

Psychological numbing Amnesia of certain aspects of the stressful event Inability to experience pleasure Isolation Reduced interest in activities Sleeplessness Agitation

Stress symptoms: Effects on Physical and Mental Health

Stress can affect anyone from children to adolescents to adults. The body tries to overcome stress by certain physiological adjustments. If the body succeeds, then after sometime the physiological adjustments and the stress symptoms revert back to normal. This article tells you in detail regarding:

What are the possible dangers that will occur if stress is not relieved? Learn more on symptoms of stress Will long term stress result in heart attack?

Stress is a normal physiological response of the body to a hostile environment and symptoms of stress are manifestations of this response. The body tries to overcome stress by certain physiological adjustments .If the body succeeds, then after sometime the physiological adjustments and the stress symptoms revert back to normal. If it fails the physiological adjustments and the stress symptoms persists. It is this persistence of the response that matters. The affected person may develop physical, physiological or psychological problems. He may not be able to lead a normal life.

Stress can affect anyone from children to adolescents to adults. Women are affected twice more than men. Studies show that stress is responsible for 70% visits to doctors and is the reason for 85% of the serious illnesses.

Stress if not relieved, may change the person's life from good to bad, bad to worse, worse to worst. If stress is in the house, it will affect the relationship with spouse and other family members. If it is in the educational institution, it will affect the studies. If it is in the work place, it will affect the performance. So stress, no matter what age group it affects, no matter where it affects, should be tackled, so that the person can lead a normal and productive life.Tips for Reducing Stress and Anxiety Symptoms

How Do I know I Am Stressed?Stress' Physical symptoms and signs form a long and an exhaustive list. The signs and symptoms of stress could be physical, physiological or psychological. Usually a combination of all the three occurs. It is not necessary that all the symptoms should be present in the affected individual. Moreover the severity may not be same in all the persons exposed to similar kind of stress.

The signs and symptoms of stress are manifestations of the functional adjustments that happen in the body. It varies with the type of stress whether it is acute, chronic or delayed. The functional changes are physiological changes and are the reasons for signs and stress physical symptoms to be manifested. The changes that occur are

Diversion of the blood from less vital to more vital organs. Increase in the heart rate to supply more blood quickly. Increase in the blood pressure to supply blood efficiently. Increase in the respiratory rate to get more oxygen from the atmosphere. Breakdown of glycogen stores in liver and muscle to get more glucose. Formation of more glucose from non carbohydrate substances.

The above mentioned functional changes manifest both stress physical symptoms and stress psychological symptoms.It is recommended that if you are experiencing signs of stress you should visit a doctor for a thorough examination as soon as possible. Same day appointments are available from private doctors in London.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: Has the Past Come Back to Haunt You?

Post traumatic stress syndrome or post- traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is defined as a delayed reaction to an exceptionally stressful situation or a life threatening event. This disorder has gained significant attention during the past few years. This article informs you more on:

Will serious accidents results in post traumatic stress disorder? What are the behavioral changes caused as a result of post traumatic stress disorder? Can substance abuse be treated as a long term effect of post traumatic stress disorder?

Post traumatic stress syndrome or post- traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is defined as a delayed reaction to an exceptionally stressful situation or a life threatening event. The delay can be as long as 6 months or even more. This disorder has gained significant attention during the past few years as more and more researches have commented on the short and long term effects of post traumatic stress disorder.

Causes of Post Traumatic Stress DisorderPost traumatic stress disorder follows an exceptionally stressful or a catastrophic life event after a dormant period. The causative event usually is so severe that any normal person who experiences it gets affected. The stressful events could be any of the following.

Natural Calamity - e.g. Post -Tsunami, Post- Katrina, Post - Rita War - e.g. Post - Vietnam war, Post- Gulf war Rape Terror - e.g. 9/11, London Bomb Blasts Serious Accidents like train accidents and building collapse following earth quake Traumatic death of beloved ones - e.g. Life partner, Parents, Children

The persons who survive the calamities or who witness those events get affected and start manifesting the syndrome after a couple of months. The susceptibility and severity of affliction depends on the following criteria.

The affected person should perceive the event as a dangerous one. The affected person should feel helpless in response to the event. The affected person should have high levels of anxiety trait.

Whenever a person perceives an event as a dangerous one, the normal response would be Fight or flight. But when the stress of the event is very severe or the situation is such a one that could not be overcome or avoided it results in post traumatic stress disorder. If the person has a high anxiety trait, the manifestation will be earlier and more severe.

About 1% of adults suffer post traumatic stress disorder. Similar statistics are not available for children and adolescents.

Effects of PTSDMany psychopathological conditions affecting adults and adolescents which were initially thought to be results of internal conflicts are now found to be due to a past stressful trauma. More researches are being done in this field.

The manifestations of the disorder are seen after a couple of months. The impact of the event is so much that the person who is affected, tries to avoid any stimuli reminding him of that past stressful event. In spite of it, if the person experiences the stimuli, the manifestations become more severe, with more anxiety and more arousal.

An affected person gets repeated recollection of the stressful event as Flashbacks or dreams. The person re-experiences the original trauma and gets affected both physiologically and psychologically and tries to avoid such stimuli. Repeated Re-experiences cause a behavioral change in the person. The changes could be

Psychological numbing

Amnesia of certain aspects of the stressful event Inability to experience pleasure Isolation Reduced interest in activities Sleeplessness Agitation

Short Term Effects of PTSDThese effects are seen when the person re-experiences the past trauma as Flash backs or dreams. The short term effects of stress in PTSD are mostly physical effects.

Head aches Stomach upset Chest pain Breathing difficulties Giddiness

Long Term EffectsThese effects are seen for a longer period of time no matter whether the affected person re- experiences his past trauma or not. The long term effects of PTSD are

Memory disturbances Alteration in the response to fear Depression Sleeplessness Anxiety disorders like phobias Poor self esteem Substance abuse Anti social behavior

Physiological Stress Response: Its Effects on the Body

In the present world more and more people are experiencing stress. The physiological effects of stress occur as a result of certain practical adjustments that occur in the body which are meant for the body to handle stress powerfully. This article includes:

What is the physiological effects of stress? How fight or flight response takes place? What is physiological stress response? Can increase in blood pressure be treated as a biological effect of stress?

