Helping Women Live Longer, Healthier, Happier Lives! |
Are your stressed? If you live in the 21st Century and have a heart beat...chances are (to one extent or another) the answer to this question is, "yes!". What is stress, exactly? Well, famed psychologist, the late Richard S. Larzarus, defined stress as "a condition or feeling experienced when a person perceives that demands exceed the personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilize." In other words feeling unable to manage the a situation, feeling overwhelmed without the tools to cope. Stress is not just all "in your mind" because of the unbreakable connection between the brain and the body. Stress activates the autonomic nervous system to produce powerful chemicals involved in the body's fight-or-flight responses. These chemicals have wide-reaching effects on virtually every system of the body, including:
The list goes on and on and scientists are adding more and more to it every day. Therefore it's not the surprising that an estimated 90% of doctors' office visits are thought to be related at least in some part -- to stress!! Stress can be either acute (short-termed and tied to a specific time period or event) or chronic (on-going and long-termed). Because of its prolonged effect on the body, chronic stress is usually more injurious to health and well being. Many things can lead to chronic stress, including:
Stress has been associated with many health problems, including (but not limited to):
Managing stress is not the result of changing just one thing, but the cumulative effect of many things over time. Studies show that those individuals who deal well with stress tend to have more adaptive strategies in terms of both perception (what they believe about themselves and a given situation) AND procedure (what they do to manage stress). Want to know how stressed you are? Try this interesting self test. (I got a 9 - so I'm apparently doing pretty well!) What can you do to cope with stress better? Well, that's a few blogs for sure. But for right now check out these excellent tips on stress management from The University of Texas. As well as "20 Tips To Tame Your Stress" from PsychCentral.com. AND DON'T FORGET TO BREATHE....... Disclaimer: The information contained in this
newsletter is not intended as a substitute for medical care. Not all exercises
are appropriate for all individuals. Please consult with your doctor before
beginning any exercise program. |
