|
|
 |
|
-  |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
| |
Stress Management
Stress is a fact of nature — forces from the outside world affecting the individual. The individual responds to stress in ways that affect the individual as well as their environment. Hence, all living creatures are in a constant interchange with their surroundings (the ecosystem), both physically and behaviorally. This interplay of forces, or energy, is of course present in the relationships between all matter in the universe, whether it is living (animate) or not living (inanimate).
However, there are critical differences in how different living creatures relate to their environment. These differences have far-reaching consequences for survival. Because of the overabundance of stress in our modern lives, we usually think of stress as a negative experience, but from a biological point of view, stress can be a neutral, negative, or positive experience.
In general, stress is related to both external and internal factors. External factors include the physical environment, including your job, your relationships, your home, and all the situations, challenges, difficulties, and expectations you're confronted with on a daily basis. Internal factors determine your body's ability to respond to, and deal with, the external stress-inducing factors. Internal factors which influence your ability to handle stress include your nutritional status, overall health and fitness levels, emotional well-being, and the amount of sleep and rest you get.
Everyone is familiar with stress. We experience it in varying forms and degrees every day. In small doses, stress can actually be beneficial to us. It can then be a vent, a sort of catharsis. It is only when the stress becomes too great, affecting our physical or mental functioning, that it becomes a problem.
| • |
In small doses, stressors can help give us increased energy and alertness, even helping to keep us focused on the problem at hand. This type of stress is good. People may refer to the experience of this type of stress as feeling "pumped" or "wired." |
| • |
As the level of pressure gets too great, stress eventually surpasses our ability to cope with it in a positive way. Often, people describe themselves as being stressed out, burned out, or at one’s wits end. At this point, it is important to find positive and productive ways to deal with the stress and, more importantly, to address the person or situation that is causing the stress. |
Everyone reacts to stress differently. Each of us have a different level of pressure and anxiety that we can handle, without a bad outcome. Only you can assess your level of tolerance to stressful situations. The best treatment for stress is to prevent getting into situations that are likely to overwhelm your ability to cope. This is not always possible because the stressors may often come from outside sources that are beyond your control.
Causes for Stress
The following are risk factors for uncontrollable stress:
| • |
Social and financial problems |
| • |
Illness |
| • |
Lack of social support |
| • |
Family history |
Daily causes of stress include:
| • |
Environmental stressors – Your physical surroundings can set off the stress response. Examples of environmental stressors include an unsafe neighborhood, pollution, noise (sirens keeping you up at night, a barking dog next door), and uncomfortable living conditions. For people living in crime-ridden areas or war-torn regions, the stress may be unrelenting. |
| • |
Family and relationship stressors – Problems with friends, romantic partners and family members are common daily stressors. Marital disagreements, dysfunctional relationships, rebellious teens, or caring for a chronically-ill family member or a child with special needs can all send stress levels skyrocketing. |
| • |
Work stressors – In our career-driven society, work can be an ever-present source of stress. Work stress is caused by things such as job dissatisfaction, an exhausting workload, insufficient pay, office politics, and conflicts with your boss or co-workers. |
| • |
Social stressors – Your social situation can cause stress. For example, poverty, financial pressures, racial and sexual discrimination or harassment, unemployment, isolation, and a lack of social support all take a toll on the quality of daily life. |
Internal Causes of Stress
Not all stress is caused by external pressures and demands. Your stress can also be self-generated. Internal causes of stress include:
| • |
Uncertainty or worries |
| • |
Pessimistic attitude |
| • |
Self-criticism |
| • |
Unrealistic expectations or beliefs |
| • |
Perfectionism |
| • |
Low self-esteem |
| • |
Excessive or unexpressed anger |
| • |
Lack of assertiveness |
Symptoms of Stress
Stress usually first affects the inner emotions. Initial symptoms may include the following feelings:
| • |
Anxiousness |
| • |
Nervousness |
| • |
Distraction |
| • |
Excessive worry |
| • |
Internal pressure |
| • |
These emotional states can then begin to affect a person's outward appearance: |
| |
- Unusually anxious or nervous
- Distracted
- Self-absorbed
- Irritable
|
| • |
As the stress level increases, or if it lasts over a longer period of time, a person may begin to feel more severe emotional or physical effects: |
| |
- Excessive fatigue
- Depression
- Sometimes even think of hurting yourself or others
- Headaches
- Nausea and vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Chest pain or pressure
- Heart racing
- Dizziness or flushing
- Tremulousness or restlessness
- Hyperventilation or choking sensation
In most cases, these symptoms are very minor and don’t last very long. If they become more severe or increase in frequency and severity, one has to seek medical help. |
Warning signs and symptoms of stress
Cognitive symptoms
| • |
Memory problems |
| • |
Indecisiveness |
| • |
Inability to concentrate |
| • |
Trouble thinking clearly |
| • |
Poor judgment |
| • |
Seeing only the negative |
| • |
Anxious or racing thoughts |
| • |
Constant worrying |
| • |
Loss of objectivity |
| • |
Fearful anticipation |
Emotional symptoms
| • |
Moodiness |
| • |
Agitation |
| • |
Restlessness |
| • |
Short temper |
| • |
Irritability, impatience |
| • |
Inability to relax |
| • |
Feeling tense and “on the edge” |
| • |
Feeling overwhelmed |
| • |
Sense of loneliness and isolation |
| • |
Depression or general unhappiness |
Physical symptoms
| • |
Headaches or backaches |
| • |
Muscle tension and stiffness |
| • |
Diarrhea or constipation |
| • |
Nausea, dizziness |
| • |
Insomnia |
| • |
Chest pain, rapid heartbeat |
| • |
Weight gain or loss |
| • |
Skin breakouts (hives, eczema) |
| • |
Loss of sex drive |
| • |
Frequent colds |
Behavioral symptoms
| • |
Eating more or less |
| • |
Sleeping too much or too little |
| • |
Isolating yourself from others |
| • |
Procrastination, neglecting responsibilities |
| • |
Using alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs to relax |
| • |
Nervous habits (e.g. nail biting, pacing) |
| • |
Teeth grinding or jaw clenching |
| • |
Overdoing activities (e.g. exercising, shopping) |
| • |
Overreacting to unexpected problems |
| • |
Picking fights with others |
The Body’s Stress Response
The “fight-or-flight” stress response involves a cascade of biological changes that prepare us for emergency action. When danger is sensed, a small part of the brain called the hypothalamus sets off a chemical alarm. The sympathetic nervous system responds by releasing a flood of stress hormones, including adrenaline, norepinephrine, and cortisol. These stress hormones race through the bloodstream, readying us to either flee the scene or battle it out.
Heart rate and blood flow to the large muscles increase so we can run faster and fight harder. Blood vessels under the skin constrict to prevent blood loss in case of injury, pupils dilate so we can see better, and our blood sugar ramps up, giving us an energy boost and speeding up reaction time. At the same time, body processes not essential to immediate survival are suppressed. The digestive and reproductive systems slow down, growth hormones are switched off, and the immune response is inhibited.
The biological stress response is meant to protect and support us. It’s what helped our stone age ancestors survive the life-or-death situations they commonly faced. But in the modern world, most of the stress we feel is in response to psychological rather than physical threats. Caring for a chronically-ill child or having a difficult relationship qualify as stressful situations, but neither calls for either fight or flight. Unfortunately, our bodies don't make this distinction. Whether we’re stressed over a looming deadline, an argument with a friend, or a mountain of bills, the warning bells ring. And just like a caveman confronting a tiger, we go into automatic overdrive.
If you have a lot of responsibilities and worries, you may be running on stress a good portion of the time—launching into emergency mode with every traffic jam, phone call from the in-laws, or segment of the evening news. But the problem with the stress response is that the more it’s activated, the harder it is to shut off. Instead of leveling off once the crisis has passed, your stress hormones, heart rate, and blood pressure remain elevated.
Furthermore, extended or repeated activation of the stress response takes a heavy toll on the body. Prolonged exposure to stress increases your risk of everything from heart disease, obesity, and infection to anxiety, depression, and memory problems. Because of the widespread damage it can cause, it’s essential to learn how to deal with stress in a more positive way and reduce its impact on your daily life.