In the world of modern era, there are more competitions, more expectations and more dangers and naturally, all these lead to stress. Stress can be defined as the normal physiological response of the body to any hostile situation or stimulus. The physiological effects of stress occur as a result of certain functional adjustments that occur in the body which are meant for the body to handle stress efficiently.

If this response to the physiological effects of stress is not there, then the person would succumb to the hostility of the environment. Stress can affect anyone and it affects everyone at some part of their life.

Physiological Effects of StressThe physiological effects of stress are measures taken by the body to tackle the stressful condition.

Milieu InteriorLiving things especially humans are wonderful creations of god. Human body is a complex organization of various systems which function hand in hand. All the functions are done only if the interior environment of the body is optimal. The internal environment includes the chemical substances and the pH, both inside and outside the cells. The optimal range is very narrow (Table1) and the body strive very hard to keep everything within these narrow physiological stress limits. This is called 'Milieu Interior or Internal Homeostasis'.

Analysis Reference Range

1. pH 7.36 - 7.45

2. Bicarbonate 21 - 27.5 m mol / l

3. Oxygen saturation Normally > 97%

4. Glucose 3.6 - 6.8 m mol / l

If the internal homeostasis is disturbed, then certain compensatory adjustments take place. The disturbing factor could be an infectious disease, a non infectious disease or simply any stress. If the disturbing factor is stress, then the body secretes certain stress hormones to tackle the situation with a response called the Fight or the flight response.

Fight or flight responseWhen the body is exposed to a stressful condition, the hypothalamus situated in the brain (hypothalamus is concerned with the secretion and control of the different hormones of the body) secrete adrenocorticotrophic releasing hormone (ARH). This hormone stimulates the pituitary gland which is situated below the hypothalamus to secrete Adrenocorticotrophic hormone(ACTH).This hormone in turn stimulates the adrenal or the suprarenal glands situated on the top of the kidney to secrete the stress hormones namely the adrenaline and the cortisol. These two hormones are responsible for the physiological effects of stress through the' fight or flight response' by making certain functional adjustments (Table2).

Table 2: Functional adjustments or the biological effects of stress

Diversion of the blood from less vital to more vital organs. Increase in the heart rate to supply more blood quickly. Increase in the blood pressure to supply blood efficiently.

Increase in the respiratory rate to get more oxygen from the atmosphere. Breakdown of glycogen stores in liver and muscle to get more glucose. Formation of more glucose from non carbohydrate substances.

Stress Can Have Positive Effects - Can You Believe it?

When many think of stress they think only of the negative effects that come with it. However there are positive effects of stress. There is good types of stress that can actually be healthy for your body.

There are also positive ways to relieve stress that allow you to help cope with your bad stress. One of the best examples of positive stress is the fight or flight response that one receives in threatening situations. This response may even be triggered in our body during illnesses or traumas like bites and scrapes. This type of stress response in our body helps provide a defense again infection. To understand the negative and positive effects of stress you should first learn about the four different types of stress.

Types of StressOur lives can be impacted by four different types of stress. Each of these can be both positive and negative stress. The first of these is eustress which is the type of positive stress. It is this type of stress that helps an individual feel motivated to finish a project or get a creative mindset to complete a task. You will typically feel this form of stress when you want a exciting movie, run or ride a theme park ride.

Next is distress which is a bad form of stress. This is what individuals feel when they are frustrated, fearful or have unresolved anger. When too much of this stress is present it results in anxiety and mental suffering. Then there is under-stress which is what happens when individuals don't have enough positive stress and this can actually lead to other problems. Boredom and hopelessness are two effects of this stress and as a result people can be less motivated to be creative.

The final type of stress is over-stress. This is what an individual feels after pushing themselves too hard for an upcoming deadline. This is when people don't have the time to sit back and think creatively and most of the focus is only on dealing with immediate issues. So what then are the characteristics of positive stress?

Characteristics of Positive StressNot all stress is bad. There are positive effects of stress and it has its own unique characteristics. When it comes to feelings such as anxiety, worry, fear, pain or anger then these are linked to negative stress and this is what many people associate stress with. However, the positive effects of stress are something

that can help motivate individuals to accomplish something good. Positive stress helps an individual to make any necessary changes in their lives.

Many discoveries and creative solutions that an individual comes up with will be the result of positive stress. Positive stress can even help a person to take up a new job, change their schedule, leave during a threatening or dangerous situation and make necessary lifestyle changes. Basically the positive stress is something that is products, good and useful. So what exactly is the difference between positive and negative stress?

Continue to: Positive vs. Negative Stress

Natural Stress Relief Technique – Absolutely no side effects!!!

Natural stress management techniques provide a desired relief to people who are in stress. These natural stress reliefs are said to be devoid of dreadful side effects. Stress can affect anyone at anytime in some point of life. This article contains more information on:

Which are the three components of yoga that are used for stress relief? Find out how lifestyle changes and stress relief is related Will drinking plenty of water helps in overcoming stress?

Stress can affect anyone and everyone at some point of time in their life. Stress is believed to trigger 70% of visits to doctors, and 85% of serious illnesses. Natural stress management techniques provide a desired relief in these patients. These natural stress reliefs are said to be devoid of dreadful side effects. Stress occurs when the normal "Fight or Flight" phenomenon of our endocrine system occurs more frequently. This phenomenon causes a few reversible changes in our body like increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, increased metabolism and energy release, muscle tension etc.

Stress can affect your health, your work performance, your social life and your relationship with your family members. There is no escape from stress. One must learn how to handle it. There is no single remedy for stress relief. Though there is a long list of drugs to handle stress the list of their side effects is equally long. So everyone is on the look out for natural stress relief techniques which are very effective and at the same time don't have many side effects. Click here to see some natural stress relief products, or read on to learn how you can relieve stress through various techniques..

