About Your Mood  Mood & Stress

Stress Patrol: Stop Tension In Its Tracks

Stress isn't in your mind. It is a physical response to an undesirable situation, and it has the potential to control your life.

Stress has many sources. Mild stress can result from missing the bus, standing in a long line at the store or getting a parking ticket. Stress also can be severe. Things like divorce, family problems, an assault or the death of a loved one can be devastating. One of the most common sources of stress, both mild and severe, is work.

Understanding stress

Stress can be short-term (acute) or long-term (chronic). Acute stress is a reaction to an immediate threat or perceived threat. Everyday life sometimes poses situations that aren't short-lived, such as relationship problems, loneliness and financial or health worries. The pressures may seem unrelenting and can cause chronic stress.

But you do have a frontline of defense for avoiding or minimizing the effects of stress. When a person's coping behavior is ineffective, a physical stress response occurs to meet the energy demands of the situation. First, the stress hormone adrenaline is released. Then your heart beats faster, your breath quickens and your blood pressure rises. Your liver increases its output of blood sugar, and blood flow is diverted to your brain and large muscles.

After the threat or anger passes, your body relaxes again. You may be able to handle an occasional stressful event, but when it happens repeatedly, such as with chronic stress, the effects multiply and compound over time.

How much is too much?

You are too stressed when the five telltale signs appear.

• You feel irritable.
• You have sleep problems-you're either sleepy all the time or you can't sleep at all.
• You never experience joy.
• You lose your appetite or can't stop eating.
• You have trouble with relationships and no longer get along with friends and family members.

Too much stress also appears in the form of illness, infertility or fatigue. Chronic stress can damage your overall health, including:

Your immune system. Stress can suppress your immune system, making you more susceptible to viral infections, such as influenza, and bacterial infections, such as tuberculosis.

Cardiovascular disease. Stress causes a more rapid heartbeat and may bring on chest pain (angina) and irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmia). Stress may even lead to a heart attack or stroke.

Tips to relieve stress:

• Simplify your life. Cut out some activities or delegate tasks. Use the extra time to relax through such exercises as controlling your breathing, clearing your mind and relaxing your muscles.
• View negative situations as positive and a chance to improve your life. Use humor to reduce or relieve tension.
• Take several 30-second breaks to look out the window or stretch.
• Exercise. It relieves tension and provides a "time out" from stressful situations.
• Go to bed earlier. More sleep makes you stronger and more able to handle day-to-day life.
• Eat a good breakfast and lunch.
• Reduce or eliminate caffeine consumption. Caffeine is a stimulant.
• Get a massage.
• Keep a stress journal. Track what sets you off and learn to prioritize. Do what is most important first.
• Enjoy yourself. Read a good book or see an uplifting movie.
• Don't take work problems home or home problems to work.
• Take a hot bath.
• Call a friend and strengthen or establish a support network. Make the most of friends and family.
• Set aside personal time. Limit time spent with negative people.
• Hug your family and friends.
• Do volunteer work or start a hobby.
• Pray or meditate.
• Practice relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing or self-hypnosis.
• Take a vacation. Take a day or longer to rejuvenate yourself.

Source: MayoClinic.com