When to consult your Ayurveda physician
| • |
You should call your physician when you are unable to identify the source of your stress or anxiety and if the condition continues or comes and goes. |
| • |
If, in conjunction with your friends, family, or spiritual advisers, you cannot identify a source or solution for your anxiety and stress, do consult your Ayurveda physician. |
| • |
A physical problem may be causing your symptoms. There may be a hidden cause that requires the assistance of a counselor to help uncover. Once your physician has ruled out a medical cause for your symptoms, he can be a great resource for other options in treatment of your stress symptoms. |
| • |
You should never be embarrassed about your situation or the fact that you are seeking help. It is the physician’s role to help. |
| • |
Remember, the sooner you get help, the sooner you will feel better. If you are having physical symptoms that seem either unrelated to stress or are worse than you have experienced in the past, you should consult your physician immediately. |
| • |
You should call your physician immediately if your stress is resulting in any of these symptoms: |
| |
- Thoughts about harming yourself
- Thoughts about harming others
- Chest pain
- Fluttering or rapid heartbeats
- Headaches unlike your usual headaches
- Any condition that you feel might cause you serious harm if not treated immediately |
Self-Care at Home
| • |
When you find yourself feeling the bad effects of stress, you need to take action immediately. The sooner you begin the process of treatment, the easier it will be and the quicker you will be back to your normal state. |
| • |
The first step in the process is to try to identify the cause of the stress. Sometimes this is a known source such as a deadline at work, a pile of unpaid bills, or a relationship that is not working out. It can at times be more difficult to find the source of your problem. |
| • |
Often, many relatively mild stressors occurring at once can bring on the same stress as a larger problem or known source of anxiety or worry. |
| • |
If you can identify the source of your stress, remove yourself from it or address the situation. That may be all that is needed to resolve the situation and your anxiety. Even if you are only able to get away for a few seconds or minutes, the break is important and can help you on the way to a more permanent solution. |
| • |
This break can be accomplished by physically removing yourself from the provoking situation (such as an argument) or mentally removing yourself from the stressor (such as financial worries) through a mental distraction, often called a time-out. |
| • |
The point of these actions is to allow you a moment to relax and formulate a plan for dealing with the problem at hand. Just having a plan can be a great stress reliever. It gives you a set of positive steps that you can work on to get yourself back to your baseline and out of the stressful situation. |
| • |
If you are unable to determine the source of your stress, you need to seek outside help. Sometimes discussing your situation with family, friends, or a spiritual adviser can be helpful. If these routes are not successful, you should make an appointment with your doctor or a mental health counselor to help determine the source of the stress and rule out any potentially reversible medical causes of your stress. |
| • |
Most importantly, practice of yoga, meditation and deep breathing is very helpful in combating the negative effects of stress. |
Ayurveda Treatment
| • |
The treatment of your stress will vary greatly depending on the types of symptoms you are experiencing and how severe they are. |
| • |
Treatment can range from simple reassurance to inpatient care and evaluation in a hospital setting. Some basic treatment recommendations are as follows: |
| |
- Careful evaluation and finding out the underlying cause
- Using a mix of herbs, oils, diet, exercise and lifestyle to bring the situation under control
- Practice of yoga, meditation and deep breathing
- Reassurance
- Counseling where necessary
- Other Ayurveda treatments for any physical problems discovered |
Prevention
You can take steps to prevent stress in your life.
| • |
Set realistic goals and limits for yourself |
| • |
Put things into perspective and try not to get upset about insignificant or relatively unimportant matters. |
| • |
Take stress, time management, or anger management classes. |
| • |
Find activities that you enjoy and set aside time to participate in them on a regular basis. |
| • |
Participate in regular physical exercise. |
| • |
Practice yoga, meditation and deep breathing regularly |
| • |
Maintain a positive outlook. |
Outlook
The prognosis for people suffering from the effects of stress is almost always very good. Most people recover completely once the stressor is identified and a plan is devised to remove or control it.
The key is to seek help early and be an active partner in your care and recovery. Just worrying about your problems will only make them worse. Call on your friends, family, and physician to help you return to a full and productive lifestyle. |
| |
| CONSULT NOW |
| top |
| |
|
|
|
