The signs of too much stress
Stress is equivalent to one of the seven wonders of the human body. From survival through to prosperous growth, humans have always needed stress. But not too much!
From a physical perspective the main goal of exercise is to stress the body to the point in which it needs to find more energy for the increased activity. The muscles decide they need to be bigger in order to cope and the heart and lungs become more efficient at getting oxygen to the working muscles.
Without stress the body would not be prompted to make these changes. Additionally in everyday life, without some form of stress we wouldn’t progress, wouldn’t have the opportunity for promotion in the workplace, or to study hard for an exam to further our education.
The problem occurs when there is too much stress, either physically or emotionally. Too much physical stress means increased risk of injury or illness, too much emotional or psychological stress means we run the risk of mental health problems, illness or both.
Stress can become a problem when a demand on your time, skills, or emotions is perceived as a threat (i.e. above your coping skills). If this is ongoing, it can cause you to worry which can lead to thoughts of failure, leading to feelings of anxiety.
Anxiety can include feeling fearful, nervous, jittery or distressed as well as expecting unpleasant or threatening events. In this state you may start seeing things as being unpredictable and out of your control.
Your physical reactions to stress and anxiety are a great illustration of how the brain is part of the physical body. The stress response is the result of nervous and chemical reactions involving hormons such as adrenalin. Once triggered, we have little control over the effects of these chemicals on the body.
Some of the physical responses include:
- Tear glands - tendency to cry
- Pupils dilate - card players wear caps and glasses
- Smooth muscle of the gut - indigestion and diahorrea
- Constricted peripheral vessels - white with fright
- Increased heart rate
- Increased breathing rate
In a stressful situation, your brain structures are heightened and oriented toward thoughts of worry or fear that then creates feelings of anxiety. In other words we respond to situations via thoughts and pictures in our head, which produce emotions that lead to physical reactions and behaviours.
The bottom line is that our emotions and thoughts have a huge impact on our perceptions of a stressful situation. A healthy lifestyle embraces a certain level of stress and provides management techniques, when you are heading down the path of overload.
Quality of Life
Q stands for "Quality of Life" which is another way of saying how enjoyable, meaningful and fulfilling your life is. Your quality of life can be influenced by a number of factors such as how well you sleep, your quality of family and social relations, how much you worry and how good you feel about yourself. Research shows that people can increase their quality of life if they are aware of, and attend to, these everyday things that can make life pleasurable or miserable, worrying or worry free. Perform the AlphaOne Q Scale Questionaire to get feedback on your quality of life.
Dealing with stress
Stess if the body's reaction to a stressor. But it's not usually the stressor that is the problem. It is the reaction of the stressee. Download the Lifestyle Medicine information fact sheet Dealing with stress to help you understand and manage stress.
Managing Stress
The techniques to manage stress vary greatly and what works for one person may render itself inappropriate for another depending on their orientation – physical or cognitive. Complete the Lifestyle Medicine Stress Type Test to get feedback as to the most appropriate stress management techniques for you.
Advertisement
AlphaOne
Submit this page to: