Stress and Your Health

There will always be stress. No matter what we do we will have to deal with some form of stress on a daily basis. Everytime we handle our stress we create a chemical change in our brain that effects our overall health. Of course there's a lot more to it.

Sometimes our stress will come and go quickly. Usually with minor things like feeling like you always pick the slowest line at the supermarket. Everyone has this feeling at one time or another. What matters is how you deal with it. Most people will simply decide to look at the magazine rack, which is conveniently located near the register, or just daydream for a few minutes. And some people let the anger build inside them. You can usually see the tension building with every second they have to stand in that line.

Obviously we want to be like the prior, and take this moment as an opportunity to catch up on our gossip. The first may read something interesting on the cover of a magazine and the second may escape from the chaos of the day with her daydream. The person blowing a gasket and letting this tension build inside is actually causing more harm to themself than you would think.

Stress can affect us on many levels. This person is not likely to have a smile on his face as he walks out of the market. I'm sure it will take a person like this quite some time to cool down. And it is very likely that this is behavior that is routine for this person - in other words, this person does not have very good coping skills.

Over time this person is likely to experience any or all of the following problems:

Difficulty sleeping

High blood pressure

Lack of energy

Headaches

Feelings of depression

Tension & anxiety that won't let up

Back or neck pain

Change in weight

And more

As you can see, stress can build and lead to some bad stuff. But we need to acknowledge also that some people simply have a lot of stress in their lives. After all, most of us can name someone that has lost more than their share of relatives or that has suffered through more than their share of hard times. It is also important to remember that some things that are perceived as good, such as having children or purchasing a home and moving, are also very stressful.

These issues are cause to so many health problems including heart disease, low immunity, ulcers, emotional disorders and the list goes on. We my not be able to eliminate stress, but we can learn to cope. We can work on using mature coping mechanisms when we are feeling stressed, but even more than that we can be more proactive.

To stay healthy we can eat right, drink lots of water, get plenty of sleep, and exercise. Taking care of ourselves is a great start to being better able to handle any situation. Be nice to yourself. Take time to smell the roses, chill out, and remember your hobbies. Every day you should budget at least thirty minutes that are just for you, that is your time to do what you want. Try not to sweat the small stuff.