Oct. 10, 2019 | Everyone has it, to one extent or another, and everyone deals with it in a number of ways. Sometimes it can be almost overwhelming or it can be virtually unnoticeable. What “it” is is stress, a normal psychological and physical reaction to the demands of life. Such a reaction is good in emergencies, such as getting out of the way of a speeding car. But stress can cause unhealthy physical symptoms if it goes on for too long, such as in response to life’s daily challenges and changes. When this happens, it’s as though your body gets ready to jump out of the way of the car, but you’re sitting still. Your body is working overtime, with no place to put all the extra energy. This can make you feel anxious, afraid, worried and uptight. Sometimes stress is helpful, it can encourage you to meet a difficult deadline or accomplish a seemingly overwhelming task. But long-term stress can increase the risk of diseases like heart disease and a variety of other problems.

Oct. 10, 2019 | If your mind and body are constantly on edge because of excessive stress in your life, you may face serious health problems. That’s because your body’s “fight-or-flight reaction,” its natural alarm system, is constantly on. When you encounter perceived threats — a large dog barks at you during your morning walk, for instance — your hypothalamus, a tiny region at the base of your brain, sets off an alarm system in your body. Through a combination of nerve and hormonal signals, this system prompts your adrenal glands, located atop your kidneys, to release a surge of hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol. Adrenaline increases your heart rate, elevates your blood pressure and boosts energy supplies. Cortisol, the primary stress hormone, increases glucose in the bloodstream and increases the availability of substances that repair tissues. Cortisol also curbs functions that would be non-essential in a fight-or-flight situation.

Oct. 10, 2019 | The body’s stress-response system is usually self-regulating. It decreases hormone levels and enables your body to return to normal once a perceived threat has passed. As adrenaline and cortisol levels drop, your heart rate and blood pressure return to baseline levels, and other systems resume their regular activities. But when the stressors of your life are always present, leaving you constantly feeling stressed or nervous, that fight-or-flight reaction stays turned on. Even the typical day-to-day demands of living can contribute to your body’s stress response. The long-term activation of the stress-response system — and the subsequent overexposure to cortisol and other stress hormones — can disrupt almost all your body’s processes. This puts you at increased risk of numerous health problems, including heart disease and depression. That’s why it’s so important to learn healthy ways to cope with the stressors in your life.

Oct. 10, 2019 | Are you one of those people able to hold it together when others seem to go to pieces in a troublesome situation? How one person reacts to a stressful event is likely to be different from another person. The way someone reacts to stressors in their life is influenced by several factors. The genes that control the stress response keep most people on a fairly even keel, only occasionally priming the body for fight or flight. Overactive or underactive stress responses may stem from slight differences in these genes. Also, strong stress reactions can sometimes be traced to early environmental factors. People who were exposed to extremely stressful events as children, such as neglect or abuse, tend to be particularly vulnerable to stress as adults. You may have some friends who seem laid-back about almost everything and others who react strongly to the slightest stress. Most reactions to life stressors fall somewhere between those extremes.

Oct. 10, 2019 | Being prepared and in control of your situation is the best way to manage stress. Planning your time is one way to do this. Think ahead about how you use your time. Write a to–do list and decide which tasks are the most important, but be realistic about how long each takes. Physical activity can help prevent and manage stress. It can also help relax your muscles and improve your mood. Aim for two hours and 30 minutes a week of moderate aerobic activity, like walking fast or biking. Be sure to give your body plenty of energy by eating fruits, vegetables, and protein and don’t rely on alcohol and drugs to manage your stress. If you choose to drink, drink only in moderation. This means no more than one drink a day for women or two drinks a day for men. If your stress doesn’t go away or keeps getting worse, you may need help. A mental health professional can help you deal with stress. Stress is a normal part of life, and lots of people need help to manage it better.