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Stress
 We continually hear or see something about stress and particularly the adverse effects of stress on health. Because stress is different for each of us, it is difficult to define stress, much less measure. Hans Selye, who coined the term stress as it is now used, often said, "Everyone knows what stress is but nobody really knows." Nevertheless, people often recognize when they are under stress because of their characteristic stress related symptoms.
On the other hand, stress can exert damaging effects on the body that produce no signs or symptoms until it is too late. This is particularly true for chronic stress, which has been linked to coronary disease, hypertension, stroke and immune system disturbances that result in a host of diseases. Stress can also exert direct effects on the gut, skin and musculoskeletal systems. Numerous studies similarly show a strong correlation between stress and depression, anxiety attacks, posttraumatic stress and other psychiatric disorders
Stress has been found to contribute to the onset of numerous disorders and it is hard to think of any illnesses in which stress cannot have an aggravating influence. It is therefore not surprising that surveys show that stress induced symptoms or diseases are responsible for 75-90 percent of visits to primary care physicians.
What causes stress is different for each of us and we all respond to stress differently. Just click on Topics Of Interest to see a list of 50 common signs and symptoms of stress. Stress can arise from external threats but stress can also be generated by internal factors. Stress can be acute but there can also be chronic stress and intermittent stress.
Acute stress is a reaction to an immediate threat like the stress you might experience from a sudden life-threatening situation. Chronic stress is a more insidious type of stress that might arise from daily stress on the job, persistent financial, health or relationship problems, and discrimination due to race, age or religion.
While stress is usually viewed as being harmful, some degree of stress can make you more effective. Increased stress results in increased productivity – up to a point. Stress can also be very enjoyable. There is just as much stress or even more stress from winning a race or election as losing but the effects of this "good" stress or eustress are likely to be quite different from the stress of being defeated.
There is no shortage of stress reduction products and stress reduction services, many of which are fraudulent and supported only by lavish testimonials. It is often difficult to distinguish such worthless stress reduction claims from stress reduction efforts that are authentic and have scientific backing. Regulatory authorities have little control over stress reduction claims or products that promise stress relief.
The good news is that there are many natural ways to reduce stress that cost little or nothing but are effective in preventing or reducing the negative effects of stress. Regular exercise like jogging or a brisk walk for 20-30 minutes three times a week is helpful in reducing stress and depression and various forms of meditation are also popular stress reduction techniques. Other natural stress relievers include yoga, progressive muscular relaxation, visual imagery and various autogenic training procedures. Following a healthy diet and getting adequate sleep can also help to reduce stress.
It is also important for you to recognize the primary sources of stress in your life so that you can develop a plan to eliminate or reduce them. If you have difficulty identifying your stress triggers a psychologist or other qualified help professional with expertise in stress may be able to help you.
The American Institute of Stress has served as an ombudsman for decades to help consumers learn how to separate worthless stress reduction claims and products from stress reduction approaches that are effective and provide proven benefits. You can learn much more about stress and stress reduction products and techniques at Topics Of Interest and other www.stress.org pages.
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