 |
It's a matter of stress
How many people do you know who are completely stress-free? I personally do not know any. It appears to be a universal human malady, doesn't it? In spite of all our technological and scientific progress, we find ourselves at a loss when faced with it.
Like a demon, it can have many faces and manifest itself in some bizarre ways. The bad news I have for you is that it's here to stay. The good news? There are effective ways to deal with it, and we will explore several effective strategies.
Ok, let's get going.
As you know, not all stress is bad for you. The good kind is often referred to as eustress. It's the one that helps us when preparing for an exam, meeting a deadline, or participating in a competition. We get a little bit of adrenaline going. Not too little, not too much, but just right (is Goldilocks around?).
However, the good kind can easily turn ugly. This happens when we allow it to overtake our sensibilities or - like my mother says - "when your imagination starts playing with you."
It becomes a vicious cycle. The stress causes anxiety which creates more stress, and so on.
But we'll examine "when the monster gets out of hand" later.
How can it be defined? We can define it as "anything, real or perceived, that can disrupt our internal balance, that inner homeostasis".
The endocrinologist Hans Selye is credited with coining the term, and he is also the one who developed the famous General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) back in the mid 1930s. Just to refresh your memory, the General Adaptation Syndrome involves three stages: (1)alarm; (2) resistance; (3) exhaustion.
Many people believe that anxiety, anger, and depression have nothing to do with stress. I do not agree. If you observe, you will notice that someone who is unable to effectively deal with this modern-day malady will end up experiencing depression or anxiety. And we know that anger very often is the product of both. All three are the usual products of ineffective adaptation or coping mechanisms.
Years ago, my sister was told by her doctor that she had high stress levels in her blood. She was puzzled by his statement. Frankly, she thought he was "full of it", for how could he possibly tell? But it's true. The body reaction to stressors involves the release of various hormones, including cortisol, cortisone, and epinephrine. Not good.
What are the most common sources of it? In no particular order, the culprits include: birth, marriage, divorce, death, money, lack of sleep, loss of a job, abusive relationships, and interpersonal conflicts.
I would also like to add environmental factors such as traffic jams, and noise. Did you know that loud noises have been linked to female overeating? Great.... now I may have found a good reason (ahem.... excuse) for that half gallon of ice cream that somehow disappeared from the freezer!
Help for stress
(Edward George Bulwer-Lytton)
|
