WHY ARE YOU SO STRESSED OUT? Stress the Highly Neglected Human Condition

To do as much as possible and to do it quickly are two goals central to today's lifestyle. How often do we watch and observe others, or ourselves, for that matter, rushing to complete a multitude of task at the same time?

"When will it be done?" "Can't it be done sooner?" "Excuse me but I gotta hurry to catch my flight!" "Damn I'm late again"

"Can't you see my boss project is still unfinished, and I still have a hundred things to do!" "Sorry can't wait, I have only got an hour to finish this."

The supposed need to accomplish a whole bunch of things usually at the same time produces a false sense of urgency, pushing one to work faster and faster. Most people eat in a hurry, speak quickly, move quickly from place to place, travel many kilometres each year at high speeds, change jobs, cars and house often. Unfortunately, at the end of it all, few can say it was worth it.

Much of lifehas been lived without enjoyment and weighed down by stress. Relationships have suffered, physical health has deteriorated and mental as well as spiritual health has suffered the resulting consequences.

SO WHAT DOES THE WORD "STRESS" ACTUALLY MEAN?

I believe the most explicit definition is the state or condition of strain and especially of intense strain.

Stress comes from middle English word "stresse" which was for "distresse" or distress. The verb can be traced to a combination of the middle English word "stressen", the middle English word "destress"(distress) and the middle French word "estrecier" (to constrain or force). The middle french form comes from the Latin word "strictus" which is the past participle of stringere and means to draw tight or press together.

From this analysis, we can see that stress may simply mean being subjected to external forces or pressures and can either be negative or positive depending on the effect of the external force and how people react to it. However the underlying negative meaning associated with distress is often attached to the word. Tying stress to the idea of a constraining force which causes distress or suffering seems much more common.

In our daily usage of the word "stress" we tend to refer only to this negative aspect. You don't hear someone saying I'm under so much stress: isn't is great! Instead stress is used to indicate an emotional state of being so intense that it hinders our ability to function. By observing the changes which a person undergoes when facing stress, we can conclude that stress is a combination of physiological and psychological reactions of the body when it is subject to heavy demands.

We all have our limitations and we must learn to understand them and not to go above them over long periods of time. This self-analysis is vital if we wish to improve both the length and quality of our lives.

PHYSIOLOGICAL STRESS

All signals of alarm which are sent to the brain are processed in the hypothalamus, a small organ situated in the center of the brain. The hypothalamus transmits these impulses to the other parts of the body through the nervous and circulatory systems.

The Nervous System

The signals produced by the hypothalamus are sent to the sympathetic nervous system which regulates the organic functions. These stimuli produce alterations in the way that organs function. These nervous signals also reach the core of the adrenal glands (the adrenal medulla) producing an increase in the sensation of adrenaline and noradrenaline. These then pass to the blood and produce changes in the rest of the body.

The Circulatory System

the hypothalamus stimulates the pituitary gland. This secretes various hormones which once in the blood stream, affect the entire body. The most important hormone produced by the pituitary gland when stimulated by the hypothalamus is the adrenocorticotrophin easier known as stress hormones. It makes the outer layer of the adrenal glands pour out a group of hormones which cause a number of changes in bodily functions. Other hormones secreted by the pituitary gland affects the thyroid gland, the testes and the ovaries and have enormous effects on many other organs.

CAUSES OF STRESS

An examination of stress will reveal that. In general, there are two basic sources: First, stress factors can come from circumstances such as environment, job, family or studies. Secondly, w can produce our own stress, our manner of approaching and solving problems, our personality, our temperament and our level of self-control can be source of stress.

External Causes:

When external forces that cause stress are particularly strong, even the best equipped people suffer stress. On the other hand, when someone is psychologically fragile, even the weakest stress factors affect them. From horrific earthquakes to just losing our keys, we find ourselves faced with many incidents which produces stress. Some of them are tragedies, others are simply frustrations. All of them however contribute to our level of stress.

Traumatic Experiences:

Perhaps the most extreme examples of the results of stress are found among people who have lived through traumatic experiences. Whether they are natural catastrophes (earthquakes, hurricane, flood) or human ones (wars, accidents, nuclear disasters, genocide, rape), these incidents initiate high level of stress both during and after the event.

