STRESS !!!
What is stress?
Stress is the brain and body’s response to any sort of demand. Stress is a common process that occurs daily in people’s lives. Many situations trigger a stress response. Certainly change of any kind can precipitate stress; divorce, illness, vacations, the holidays. Recurrent activities can be included as stress inducing; commuting to work or school and driving are examples of recurrent situations in people’s lives. The change can be mild and harmless or extreme and violent. How we perceive stress as either negative or positive, and whether the stressor is real or perceived also has a role in the response.
Apparently, gender also plays a significant role in the experience of stress. According to Scientific American Mind in their November/December 2016 edition, women experience higher levels of stress than do men. This finding is related to a number of factors, and currently a complete picture of why this is so is still not clear. Largely this lack of clarity is due to the traditional manner in which scientists and researchers study human biology. Men have been the primary focus of studies of illness and disease, and only in the last few years has that focus been recast toward women with regard to the effects of stress.
Some of the differences between women’s and men’s reaction to stress, includes: gene regulation within the nucleus accumbens of the brain, hormonal differences between men and women, and how treatment is offered from a pharmacological perspective. Because medications have been developed primarily through the study of men, the difference in male-female metabolism was not taken into account. Cultural gender roles and expectations may also be a factor in the difference.
The experience of stress may show up as a general feeling of fatigue, sleep that does not seem restful, headaches, muscle aches, mood changes, and so forth. Stress can cause uncomfortable agitation. The inability to rest and relax. Sometimes people’s immune system is compromised allowing colds and flu to be frequent.
When stress is ignored it can build and lead to a tipping point called burnout. Burnout is a term used to explain a point of collapse when only rest and a focus on the health of your mind and body will relieve.
Strategies for Stress Reduction.
If you think you are experiencing stress consider the following:
*Prioritize activities in order to create more relaxation and leisure time.
*Pay attention to your food intake; eat healthy and avoid non-nutrient foods.
*Exercise gently.
*Try a broad spectrum vitamin.
*Meditate and Belly Breathe. Instruction for Belly Breathing is on this blog.
*Get 7 to 8 hours of sleep per night.
*If work is causing this stress maybe strategizing with your boss would help. (Clearly do not do this if it would cause a problem at work.)
*Consult with your physician.
*Consult with a therapist.
For more information on Stress and Burnout, Google.