Stress

We all know stress is bad for us & we know we should do something about it – we want to, but can be easier said than done. You’re busy, so much has to get done, there’s no one else to do it, you feel you don’t have a choice.  It’s hard – these days the expectations of others on us & us on ourselves is enormous. Combined with phones, internet etc, we don’t get a break. We are becoming increasingly time poor & stressed.

We have to take this seriously NOW & do something about it, otherwise you run a high risk of serious long term even life threating results.  It may also impact you reaching the goals you’ve set. This is a topic I could wax lyrical about – it’s a huge topic – I’ve tried to be succinct here, but is one of my longer articles…sorry!

Causes & Types of Stress

There are a number of different causes of stress:

·           Environmental – heat, cold, noise

·           Chemical – pollution, drugs

·           Emotional – worry, fear, anger, mind-set

·           Physical – overexertion, trauma, infection, sleep deprivation

·           Metabollic – nutritional deficiencies, refined sugar consumption

Not all types of stress are bad for us. Eustress is the type that is fun & exciting, such as going on a roller coaster, skiing down a steep slope, meeting a challenge.

There is a acute stress – the stresses we encounter on a daily basis – e.g. road rage – it’s a short intense eposide of stress.  Then there’s episodic acute stress where acute stress seems to run rampant & be a way of life, creating a life of relative chaos. The last one is chronic stress, the type that seems never-ending & inescapable, like the stress of an extremely demanding job or a bad relationship. 

How Your Body Reacts

Whatever the type or cause, the brain reads these situation as something the body is going to have to fight or take flight from.

Hormones including adrenalin & cortisol are released.  These increase your heart rate, slow digestion, move blood to major muscle groups ready for action & changes functions of the nervous system – this all sets the body up for a burst of energy & strength.

When the cause of the stress goes, the systems return to normal function.  However, in times of chronic stress this doesn’t happen readily & damage can occur to the body.

Impacts of Stress

In a chronically stressed state, the overactivated nervous system starts to result in physical symptoms. These begin mildly with headaches & increased susceptibility to cold. With continued exposure to chronic stress more serious problems can develop including:

·           heart disease

·           inability to sleep well

·           hair loss

·           irritability

·           depression

·           hyperthyroidism

·           increased abdonminal fat/weight gain

·           anxiety disorders

·           inability to thinking clearly in stressful situations

·           blood sugar imbalances e.g. hyperglycemia

·           decreased bone mineral density

·           increased blood pressure

·           lower immune system

·           indifference to sex

·           exhaustion

·           ulcers

·           cancer

 Then there are other knock on effects – you don’t feel like exercising, indifference to sex can impact relationships, your social life & relatinships with friends & family suffer, your health suffers.  You don’t have time or energy to be with your kids, your quality of life diminishes.

When it comes to weight gain – cortisol is one of the culprits.  When chronically stressed you release cortisol. Whilst having some positive impacts, in a chronically stressed state, it slows your metabolism & increases abdominal fat. 

When stressed you also tend to grab a bar of chocolate, an ice cream, lollies, hot chips – you crave fatty, salty & sugar laden food.  You can also end up eating greater quantities than you would otherwise – you eat when not hungry.  As a result of having less time, you don’t have time to prepare healthy meals so go for the takeaway.  Then you are either too tired or don’t have time to exercise – so we’re consuming more calories & expending less.

How to Help

Giving it all up & moving to an island paradise away from the daily stresses of life generally isn’t an option & isn’t the solution.  So what can we do? Things that can help include:

Meditate – I can’t recommend this enough. It has been shown to result in neurological leading to physiological health benefits.  These include improvements to academic performance, concentration, perceptual sensitivity, reaction time, memory, self control, empathy & self esteem as well as a host of biochemical & physical changes in the body that alter metabolism, reduce coritisol levels, heart rate, respiration, blood pressure & brain activation.

A study showed that a group meditating for about 30 minutes a day for eight weeks had measurable changes in activity in parts of the brain associated with memory, sense of self, empathy & stress. Brain scans taken before & after the participants’ meditation regimen found increased activity in the hippocampus (important for learning & memory) & reduced activity in the amygdala, (connected to anxiety & stress). A control group that did not practice meditation showed no such changes.

To begin I recommend guided meditations.  It isn’t as difficult as you many think & is worth it.  There are a number of places around including:

www.meditateinsydney.org

www.personalmeditation.com.au

Alternatively, there are free guided meditations available online. Try some until you find one that works for you. Even if  you start with 5-10mins every other day, you will benefit from it & with practice will become easier.

Exercise – there are numerous benefits to exercise, including reducing stress.  You’re all doing exercise (yay!), so I won’t go into this in detail.

Yoga – shown to reduce stress, help you sleep, reduce cortisol levels, lower blood pressure, slow the aging process, reduce anxiety, increase strength & flexibility & much more.  It’s a great compliment to the exercise you’re doing.

Time management/prioritising – google this – there are heaps of tips & ideas out there to help you manage your time better.

Journaling/Diary Writing – helps you clarify your thoughts & feelings & improve self-knowledge.  Can help with problem solving (I’ve used it for this many times), explore & release emotions & much more.  It can the be friend you can tell everything to & know they’ll never tell anyone!  You don’t have to write daily – or a lot.  And also focus on the positives – good things that happended during your day, all the things you DID achieve.  Just buy a note book – make it a nice one you want to use & start scribbling. 

Sleep more – when stressed it can be difficult to sleep but there are things you can do to help:

• sleep in a cool, comfortable environment 
• clear out your bedroom – lose the TV/desk/PC – it should be used for two things only – sleep & having sex! Make it clutter free and a soothing oasis conductive to relaxation and comfort 
• caffeine – avoid caffeine in the afternoon & evening 
• power naps – not always practical but effective 
• to-do lists – overthinking can make getting to sleep difficult. Before going to bed, write up the things that need to get done – helps take some of the worry away 
• reduce your schedule – if if you have less time to sleep as there’s too much to do, it might be time to cut back & say ‘No’. Write down all the things you have on the go & really critically think about what could go 
• meditate – this can be a great way of getting to sleep

Maintain a Supportive Network – social support boosts immunity & helps you manage stress in your life. By keeping several healthy relationships in your life, you’ll have friends to help you through the difficult times & increase your enjoyment of the good times.

Get professional help – don’t leave this as a last resort.  Seeing a counselor, therapist or clinical psychologist can make the world of difference.  You don’t have to be clinically depressed or suffering from psychological issues to see someone.  I strongly recommend it.

Summary

There are many different ways to manage stress. Basically, it's best to eliminate as many stressors as you can, & find practical & emotional ways to better handle the stressors that are left.  I urge you to try as many as you can, keeping an open mind, so you can have a collection of techniques that are the most effective for you.