Natural TechniquesNatural stress reduction techniques can be categorized under the following headings.

Exercise Yoga Meditation

Tai Chi Reiki Herbs Dietary adjustments Life style changes

ExerciseExercise and diet are simplest of the remedies for stress. Exercise helps in relieving the stress in the following ways.

The adrenaline store gets exhausted and results in relaxation. Exercise produces Beta endorphin in our brain which relieves stress by providing a sense of well

being. Exercise increases blood flow to brain which supplies more oxygen and eliminates toxic

materials including carbon dioxide and lactate. Exercise relaxes tensed muscles. Exercise distracts us from the causes of stress.

Deep breathing itself is a good exercise. It helps the body in getting more oxygen and eliminates the unwanted carbon dioxide.

YogaStressed individuals have great amount of tension in their bodies. Yoga an ancient Indian practice helps in releasing this tension and aiding in deep breathing which provides more oxygen and eliminates the toxic carbon dioxide. Three components of Yoga are used for stress relief. They are the asanas, pranayamas and meditation. Meditation can be done separately also for stress relief.

Yogic postures (Asana) : The corpses pose (Savasana), the crocodile pose (Makarasana) and the child's pose (Bal asana) are relaxation postures which help in dealing with stress.

Yogic Breathing (Pranayama): One form of Pranayama is Nadi shodhanam in which alternate nostril breathing is done. Pranayama should always be done in a suitable posture or asana in which the lung capacity is the highest and the muscle tension is lowest. It should always be done with the help of a teacher. It should be always done with empty stomach and one should never do it till exhaustion.

MeditationTwo methods need mention a) Meditation that needs focusing and b) Meditation that does not need focusing.

Meditation that needs focusing : The affected person focuses on any object or image or sound or any thoughts. It takes the mind away from the source of stress and provides stress relief.

Meditation that does not need focusing : Transcendental meditation is one form of meditation that does not need focusing. It is done by sitting comfortably with the eyes closed. During the process the

fluctuating mind gradually becomes still and attains a state of "Restful alertness". It is done for about 20 minutes everyday in the morning and evening.

ReikiReiki is a Japanese art of healing.Rei means "free passage" and ki means "universal energy" It involves transfer of energy from a practitioner to the patient to increase the body's natural ability to heal itself through the balance of energy. Reiki incorporates of most of the other alternate therapies like spiritual therapy, meditation, aroma therapy etc. The hands are the tools of healing in Reiki.The position in which the hands are placed important. Reiki can be done through clothing. But most prefer no barrier to the therapy. Reiki practitioners impart energy through a particular pattern. This induces deep relaxation, detoxifies the body and provides new vitality.

Tai chiTai chi or Tai chi chuan is a Chinese martial art meant for health and longevity and how to deal with stress. It is gaining popularity because of its active role in reducing stress. Tai chi means 'Supreme ultimate boxing 'or 'Boundless fist'. The basic principle involves leverage of the joints through co-ordination of relaxation rather than increased muscle tension. This improves the internal circulation and it is believed that over a period of time it reverses the physical effects of stress.

HerbsHerbal treatment always has a significant chunk of followers. In the treatment of stress Kava Kava is the latest in the list while Valerian is the oldest. The list includes:

1. Kava Kava: It is a herb of Indonesian and Polynesian islands which is used to relieve stress, anxiety, sleeplessness.

2. Valerian: It is similar to diazepam, the sleeping pill .It relaxes nervous system and helps in good sleep.

3. Passion flower: The flavinoids in it acts as a sedative and anti oxidants and relieves stress and anxiety.

4. St John's Wort: It inhibits the enzyme mono amino oxidase and helps in relieving stress.5. Scullcap: It acts on the nervous system and stabilizes the mood.6. Hops: Its tranquilizing properties are useful in the treatment of sleeplessness and irritability.7. Catnip: It helps in calming the nervous system and treating the digestion problems.8. Chamomile: Used as immunostimulant, tranquilizer and helps in digestion.9. Rhodiola: It regulates the heart beat. It controls the irregular heart beat.10. Bach Rescue remedy: The formula was found by Dr.Edward Bach in 1920's.It contains a

combination of 5 flower essences for relieving stress and reducing fear and tension.

HypnosisHypnosis as a relief method for stress has gained considerable credibility in recent years. Hypnosis for anxiety and stress is clinically proven and is an effective long term solution for stress related conditions.

Are you stressed? Check out the top reduction techniques

More and more people are subject to stress in the present day because of several reasons. It is very important for such people to handle stress properly, various stress reduction techniques will help them to reduce their stress. This article on stress reduction covers:

How effective are various reduction techniques? How 'pranayama' helps in reducing stress? How meditation and stress reduction is related?

Stress is the leading health disorder in United States. Various stress reduction techniques are practiced to reduce stress. Some of the very old principles which were forgotten for years are being revived and followed. Researches done so far prove the effectiveness of these techniques in stress reduction.

Some of the popular and useful stress relief techniques are

Yoga Meditation Aromatherapy Hydrotherapy Deep breathing Biofeedback Progressive muscle relaxation Music Therapy

YogaYoga is a 5000 year old Indian concept for the relaxation of body and mind. Yoga means Union or Harmony. Though the classical Yoga has 8 components, only 3 are used in the stress reduction. They are

Postures or asanasAsanas can be considered science of body physics. Wrong and bad postures causes stress in the body by inhibiting the flow of energy and by accumulating toxic products inside. All kinds of body aches are said to be due to bad posturing and the subsequent accumulation of toxic products in the body. By performing yogic postures there is a free flow of energy in and out of the body which helps in the proper functioning of the body and the subsequent relief of muscle tension. Among the different asanas the following are very popular.

Makarasana or Crocodile PostureIn this posture, the person lies flat on his tummy with face downwards and remains still without moving (resembling a crocodile under water). It relaxes the muscles and keeps the mind away from distraction. It is very much useful in women suffering from premenstrual tension.

Bal asana or the Child's poseIn this posture, the person assumes the posture of the fetus inside the uterus by curling forwards. By doing this, there is relaxation of back muscles.

Savasana or the Corpse poseIn this posture, the person emulates a dead person. Though it appears very simple, it is one of the toughest asanas to perform and the most effective one also for relaxation.

PranayamaPrana' means life and 'ayama' means control. By doing pranayama, the person takes control over his breathing. There are different types of pranayama. The most popular and the simplest one is the 'Nadi shodhanam'. It means channel purification. According to Yoga there are 14 nadis or channels and prana or lives flow through them.In this technique the person holds his nose with his right thumb and ring finger and breathes through the two nostrils alternatively by releasing the pressure of the thumb and the ring finger alternatively. The technique of using the hands by assuming different postures is called mudra. (Different mudras are used for other purposes like meditation also).

MeditationThe third component is meditation.

Steps of performing yoga

Take the guidance of an able teacher during the initial few days Select a proper posture or asanas. Among the numerous asanas, the Makharasana or the

crocodile posture, the bal asana or the child's posture or the Sav asana or the corpse posture are quite popular. By these asanas the different endocrine glands are put into alert.

Do pranayama. In Nadhi Shodhanam , one of the popular methods deep breaths are taken by holding the nose with the right thumb and ring finger and releasing the pressure alternatively. This helps in free flow of energy in and out of the body.

With proper posturing and pranayama, the body gets ready for the next step, the meditation. By meditating the mind loses focus of the stress inducing factor and there is relaxation of mind.

MeditationThough meditation means Contemplating or focusing, there are types in which it is not required.

Meditation that needs focusing

Sit comfortably with a straight erect spine Focus on any object or sound or image or any thought Take deep breaths slowly Do this for about 30 minutes

By doing this the person's mind focuses on a particular object and thus gets rid of all the thoughts and worries. The mind focus gets shifted away the stress inducer and this gives a feeling of relief.

Meditation that does not need focusing

Transcendental MeditationThis is a unique meditation technique first described by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. It is unique in the sense that there is no need for concentrating or focusing on any object. The term 'transcendent' means 'going

beyond' or 'crossing all limits. With this meditation, a person is able to go deeper in to his mind crossing all boundaries and attain a state of mental relaxation. The meditation is done twice a day for about 20 minutes by sitting in a comfortable position with eyes closed and chanting mantras. By performing transcendental meditation, the mind progresses through three levels of relaxation starting from

Restful alertness Deep relaxation Transcendental consciousness in which the mind has crossed all mental activities.

In this method there is no need for concentration on any object.

Sit comfortably Close your eyes Chant mantras ( for e.g. OM) Take deep breaths Do this for 30 minutes twice a day

There is relaxation of both body and mind.

Deep breathingThis method is based on the concept that the ill effects of stress are due to retention of toxins like carbon dioxide and lactate and in adequate oxygen to provide energy. The amount of air entering and leaving the respiratory tract during each breath is 500 ml. By deep breathing this is increased to 1500 ml. This helps in more oxygen entering in and carbon dioxide going out. The steps of deep breathing are

Sit comfortably with a straight back Take a deep breath. The movement should me more in the abdomen than the chest Now exhale so that the abdomen goes inside like before Do this for about 30 minutes every da

The word stress is derived from the Latin word "stringi", which means, "to be drawn tight". Stress can be defined as follows:

Definition of Stress : 1In medical terms stress is described as, "a physical or psychological stimulus that can produce mental tension or physiological reactions that may lead to illness." When you are under stress, your adrenal gland releases corticosteroids, which are converted to cortisol in the blood stream. Cortisol have an immune suppressive effect in your body.

Another Definition of StressAccording to Richard S Lazarus, stress is a feeling experienced when a person thinks that "the demands exceed the personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilize."

Your body tries to adjust to different circumstances or continually changing environment around you. In this process, the body is put to extra work resulting in "wear and tear". In other words, your body is stressed. Stress disturbs the body's normal way of functioning.

Most of us experience stress at one time or another. Without stress, there would be no life. However, excessive or prolonged stress can be harmful. Stress is unique and personal. A situation may be stressful for someone but the same situation may be challenging for others. For example, arranging a world level symposium may be challenging for one person but stressful to another. Some persons have habit of worrying unnecessarily.

Stress is not always necessarily harmful. Hans Selye said in 1956, "stress is not necessarily something bad – it all depends on how you take it. The stress of exhilarating, creative successful work is beneficial, while that of failure, humiliation or infection is detrimental." Stress can be therefore negative, positive or neutral. Passing in an examination can be just stressful as failing.

Sometime we know in advance that doing a certain thing will be stressful, but we are willing to doing that. For example, while planning a vacation to a hill station you know that it would be stressful at certain times. But you are willing to face those challenges.

People often work well under certain stress leading to increased productivity. Many times you do not know in advance and the stress periods may be sudden. The situation may not be under your control. Too much stress is harmful. You should know your level of stress that allows you to perform optimally in your life.

Types of Stress

Three types of stress may be distinguished:

1. Acute stressAcute stress is usually for short time and may be due to work pressure, meeting deadlines pressure or minor accident, over exertion, increased physical activity, searching something but you misplaced it, or similar things.Symptoms of this type of tension are headaches, back pain, stomach problems, rapid heartbeat, muscle aches or body pain.

2. Acute StressAcute stress is common in people who take too many responsibilities and are overloaded or overworked, disorganized, always in a hurry and never in time. These people are generally in positions of importance at their workplace and stressful lifestyle is inherent in them.Symptoms of this type of stress are prolonged tension headaches, hypertension, migraines, chest pain and heart disease .

3. Chronic StressThis type of stress is the most serious of all the 3 stress types. Chronic stress is a prolonged stress that exists for weeks, months, or even years. This stress is due to poverty, broken or stressed families and marriages, chronic illness and successive failures in life. People suffering from this type of stress get used to it and may even not realize that they are under chronic stress. It is very harmful to their health.