Occupations:

The level of stress assigned to varying jobs differs according to authors. There are other jobs such as police inspector or prison guard which are considered as stressful as that of a pilot or physician is. Many other profession also produce high level of stress. Some examples of which are: Businessmen, stock brokers, sales person, high school teachers, high rise construction workers, telephone operators(customer care) and miners.

Stressful Events:

Throughout our lives, we are faced with particularly stressful events. Although not traumatic in nature, some are intense enough to alter our personal balance. Negative events generally bring with them a higher level of stress, positive events such as a promotion to higher paying and more responsible position or the birth of a baby often carry with them notable level of stress. If we are aware of the fact that various situations or events produce more or less stress, we can prepare ourselves to face them when they come our way.

Day to Day Frustration:

Those bitter words which are directed towards us by a colleague or that car that breaks down just when you are in a hurry, or perhaps an interruption at work which forces us to redo something or the letter which you wait for but never arrives. All of these are examples of small frustration which make life seem more difficult.

If these frustration become too numerous and we allow them to affect us, we will soon be faced with an intolerable level of stress as dangerous as if it has come from one grant stress factor.

Physical and Social Environment:

Everything which surrounds us contributes in a greater or lesser way to our levels of stress. A clean and neat environment where there is plenty of space, where the noise is low, where the temperature is right, is the beginning of living with minimal stress. An outside environment which has pure air, clean water and beautiful vegetation, low noise levels and low population density would be a step towards relaxation.

Internal Causes:

Competition (Could also be external) :

Exaggerated competition along with the resulting desire for power and for possession push many people to work beyond their capabilities. The result? Physical and Psychological exhaustion.

Guilt :-

Many people experience stress because they harbor feelings of guilt. For instance children who feel guilty because their parents divorced or people who survived tragedies or accidents that blame themselves for the death of others or parents who feel guilty for giving birth to an abnormal child. Everyone knows cases of criminals who after hiding undercover for years finally turn themselves in because they tried unsuccessfully to live with a guilty conscience.

Mistakes:

Mistakes are source of regret and stress. You were offered two jobs, you chose one and after two years, the company goes bankrupt and you are fired. You begin to regret not choosing the other option even when you know it was not your fault. Or may be your car showed you signs of breakdown and you deliberately ignore them. On your way to a meeting where a contract will be awarded to you, the car breaks down and you missed the meeting. In these situations, the individual is very likely to begin undergoing stages of stress due to mistakes he or she made or think they made.

HOW TO PREVENT STRESS

• Exercise: Most folks who suffer from stress do not exercise and are unable to sleep. They keep awake all day and night and are caught up in a vicious cycle which is difficult to break. Physical exercise is the best way to break loose. Rest will come automatically if we exercise regularly.

• Rest: Daily rest is compulsory if out bodies are to recuperate from the psychological and physiological exhaustion of the day. Physical exercise is related to rest. Sleep comes easily for those who exercise regularly and the sleep is deeper meaning fewer hours are needed to restore energy.

• Annual Vacation: Taking a vacation at least once every year gives you time to think more and spend a bit time away from your troubles. If one wishes to overcome stress, in the same way nature rests during a season to provide fruits for another, man needs time of rest to be more fruitful.
  A vacation is a way of breaking the routine of day-to-day living

- What you eat: Certain eating and dietary habits are linked to stress. A person suffering from stress tends to over eat or under eat . They eat either too slowly or too hurriedly. A body which is under stress uses more energy more quickly with the stress adding extra work to the cardiovascular system. Watching your diet and drinking a lot of water may just be a huge step to preventing unnecessary stress.

Conclusion:

Life challenges has made it more stressful than usual. Stress is an integral part of human existence which is inevitable at some point, but managing it is the best option.

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References:

1. HelpGuide - Stress Management
2. HelpGuide - Stress Symptoms, Signs, and Causes
3. Wikipedia - Stress Management
4. WebMD - Stress Management - Ways to Relieve Stress
5. Stress Management Society - What is Stress?
6. Mercola - How to Manage Stress with the Right Foods

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