Stress symptoms: Effects on your body and behavior Stress symptoms may be affecting your health, even though you might not realize it. You may think illness is to blame for that irritating headache, your frequent insomnia or your decreased productivity at work. But stress may actually be the cause. Common effects of stress Indeed, stress symptoms can affect your body, your thoughts and feelings, and your behavior. Act to manage stress If you have stress symptoms, taking steps to manage your stress can have many health benefits. Getting regular physical activity Practicing relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing, meditation, yoga, tai chi or massage Keeping a sense of humor Spending time with family and friends Setting aside time for hobbies, such as reading a book or listening to music Aim to find active ways to manage your stress. And be sure to get plenty of sleep and eat a healthy, balanced diet. When to seek help April 04, 2019 How stress affects your health. See more In-depth
Behavioural Symptoms Overcoming Stress Everybody has it, and everybody talks about it, but nobody really knows what stress is. WHY? It is because stress means different thing for each of us, and is also different for each of us. Manage your stress and become more productive rather than self-destructive. Stress is a part of modern living. Stress serves a purpose when it provides us with the motivation to scale new challenges or overcome difficulties. Prevalence Anybody who experiences changes in his or her life i.e., practically everybody. Stress can occur anytime. Symptoms / What to expect Physical: Aches & painsHeadachesFatigue/LethargyPalpitationStomach upsetsDizzinessSexual Dysfunction Emotional: Anxious/WorryTensedIrritable/JumpyDepressed/MoodyFeeling overwhelmedRestless Cognitive: ForgetfulnessPoor concentrationMental blockDifficulty in organizing & making decisions Behavioural: Sleep problemsCryingPoor appetiteFalling ill- cold, coughsWithdrawalSmoking/Drinking excessively Causes External Sources: Internal Sources: See video
2. Exercise to reduce stress How does exercise reduce stress, and can exercise really be relaxing? Rest and relaxation. It's such a common expression that it has become a cliche. And although rest really can be relaxing, the pat phrase causes many men to overlook the fact that exercise can also be relaxing. It's true for most forms of physical activity as well as for specific relaxation exercises. Exercise is a form of physical stress. How exercise reduces stress Aerobic exercise is key for your head, just as it is for your heart. Regular aerobic exercise will bring remarkable changes to your body, your metabolism, your heart, and your spirits. How can exercise contend with problems as difficult as anxiety and depression? The mental benefits of aerobic exercise have a neurochemical basis. Behavioral factors also contribute to the emotional benefits of exercise. Exercise and sports also provide opportunities to get away from it all and to either enjoy some solitude or to make friends and build networks. 1. 2. 3. 4.
Understanding and Managing Stressors Of course, you've heard about stress and may have even experienced a good amount of it already today. But do you know what the difference is between "stress" and "stressors?" Stressors are situations that are experienced as a perceived threat to one’s well-being or position in life, especially if the challenge of dealing with it exceeds a person’s perceived available resources.1 When one encounters stressors, the body’s stress response is triggered, and a series of physiological changes take place to allow the person to fight or run. What Situations Become Stressors? What situations are stressors? Each person has different stressors because each of us has a unique set of resources, understanding of the world, and way of perceiving things. Sometimes these differences can go unnoticed—it may not occur to you that a trip to the mall can be a stressor, but to someone who hates crowds and shopping, an afternoon at the mall can be a significant stressor. Managing the Stressors In Your Life
Physical Symptoms The Effects of Stress on Your Body You’re sitting in traffic, late for an important meeting, watching the minutes tick away. Your hypothalamus, a tiny control tower in your brain, decides to send out the order: Send in the stress hormones! These stress hormones are the same ones that trigger your body’s “fight or flight” response. Your heart races, your breath quickens, and your muscles ready for action. This response was designed to protect your body in an emergency by preparing you to react quickly. Stress is a natural physical and mental reaction to life experiences. Yet if your stress response doesn’t stop firing, and these stress levels stay elevated far longer than is necessary for survival, it can take a toll on your health. irritabilityanxietydepressionheadachesinsomnia Central nervous and endocrine systems Your central nervous system (CNS) is in charge of your “fight or flight” response. When the perceived fear is gone, the hypothalamus should tell all systems to go back to normal. Digestive system Muscular system
Benefits of mindfulness journal article Outline AbstractKeywords1. What is mindfulness?2. Mindfulness meditation practices: focused attention and open monitoring3. Mindfulness meditation and health4. Abstract The cognitive modulation of pain is influenced by a number of factors ranging from attention, beliefs, conditioning, expectations, mood, and the regulation of emotional responses to noxious sensory events. Highlights ► Mindfulness meditation related pain relief involves multiple brain mechanisms. ► Mindfulness meditation reduces pain through unique appraisal mechanisms. ► Mindfulness meditation may share a common final pathway for pain relief. Keywords Mindfulness Meditation Pain Neuroimaging View full text Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. Outline AbstractKeywords1. Abstract The cognitive modulation of pain is influenced by a number of factors ranging from attention, beliefs, conditioning, expectations, mood, and the regulation of emotional responses to noxious sensory events. Highlights Keywords Mindfulness Meditation Pain
High Stress Teens Twice as Likely to Drink or Use Drugs Why do some teens get involved in substance abuse while others do not? What factors or influences increase the risks that adolescents will smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, get drunk and use illegal and prescription drugs, while others go all the way through high school abstinent? To answer these questions, The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University conducts a "back-to-school" study otherwise known as "The National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse." Since 1995, this survey has attempted to identify characteristics, situations, and circumstances that increase or decrease the likelihood of teen substance abuse. From the results of several of CASA's 17 published studies, the following risk factors for increased likelihood that teens will smoke, drink or use drugs have emerged. Key Factors Teens Begin Using Earlier Than Parents Think Spirituality Is a Positive Influence Digital Peer Pressure Effects of High Stress Being Home Alone at Night
Emotional Symptoms Definition of Stress 1. What is stress and what causes it? Stress generally refers to two things: the psychological perception of pressure, on the one hand, and the body's response to it, on the other, which involves multiple systems, from metabolism to muscles to memory. Some stress is necessary for all living systems; it is the means by which they encounter and respond to the challenges and uncertainties of existence. The perception of danger sets off an automatic response system, known as the fight-or-flight response, that, activated through hormonal signals, prepares an animal to meet a threat or to flee from it. A stressful event—whether an external phenomenon like the sudden appearance of a snake on the path or an internal response, such as fear of losing one's job when the boss yells—triggers a cascade of hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol, that surge through the entire body.