Causes of Stress

Whenever our body feels something not favorable, then it tries to defend itself. If this situation continues for a long time, then our body is working overtime.

There are several causes of stress. For example, you are under stress when you are worried about something, worried about your children, worried about the illness of your father, worried about your job security, or worried about your loans or similar things.

You may be under stress due to several causes. Look at the following causes of stress.

1. Causes of Stress at Home o Death of spouse, family, near relative or friend. o Injury or illness of any family member. o Marriage of self or son or daughter or brother or sister. o Separation or divorce from partner. o Pregnancy or birth of a new baby. o Children's behavior or disobedience. o Children's educational performance. o Hyperactive children. o Sexual molestation. o Argument or heated conversations with spouse, family members or friends or

neighbors. o Not sufficient money to meet out daily expenses or unexpected expenditure. o Not sufficient money to raise your standard of living. o Loss of money in burglary, pick-pocketed or share market. o Moving house. o Change of place or change of city or change of country.

2. Causes of Stress at Work o To meet out the demands of the job. o Your relationship with colleagues. o To control staff under you. o To train your staff and take work from them. o Support you receive from your boss, colleagues and juniors. o Excessive work pressure. o To meet out deadlines. o To give new results.o To produce new publications if you are in research area. o Working overtime and on holidays. o New work hours. o Promotion or you have not been promoted or your junior has superseded you. o Argument or heated conversations with co-workers or boss. o Change of job.o Work against will.o Harassment. o Sexual molestation.

3. Other Causes of Stress

o Fear, intermittent or continuous. o Threats: physical threats, social threats, financial threat, other threats. o Uncertainty. o Lack of sleep. o Somebody misunderstands you. o Setback to your position in society.

4. ust like there are a myriad of different symptoms of stress, there are likewise a myriad of different ways we as human beings have learned to deal with or "cope" with stress.  As I've thought about it, I've come up with four major categories of stress management strategies. The first three stress management strategies are the most common. The fourth stress management strategy is what I am proposing as the right solution.

5. To make this a bit easier to understand, let's use an analogy.6. Imagine you live on an island and you have a small sail boat that you use to get between

two islands.  But the boat has a hole in the bottom and every time you go out on the ocean, you begin to take on water.  There are basically three strategies you could employ in this scenario.  There is a fourth, but we'll get to that in a minute.

7. 1-      Bailing the Water8. 2-      Plugging the Hole9. 3-      Ignoring the Problem10. The Boat represents you- your current ability to move around and deal with the world

around you and the element of change.11. The Ocean represents your external environment- nature, the way things are, change, the

things you can't control, etc.12. The Hole represents stress in your life.13. Let's address each of the three stress management strategies briefly.14. Bailing the Water 15. This is the equivalent of trying to relieve the pressure by trying to PUSH OUT the energy

from the system.16. Examples in real life of bailing would be anger, yelling, screaming, venting, blaming,

sexual activity and violence.  On the more innocuous side would be things like exercise and talking with friends.

17. Plugging the Hole 18. This is the equivalent of trying to relieve the pressure by trying to KEEP OUT change in

the system.19. A common example in real life of plugging the hole would be going into depression

mode- where our body literally shuts down the inputs into the brain by constricting the pupils so less light gets in, and causing the body to sleep more so less consciousness gets in.

20. Other examples might be saying "No" to new commitments and shutting down new opportunities because we can't handle what we've already got to process.  We all have to learn to say NO to the less important, but often we become indiscriminate in our blocking and go into isolation mode trying to reduce and eliminate sources of input- often positive sources of input, in order to "deal with" or "cope" with the negative that we've already let in.

21. Ignoring the Problem 22. This is the equivalent of watching for dolphins while your boat fills with water.

23. Ignoring the problem comes in many varieties- usually we just let our attention get distracted because we're too fearful of keeping it where it needs to be to fix the problem.

24. Drugs, alcohol, excessive eating, excessive entertainment or excessive shopping are all examples of Ignoring the Problem.  They are all just distractions from the problem of a sinking boat. 

25. A Better Way 26. All of these three stress "coping" mechanisms provide temporary results and can be either

healthy or unhealthy depending upon the use.  But none of them really solve the problem.27. The problem with all of these mechanisms is that they leave unchanged the system's

capacity for handling change in the environment.  They do not GROW the capacity of the system to handle stress and change, they just relieve some of the pressure temporarily and have to be resorted to again and again as the pressure just keeps coming in like the unlimited ocean water.

28. So what is the lasting solution?  What is "True Stress Relief?"29. To stick with our row boat analogy- it is to build a bigger, stronger, more water tight boat

that is capable of handling more "stress" in the environment without having to resort to bailing, plugging or ignoring the leak.

30. As we turn our focus inward and take on the challenge of regular internal alignment, what we do is create in ourselves a "system" or "boat" that has increased capacity to handle change and stress.

31. Now, we don't go from a small sailboat to a battleship in one single makeover.  The process is incremental, but each time we do the internal work prescribed in this site, we strengthen and grow our boat.  We increase our system's threshold of tolerance.  We literally become more tolerant of change and stress- able to handle more without breaking down. 

32. But even when our threshold is exceeded, if we allow it to happen instead of resorting to bailing, plugging or ignoring, and instead go back to work on internal alignment, we can take a breakdown in life and use it as a re-creation, a re-building, a re-organizing of a system at a higher level of existence.

John Groberg writes on a wide variety of topics related to personal and spiritual growth. His slogan is Grow. By Choice™. His articles draw out principles of personal and spiritual growth common to the world's ancient wisdom and spiritual texts as well as many of the great philosophers, poets, and writers of ancient and modern times. These principles are then put to the test in his own life with an emphasis on simple, sustainable practices we can apply in our daily lives to more effectively deal with the stresses and struggles of modern life and to more fully realize the benefits of deliberate growth. John developed a model called the Divine-Align-Shine model as a way of visually organizing the principles, practices and the overall process of personal and spiritual growth. His writings are cataloged and organized on his website, http://johngroberg.com where contact information is available.

