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SOUTH JORDAN — Stress is a normal part of life. That being said, too much stress — whether it's identified or not — can be harmful.
As adequately explained by the Mayo Clinic staff, "your body is hard-wired to react to stress in ways meant to protect you against threats from predators and other aggressors."
Stress alone doesn't endanger our health. Without stress we would never feel challenged to move forward and be productive people. The type of stress that can be damaging to a person's well-being is called distress.
Daily situations can be potentially distressful if we believe no hope is available, there are more problems than we can handle, we are insufficient to the task or we are the victims of extenuating circumstances.
As humans, we have the capacity to send stressful thoughts to the back of our minds and move forward, not thinking about them. But this action often results in a physical reaction of some kind, such as chest pain, headaches, leg aches, gastric upset, hives, etc.
The physical symptoms of stress are your mind and body's way of telling you to slow down. "The long-term activation of the stress-response system," the Mayo Clinic says, "and the subsequent overexposure to cortisol and other stress hormones can disrupt almost all your body's processes" and cause bigger problems.
Related:
Stress may harm your brain — but it recovers
Researchers in the Netherlands found the brains of soldiers who go into combat show impairment in function and structure upon returning, but that these effects largely go away over time.Long-term stress exposure increases your risk for developing heart disease, sleep problems, digestive problems, depression, obesity, memory impairment, worsening of skin conditions.
The secret of living with stress seems to be based, in large part, on our attitude. Techniques for managing stress include:
- Finding your voice. Recognize stress and know your limits. Understand doing nothing for anyone is stress also.
- Change the situation when possible.
- Examine your assumptions of outcome.
- Accept what you cannot change.
- Remove yourself from stressful situations when possible.
- Attack a job that needs to be done and identify jobs that can be delayed.
- Create a peaceful environment.
- Anticipate and prepare for change daily.
- Simplify your life.
- Practice living in the present, not hoping for the future.
- Build a social support outside your immediate family.
- Take time to manage your time.
- Meet your basic self-care needs.
- Take medication when recommended by your health care professional. Sometimes your brain doesn't make all the chemicals it needs to function properly, and medication is the only answer.
Suzanne Carlile, "Nurse Suzy," has been a nurse since 1982. Her main focus is critical care and nursing education. She holds a master's degree in nursing, is a Certified Emergency Nurse, and a member of NNSDO Intermountain West Chapter.
