Stress
In small doses, stress helps us to stay focused, energetic, and alert. Stress is our body’s response to all of the demands made upon it.
Our body responds to all stresses, both positive and negative, by trying to get back to normal. Stress is necessary for life – we need stress for creativity, learning, and our survival and is only harmful when it becomes overwhelming and interrupts the healthy state of equilibrium that our nervous system needs to remain in balance.
Unfortunately, overwhelming stress has become an increasingly common characteristic of contemporary life and when stress overwhelms our nervous system our body is flooded with chemicals that prepare us for “fight or flight” where the hypothalamus triggers our adrenal glands to release corticosteroids to increase metabolism to provide an immediate increase in energy. Simultaneously, our pituitary releases a hormone called ACTH, which causes our adrenal glands to release epinephrine and norepinephrine, which work to prolong our body’s fight-or-flight response.
As a singular experience we need this ability to alert ourselves to danger and to act with energy promptly – the issue is now how long we are feeling stressed, angry, anxious or frustrated and the damage that being constantly in this state does to our internal environment, so while the stress response can be lifesaving in emergency situations where we need to act quickly, it wears our body down when constantly activated by the stresses of everyday life.
Recent research has confirmed the role of stress in cardiovascular disease, cancer, gastrointestinal, skin, neurologic and emotional disorders, and a host of disorders linked to immune system disturbances and autoimmune diseases ranging from the common cold and herpes, to arthritis, cancer, and AIDS.
It can damage our health, mood, productivity, relationships, and quality of life. We all find different things stressful and can experience different signs and symptoms as a result of feeling under pressure, but stress generally occurs when we feel unable to cope with high demands that are placed on us. e.g. having lots to do does not automatically stress us, but when we have other things going on like emotional pressure at work or home or we feel unwell or injured it can become too much. If stress goes on for too long without any relief, the body’s energy reserves are exhausted and it breaks down.
- Stress and chronic ill health in the workplace costs £100bn
- In 2009/10, an estimated 9.8 million working days were lost through work-related stress
- 43% of all adults suffer adverse health effects due to stress.
- 75-90% of all visits to GP’s are for stress-related complaints or disorders.
- speech difficulties
- nail biting
- teeth grinding
- headaches
- lower back pain
- impatience
- low or high blood sugar
- excess sleeping
- tired but can’t sleep
- sudden weight loss or gain
- changes in blood pressure
- lack of concentration
- repeated colds or flu
- muscle aches
- non specific pain
- hair loss
- chest pain
- nervous talking
- gastric disturbances
- a withdrawal from social life