How can we prevent stress?

Although there are many reasons why we get stressed, two of the biggest emotions contributing are frustration and being over anxious.

Frustration happens when we think of irritating thoughts of the present moment. This can be anything from not being able to solve a problem or not being able to get what you want currently.

Anxiety comes from worrying about the future. This can be anything from feeling like you can't finish a task in the expected time that's coming up or constantly worrying about something bad that's going to happen.

However, stress is usually some type of mixture between the two. 

Have you ever been really, really stressed? You'll often find that you are half-frustrated, and half-anxious. 

For example, you have a 20 page essay due in one week that was assigned 3 months ago. You haven't started and you don't know how to start (I'm sure we can all relate to this from college). 

First of all, you're frustrated because you don't know where to begin.

Second of all, you're anxious because you don't know if you will finish on time and may suffer the consequences.

To prevent stress, try out the following things. 

These things have been helpful to me for relieving stress (long term).

Exercise

Exercising always helps me relieve stress mainly because I'm not focused on the problem at the moment. By exercising, you are allowing more oxygen to flow through your body. This does two things. One - it helps you think more clearly. Two - it gives you more energy. Both these things are vital to relieving stress.

Eating Healthy

Studies have shown that if you eat junk food, or foods that rip all contents of nutrition out, it will deeply affect your feelings and emotions. Instead of cramming your system down with soda, coffee, cheeseburger, fries, candy and the like, begin feeding yourself more fruits and vegetables. Better nutrition equals less stress.

Maintain a Positive Attitude

If you see a positive in every negative situation, you will have a hard time being stressed out. Whatever you tell your mind, it will carrying out that message. The more you can train your mind to stay positive in negative moments, the more positive you will become. This will help your body function a lot more smoother in pressure times.

Remember, to stay more stress-free, focus on a peace of mind in the present moment rather than over expect yourself to be perfect for the future. 

When I used to do therapy I often would point out to clients that one of the big problems they were facing was that a bunch of issues in their lives had gummed together to make this big blob from which they could not get a clear picture of what was happening and what was needed. Everything had melted together. Our job, I would say, was to pull the strands out and separate them so that we could have a clear vision of what was really happening. In other words I was telling the clients they needed to clear their mind.

You've probably heard the phrase, "I can't think straight." That's a refection of a cluttered mind. Sometimes it isn't that we have many issues. There might be just one issue but many facets to that issue. Perhaps we start catastrophizing about something that has happened, seeing bad things cascading out of a single event. Perhaps we start attacking ourselves because we should be handling a situation better and we think of other ways we have failed, etc. Sometimes it feels like there are too many choices. We start second guessing ourselves, playing the "what if" game or, if we are looking back, the "if only" game.

We can actually paralyze ourselves, afraid of making the wrong decision. When our self esteem is low we become very dependent on the approval and praise of others. We can become desperate to gain this approval. That very feeling of desperation clouds our mind. Most people would agree that taking drugs clouds the mind. You don't function as well doing physical demands as you would not being under the influence. When we're constantly needy, or desperate, or angry or scared it is like being under the influence of a drug. The drugs cloud the mind which makes it difficult to get off of the drugs. When you're desperate, the desperation clouds the mind which makes it tough to stop being desperate.

In some ways there are no easy answers to this situation. Psychological therapies have been developed just to deal with this issue. However one can also make the case that clearing your mind is not as hard as we make it. Perhaps the issue should be framed as one in which we quit cluttering our mind. In other words desperation isn't something from the outside but rather something we are creating ourselves and placing it in our minds and spirits. We need to break our patterns; our thinking patterns, our emotional patterns, and our behavior patterns. We need to focus on what matters to us, what our strengths are, what our resources are - including people, what we can do for others, and what we need to stop doing. Being angry or scared or frustrated isn't evil. But staying there is destructive.

We need to construct pictures in our mind that allow us to take control of our lives and clear our minds. When I hear the phrase, "So and so is driving me crazy," I always respond, "Why is he driving you anywhere? It's your car! Take back your keys." I like the image. I'm not saying it's always easy but it's a clear picture - something that is doable.

In the construct of clearing your mind less is better. Get priorities straight. Get timelines straight. If you start thinking such and such could happen, figure out when. How much time do you have? Are there other things you can focus on between now and that future time that might change the outcome. Every morning, if you are serious about clearing your mind, start off the day with the

question, "What can I do to make today a good day." That isn't, "What has to happen to me to make it a good day." It's, "What can I do. What one thing can I do?" That clears the mind. I can do something. I don't have to do twenty things just one.

My name is Dr. Scott Sheperd

I have a BA in Music (I am a jazz pianist) an MA in Mass Communication and a M.Ed and PhD in Counseling/Psychology. I have worked for over 30 years with people in tough situations ranging from high pressure jobs to terminal illnesses. I have worked in substance abuse and with people who have had children and other loved ones die. I have worked with people dealing with cancer and AIDS and other chronic illnesses.

I have spoken across the country to people in business, health care and education. I have had six books published and did a six part series for Public Television.

Coping with work stress in today’s uncertain climate

For workers everywhere, the troubled economy may feel like an emotional roller coaster. "Layoffs" and "budget cuts" have become bywords in the workplace, and the result is increased fear, uncertainty, and higher levels of stress. Since job and workplace stress grow in times of economic crisis, it’s important to learn new and better ways of coping with the pressure. The ability to manage stress in the workplace can make the difference between success or failure on the job. Your emotions are contagious, and stress has an impact on the quality of your interactions with others. The better you are at managing your own stress, the more you'll positively affect those around you and the less other people's stress will negatively affect you.

You can learn how to manage job stress

There are a variety of steps you can take to reduce both your overall stress levels and the stress you find on the job and in the workplace. These include:

Taking responsibility for improving your physical and emotional well-being. Avoiding pitfalls by identifying knee jerk habits and negative attitudes that add to the

stress you experience at work. Learning better communication skills to ease and improve your relationships with

management and coworkers.

