From: www.tiscali.co.uk/lifestyle/
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You are sweating bullets, your heart's pounding, your mouth is dry; you are about to be sick. All typical signs of stress. What triggers such a bodily reaction to stress can vary. It can be overwork or the adrenaline rush needed by some performers or athletes to deliver their best.
It is often mental and emotional attitude that dictates whether stress is good or bad for any one individual although stress overload gets to us all.
It's official
In Britain, we are officially becoming a more stressed society
with the increased demands of a modern society. The Health and Safety Executive
estimates stress is costing the economy £6.4 billion a year and it is now the
main reason given for people taking time off work.
More and more of us feel we are too busy. We spend our weeks racing round with no time left to relax. We are dogged by insomnia, depression, irritability or anxiety, and consequently, overdose on drink, coffee, drugs and cigarettes.
To make matters worse Britain is becoming a nation of cyber-slaves, according to Professor Cary Cooper, Professor of Organisational Psychology at the University of Manchester's Institute of Technology.
'The laptop is the scourge of the 21st century, eroding family life and relaxation. Mobile phones chain you to the office even when you are on holiday, faxes clog your desk and computers take up more time than they save,' he says.
Studies by Professor Cooper found bosses expect more efficiency in offices with computers making their employees stressed out because they can't keep up with the ever-increasing workload and are terrified of losing their jobs.
'Bosses make impossible demands and Britons are expected to work harder than anyone in Europe,' says Professor Cooper. Three per cent of workers have stress levels equal to psychiatric patients and many more are dogged by physical or mental problems.
Even children suffer stress. A survey by Professor Stephen Palmer from City University in London found 50 per cent of children questioned said they were sometimes stressed and 19 per cent of adults said they were often stressed. The most common stress factor was work - the next was family.
Minor triggers
Major triggers
She says: 'Stress is your body's biochemical reaction to how you
live your life. Stress can develop into distress and disease through your
personal adaptation to internal and external environments.'
Fight or flight
Stress is essential in emergencies, as it heightens senses and
reaction times in order to run away from danger and can enhance our
performances in interviews, examinations, or public speaking.
What happens in the body?
However, when stress is excessive, out of proportion or
all-pervasive in everyday life, it becomes a problem. It can be pathological,
or certainly uncomfortable to the point where it is counter-productive,
crippling performance and stifling normal activity, leading to both physical
and psychological problems.
Symptoms
Businessman Michael Winn, 32, loses concentration so badly when
he is stressed that he becomes clumsy and accident-prone.
'I walk into things, bump my head and have minor car accidents -
then I compound the problem by blaming myself,' says Michael. 'I lost
concentration so badly once when I was a stressed-out student that I caught my
leg in a conveyor belt.' He luckily escaped with only bruising.
First signs of stress overload:
More extreme symptoms:
Stress victims
'Many believe people who suffer from stress are weak. But in
fact, it is more likely to be the strong, reliable diligent people with a firm
conscience and a sense of responsibility,' says Dr Cantopher.
The co-author of
These could be starting or finishing college, moving house,
changing your work hours, having trouble with the boss, or going on
holiday.
These can be the death of a friend, partner or close relative,
a child leaving home, the death of a partner, debts, injury or illness, being
fired, retiring, getting divorced or getting married.
However, it is not these external life events that determine how
stressed we get, it's how we, as unique individuals, process the experience.
According to Dr Rae Baum, an American bioenergetic analyst and stress educator,
it is not what happens but how we react that causes our stress overload.
Stress is an essential part of our lives and it begins from the
first moments of life - being born is stressful and raises the stress hormone
cortisol in our blood. To live is to experience stress. According to Charles
Darwin, it is a basic evolutionary survival mechanism triggering fight or
flight reactions to escape danger.
Stress is closely linked to the autonomic nervous system. It
floods our bloodstream with the hormones adrenaline and cortisol, which arouse
strong physiological responses, including the blood being directed from the
intestines and skin to the heart and brain, increased heart rate, faster
breathing and profuse sweating.
When we are under stress for any length of time, our body as
well as our brain is affected:
Dr Tim Cantopher, a psychiatrist from the Priory group of
hospitals, says that it is often the emotionally strong, competitive,
goal-oriented person who becomes the victim of mental illness.
The documents contained in this web site are presented for information purposes only. The material is in no way intended to replace professional medical care or attention by a qualified practitioner. The materials in this web site cannot and should not be used as a basis for diagnosis or choice of treatment. Conditions for use
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