Stress - Why Should You Care If You Are Suffering From Too Much Stress?
If you think you don't need to worry about stress because it is part of everyone's everyday life, think again. Individual stress burdens have increased so much recently that calls to the National Suicide Lifeline are now at an all time high, making it more critical than ever to manage your stress levels yourself if you want to avoid disastrous effects on your health.
The reason is clear. Everyone experiences stress differently. They perceive stressful situations differently and react to the stress they feel in different ways. A situation which you can cope with easily may cause someone else intolerable anxiety. Simply put, the amount of stress you feel and the way you experience it could be making you ill.
Stress is a leading cause of ill health and is estimated to be partially or completely responsible for 80%-95% of all trips to the physician. It is closely linked to fatal conditions such as strokes and heart disease. And working adults are especially susceptible, as they labor under huge mental and financial stress - with no chance to release it with the traditional fight or flight response. In fact, over 50%of the US labor force now reports they are concerned about the levels of stress in their lives. And more than 8 out of every 10 working Americans now suffer from financial stress.
Not that stress is always a bad thing. Normal levels of stress produce the body's fight or flight response. In everyday life, it can spur us on to great performances in exams, business presentations, sporting events and even visits from the in-laws! Positive channeling enables the body to relax when the stress event passes.
However, when excessive stress occurs over a long time frame, with no chance to escape from it, as in an acrimonious divorce or a tour of duty in a war zone, then it can lead to damaging psychological and physical ailments which can be fatal if unchecked.
But you won't be aware of it. In fact, you may even feel that you are coping just fine.
The truth is that the body is designed to adapt. And when confronted by never ending stress, the body starts to see the enduring stress level as "normal". It reassesses its natural stress state upwards, leaving it unable to relax. Your body will remain in a constant state of high alert. Your stress hormones will be permanently elevated and your natural relaxation response will be compromised. All of this will continue to damage your long term health long after your divorce or return from tour of duty. And you will probably be blissfully unaware of the damage to your long term health right up until the day you have a stroke, heart attack or worse.
Do something today. Recognize just how much stress you are under and start practicing stress relief now.
About the Author
For practical help on how to reduce stress visit http://www.susanowenthursfield.com/ and for stress relief for weight loss, visit http://www.reducestressloseweight.com/ and sign up for a free ecourse.
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