Warning signs of excessive stress at work

When people feel overwhelmed, they lose confidence and become irritable or withdrawn, making them less productive and effective and their work less rewarding. If the warning signs of work stress go unattended, they can lead to bigger problems. Beyond interfering with job performance and satisfaction, chronic or intense stress can also lead to physical and emotional health problems.

Signs and symptoms of excessive job and workplace stress

Feeling anxious, irritable, or depressed Apathy, loss of interest in work. Problems sleeping Fatigue, Trouble concentrating

Muscle tension orheadaches Stomach problems Social withdrawal Loss of sex drive Using alcohol or drugs to cope

Common causes of excessive workplace stress

Fear of layoffs Increased demands for overtime due to staff cutbacks Pressure to perform to meet rising expectations but with no increase in job satisfaction Pressure to work at optimum levels – all the time!

Reducing job stress by taking care of yourself 

When stress on the job is interfering with your ability to work, care for yourself, or manage your personal life, it’s time to take action. Start by paying attention to your physical and emotional health. When your own needs are taken care of, you’re stronger and more resilient to stress. The better you feel, the better equipped you’ll be to manage work stress without becoming overwhelmed.

Taking care of yourself doesn’t require a total lifestyle overhaul. Even small things can lift your mood, increase your energy, and make you feel like you’re back in the driver’s seat. Take things one step at a time, and as you make more positive lifestyle choices, you’ll soon notice a noticeable difference in your stress level, both at home at work.

Get moving

Aerobic exercise –perspiring -is an effective anti-anxiety treatment lifting mood, increasing energy, sharpening focus and relaxing mind and body.  For maximum stress relief, try to get at least 30 minutes of hear pounding activity on most days but activity can be broken up into two or three short segments.

For more information, see Making Exercise Fun.

Make food choices that keep you going and make you feel good

Eating small but frequent meals throughout the day maintains an even level of blood sugar in your body. Low blood sugar makes you feel anxious and irritable. On the other hand, eating too much can make you lethargic.

To learn more about food that have a calming effect, lift your mood and make you feel good, see Tips for a Healthy Diet.

Drink alcohol in moderation and avoid nicotine

Alcohol temporarily reduces anxiety and worry, but too much can cause anxiety as it wears off. Drinking to relieve job stress can also start you on a path to alcohol abuse and dependence. Similarly, smoking when you're feeling stressed and overwhelmed may seem calming, but nicotine is a powerful stimulant – leading to higher, not lower, levels of anxiety.

Get enough sleep

Stress and worry can cause insomnia. But lack of sleep also leaves you vulnerable to stress. When you're sleep deprived, your ability to handle stress is compromised. When you're well-rested, it's much easier to keep your emotional balance, a key factor in coping with job and workplace stress.

For more information, see Tips for a Good Night's Sleep.

Reducing job stress by prioritizing and organizing

When job and workplace stress surrounds you, you can’t ignore it, but there are simple steps you can take to regain control over yourself and the situation. Your growing sense of self-control will also be perceived by others as the strength it is, leading to better relationships at work. Here are some suggestions for reducing job stress by prioritizing and organizing your responsibilities.

Time management tips for reducing job stress

Create a balanced schedule. Analyze your schedule, responsibilities, and daily tasks. All work and no play is a recipe for burnout. Try to find a balance between work and family life, social activities and solitary pursuits, daily responsibilities and downtime.

Don’t over-commit yourself. Avoid scheduling things back-to-back or trying to fit too much into one day. All too often, we underestimate how long things will take. If you've got too much on your plate, distinguish between the "shoulds" and the "musts." Drop tasks that aren't truly necessary to the bottom of the list or eliminate them entirely.

Try to leave earlier in the morning. Even 10-15 minutes can make the difference between frantically rushing to your desk and having time to ease into your day. Don’t add to your stress levels by running late.

Plan regular breaks. Make sure to take short breaks throughout the day to sit back and clear your mind. Also try to get away from your desk for lunch. Stepping away from work to briefly relax and recharge will help you be more, not less, productive.

Task management tips for reducing job stress

Prioritize tasks. Make a list of tasks you have to do, and tackle them in order of importance. Do the high-priority items first. If you have something particularly unpleasant to do, get it over with early. The rest of your day will be more pleasant as a result.

Break projects into small steps. If a large project seems overwhelming, make a step-by-step plan. Focus on one manageable step at a time, rather than taking on everything at once.

Delegate responsibility. You don’t have to do it all yourself, whether at home, school, or on the job. If other people can take care of the task, why not let them? Let go of the desire to control or oversee every little step. You’ll be letting go of unnecessary stress in the process.

Reducing workplace stress by improving emotional intelligence

Even if you’re in a job where the environment has grown increasingly stressful, you can retain a large measure of self-control and self-confidence by understanding and practicing emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is the ability to manage and use your emotions in positive and constructive ways. It's about communicating with others in ways that draw people to you, overcome differences, repair wounded feelings, and defuse tension and stress.

Emotional intelligence in the workplace:

Emotional intelligence in the workplace has four major components:

Self-awareness – The ability to recognize your emotions and their impact while using gut feelings to guide your decisions.

Self-management – The ability to control your emotions and behavior and adapt to changing circumstances.

Social awareness – The ability to sense, understand, and react to other's emotions and feel comfortable socially.

Relationship management – The ability to inspire, influence, and connect to others and manage conflict.

Reducing stress in the workplace with emotional intelligence

The more emotional intelligence you have, the more stress you can avoid in the workplace. Fortunately, emotional intelligence is not something we’re born with; it’s something we can learn and develop.

To learn how to increase your emotional intelligence, read Five Key Skills for Raising Your Emotional Intelligence.

The skill set that enables you to acquire these capabilities can be learned but requires the development of emotional and nonverbal ways of communicating that include: 

Learning to recognize your particular stress response and become familiar with sensual cues that can rapidly calm and energize you.

Staying connected to your internal emotional experience so you can appropriately manage your own emotions. Knowing what you are feeling will not only add to your self confidence and improve your self control but enhance your understanding of others and help you build more satisfying relationships.

