What is stress?

Stress is a normal physiological response to feeling threatened.   The “fight or flight” response is when the body prepares its self to deal with a potential threat, this helps someone to stay alert and focused. This response is very helpful when meeting the general challenges of day-to-day life, but there comes a point when far from being helpful, it starts to become a hindrance.  This may result in a lowering of your mood, strain on your relationships, inability to sleep well and in general a lowering your quality-of-life.  Physical problems such as high blood pressure and heart disease are linked with long term stress.

 Normal stress is supposed to come in short bursts, and then there should be a period of time to allow your nervous system to restore its natural balance. Unfortunately our bodies were not designed to cope with the constant stresses of modern life leading to “burn out” (similar to a food mixer if you leave it on full power for any length of time) as a result of physical and emotional fatigue.

How do I know if I am stressed?

 Stress can creep up on you slowly. Here are some of the warning signs:

·       Poor memory and concentration.

·       Unable to make important decisions 

·       Seeing things very negatively

·       Being constantly worried [ mind racing with thoughts and anxieties you are unable to resolve].

·       Unable to relax

·       Being short tempered and moody

·       Feeling those closest to you are drifting away

·       Experiencing more aches and pains,

·       Constantly being affected by minor ailments

·       Eating/ sleeping habits may change

·       Smoking/ drinking alcohol more frequently

 Stress affects different people in different ways. What stresses one person can seem relatively minor to another. So it is important to find out what YOU find stressful and learn how to cope with it.  Being prepared for the possibility of introducing a change in life style and learning to think in new ways will help anyone manage change.  

How can I learn to cope with my stress?

There are different strategies for coping with stress and different strategies may be more/less effective for some people but not for others.  Here are some of them;

• Change your stressful situation into a less stressful one [some people may not be able to manage this as no one can completely control the events and situations in their life].

• Learning to manage the response to stress [such as changing thought processes when in stressful situations]. 

• Taking control of aspects of daily life that can be managed.

• Learning to relax.

• Taking physical exercise.

• Making time for leisure, rest and relaxation. 

Self-help books can be helpful this area but a therapist may be more helpful  in enabling a person gain an objective view of their own personal situation.