Learning to recognize and effectively use the nonverbal cues that make up 95-98% of your communication process including eye contact, facial expression, tone of voice, posture , gesture and touch.  Its not what you say but how you say it that impacts others –for better or worse.

Developing the capacity to meet challenges with humor. There is no better stress buster than a hardy laugh and nothing reduces stress quicker in the workplace than mutually shared humor. But, if the laugh is at someone else’s expense, you may end up with more rather than less stress.

Learning to navigate conflict by becoming a good listener and someone who can face conflict fearlessly with the expectation that differences resolved will strengthen the relationship.

Reducing workplace stress by breaking bad habits 

As you learn to manage your job stress and improve your work relationships, you’ll have more control over your ability to think clearly and act appropriately. You will be able to break habits that add to your stress at work – and you’ll even be able to change negative ways of thinking about things that only add to your stress.

Eliminate self-defeating behaviors

Many of us make job stress worse with patterns of thought or behavior that keep us from relieving pressure on ourselves. If you can turn around these self-defeating habits, you’ll find employer-imposed stress easier to handle.

Resist perfectionism. No project, situation, or decision is ever perfect, and you put undue stress on yourself by trying to do everything perfectly. When you set unrealistic goals for yourself or try to do too much, you’re setting yourself up to fall short. Do your best, and you’ll do fine.

Clean up your act. If you’re always running late, set your clocks and watches fast and give yourself extra time. If your desk is a mess, file and throw away the clutter; just knowing where everything is saves time and cuts stress. Make to-do lists and cross off items as you accomplish them. Plan your day and stick to the schedule — you’ll feel less overwhelmed.

Flip your negative thinking. If you see the downside of every situation and interaction, you’ll find yourself drained of energy and motivation. Try to think positively about your work, avoid negative-thinking co-workers, and pat yourself on the back about small accomplishments, even if no one else does.

Find Ways to Dispel Stress

Get time away. If you feel stress building, take a break. Walk away from the situation. Take a stroll around the block, sit on a park bench, or spend a few minutes meditating. Exercise does wonders for the psyche. But even just finding a quiet place and listening to your iPod can reduce stress.

Talk it out. Sometimes the best stress-reducer is simply sharing your stress with someone close to you. The act of talking it out – and getting support and empathy from someone else – is often an excellent way of blowing off steam and reducing stress.

Cultivate allies at work. Just knowing you have one or more co-workers who are willing to assist you in times of stress will reduce your stress level. Just remember to reciprocate and help them when they are in need.

Find humor in the situation. When you – or the people around you – start taking things too seriously, find a way to break through with laughter. Share a joke or funny story.

Adapted from Quintessential Careers

What managers or employers can do to reduce stress at work

It's in a manager's best interest to keep stress levels in the workplace to a minimum. Managers must act as positive role models, especially in times of high stress. All of the tips mentioned in this article are twice as important for managers to follow. If someone that we admire remains calm, it is much easier to remain calm ourselves – and vice versa! There are also organizational changes that managers and employers can make to reduce workplace stress.

Improve communication

Share information with employees to reduce uncertainty about their jobs and futures. Clearly define employees’ roles and responsibilities. Make communication  friendly and efficient, not mean-spirited or petty.

Consult your employees

Give workers opportunities to participate in decisions that affect their jobs. Consult employees about scheduling and work rules. Be sure the workload is suitable to employees’ abilities and resources; avoid unrealistic

deadlines. Show that individual workers are valued.

Offer rewards and incentives

Praise good work performance verbally and institutionally. Provide opportunities for career development. Promote an “entrepreneurial” work climate that gives employees more control over their

work.

Cultivate a friendly social climate

Provide opportunities for social interaction among employees. Establish a zero-tolerance policy for harassment. Make management actions consistent with organizational values.

Related Articles

Stress Management How to Reduce, Prevent, and Cope with Stress

Preventing Burnout Signs, Symptoms, Causes, and Coping Strategies

More Helpguide Articles:

Finding the Best Job for You : Defining the Career That Works for You Understanding Stress : Signs, Symptoms, Causes, and Effects Quick Stress Relief : How to Manage and Relieve Stress in the Moment

Related links for job and workplace stress

General information about stress at work

STRESS … At Work – Highlights current knowledge about the causes of stress at work and outlines steps that can be taken to prevent it. (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health)

Stress at Work (PDF) – Advisory booklet offers help and advice for anyone dealing with job and workplace stress. (Acas)

Workplace Stress – Describes the signs, causes, and effects of stress in general and on the job, and how management and employees can deal with workplace stress. (Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety)

Stress in the Workplace: A Costly Epidemic – Delineates the causes and costs of workplace stress and also includes ideas for coping with stress on the job. Includes warning signs of stress (to the left of the article). (Fairleigh Dickinson University)

Managing and reducing job stress

Stress Management – Document by England’s Chartered Management Institute covers job stress management and quick stress reduction tips. (businessballs.com)

Managing Job Stress: 10 Strategies for Coping and Thriving at Work – From a career advice and job-search site, describing stress management techniques for the workplace. (Quintessential Careers)

Stress in the Workplace – Workplace stress from the employee’s point of view; gives suggestions for gaining control over some aspects of one’s job. (American Psychological Association)

Managing Job Stress – Readable, employee-centered site providing a wealth of strategies for reducing workplace stress. (Portland Community College)

Workplace Stress and Your Health – Covers the dangers of work-related stress and what can you do about it. (Web MD)

Work stress tips for employers and managers

Reducing Occupational Stress – Guide for managers and supervisors on how to make changes in the workplace to reduce stress. (Job Stress Network)

Reducing Stress in the Workplace – Presented from management’s point of view, this article offers strategies for stress reduction that benefit employees and corporations alike. (The Institute for Management Excellence)

Jeanne Segal, Ph.D., Laura Horwitz, Ellen Jaffe-Gill, M.A., Melinda Smith, M.A., and Robert Segal, M.A., contributed to this article. Last modified: November 2008.