Biggest Causes of Stress - The Real Cause Is Faulty Perception
There are two main classifications of stress - acute and chronic. Acute stress is normal in modern life, and can be caused due to any information or event that gives rise to unpleasant feelings. Some stressors that cause acute but short-lived stress are events such as being caught in a traffic jam, watching an unpleasant movie, deadline-related work pressure, or even the absence of work. Chronic stress is caused due to a continued state of stress that refuses to go away. Basically, stress is a matter of perception, and therefore the manner in which one thinks about things and events is one of the biggest causes of stress. A stressor does not cause stress on its own. It is the manner in which it is perceived that causes the stress. It is thus impossible to conclusively predict accurately for all what the largest causes of stress may be. For some people, financial troubles are far more stressing than relationship problems, while for others, an unhappy spouse can cause more stress than an impending deadline at work. Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Stress Management
Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) for stress management is based on the theory that it is not events that cause stress, but the manner in which they are perceived. Our reasoning, learning and perception determine cognition. These lead us to comprehend an event or circumstance in a particular way and are therefore responsible for directing our behaviors. Cognitive Behavior Therapy takes into account the assumptions and beliefs and their influence on individual reactions to stressful events. In a way, it is a combination of cognitive and behavioral therapies and can be a very effective treatment for stress-related mood disorders and unpleasant feelings that disrupt a happy lifestyle. Effect of Stress on the Immune System
The effects of stress on the immune system are the subject matter of a new and developing field of study, psychoneuroimmunology (PNI). It is the study of the relationship between the emotional state of the mind, the human nervous, the immune system and its effects on health. Even though it is a large field of study that covers a wide range of health disciplines, it focuses on psychological processes and their effects on the nervous system and immune system. The immune system is responsible for protecting the body from pathogens. The nervous system, on the other hand, is a complex network of nerves that conveys and receives signals to and from different organs in response to various stimuli, including stressful information and events. The nervous system and the immune system communicate with each other through these signaling pathways. The nervous and immune systems are the two major systems in the human body that have a clear capacity of adaptation. It is through this capacity of adaptation that immunological memories are created and stored that provide even more effective protection. Anti-Stress Medication
When an individual appraises a situation or an event as threatening, the sympathetic part of the autonomic nervous system signals the adrenal glands to release hormones. These hormones in turn energize the body in various ways so that the body is prepared to confront or escape the threat. Reversal to a normal, relaxed state is of utmost importance, because a continued state of alertness can cause numerous physical and mental illnesses. Most of the stress that we feel is caused due to the daily pressures of everyday living. These include circumstances pertaining to jobs, finances, health and relationships. Medication is not indicated for the management of most of these daily hassles. There are many natural ways of coping with stress, but the irony is that many people prefer medication, as they find it a convenient and shorter route for managing stress. Group Stress Relief Games - Bring Out the Child in You
Stress is an integral part of life. Irrespective of how hard we try, there is always some situation or another that presents itself in some unconceivable manner. Stress can surface at every bend and corner as we move along the path of life. It meets us when we are low and also when we think we have had all that we needed from life. If we stop to ponder, we may as well realize that most of the stress that we feel is based on preconceived ways in which we have been trained to think. And therefore it can safely be said that we feel stress because we have grown up and ceased to be children. One has only to look at an infant in his face and it becomes obvious that there is a certain amount of simplicity that they ascribe to life. Children understand only two emotions – joy and sorrow. They feel joy at the smallest of achievements and sorrow when a pleasant experience is denied. Beyond these two emotions there is nothing more that they entangle themselves in. Creative Hobbies Relieve Stress Better
Stress in daily life is unavoidable, and although occasionally stress has its benefits, a prolonged state of mental stress can affect your overall health to a large extent. If you are constantly stressed, there is a strong possibility of developing psycho-physiological as well as psychological problems besides emotional distress. There are multiple causes of stress. While certain information and events cause stress due to their inherent nature, most of the emotional stress is caused due to the way in which the individual processes information. Physical stress, however, is different and is usually the result of a bad posture and some underlying conditions. Home Remedies for Body Tension
Body tension occurs when opposing muscles contract at the same time. For example, there two sets of muscles that allow you to move your elbow. One set of muscles is required to close the arm and the other to open it. If both set of muscles were to work together, your elbow would not move at all, since both sets of muscles would be pulling the arm in different and opposite directions. The harder the muscles are flexed, the harder the tension would become. Every action in our body has an opposite action. If we can breathe in, we can also breathe out. If we can stand straight, we can also bend. These actions involve the use of hundreds of muscles, and some actions take the cooperated effect of more muscles that the others. The example of the elbow involves only two sets of muscles. One can only imagine the kind of tension that is created when more than two sets of opposing muscles are contracting together. How to Achieve Inner Calm
Inner calm has been a subject matter of many philosophies that have originated around the world. Since time immemorial, religious and sometimes not-so-religious philosophies have highlighted the importance of inner calm and propounded theories about how one can achieve it. What do we actually mean by inner calm? The spiritual explanation of inner calm is a state of mind where neither happiness nor sorrow produces emotional responses in an individual. The scientific explanation would probably be a state of mental quietness and freedom from adrenaline. Psychological Effects of Stress
Stress is an integral part of living. Even our ancestors in the Stone Age were not spared and had to face stress-- albeit in the shape of threats from carnivorous animals. Actually, the human body’s stress response (releasing hormones to increase blood supply and strength) evolved exactly from that necessity for saving life. Once the threat or the imminent cause of stress was over, either by fighting and killing the animal or by fleeing the scene, the body reverted back to its normal, relaxed state. Modern life may have been able to eliminate threat from animals, but it has resulted in entirely new sets of potentially threatening stressors. In the process, we have added another element to stress – that of psychological and emotional stress. As soon as we solve a problem, another one springs up to disturb our mental peace. The human mind sometimes becomes so used to being stressed that it sometimes subconsciously seeks conflict and stress when all is well. Psychosomatic Illness and Stress Management
Psychosomatic illnesses are often confused with malingering (evading work by pretending to be incapacitated), mental disorders and delusions. Psychosomatic disorders are actually illnesses caused by the mental processes of the patient. Most of these disorders do not have any apparent physiological cause. The condition is now commonly referred to as a psycho-physiological (psychosomatic) illness, and the syndromes are classified as: Neurotic disorders. Stress-related. Somatoform disorders - disorders with no organic cause. Stress and Hair Loss - Are They Connected?
Stress affects your overall health in more ways than you would normally believe. It has a great impact not only on your physical and mental health, but also on your overall appearance. A frowning face, tense facial muscles and obesity are common manifestations of stress among those who face continuous levels of stress in daily life. It may surprise you, but severe stress can also cause hair loss. Stress can have an effect on the hair in two ways. Each hair has a typical hair cycle that goes through various phases - growth (anagen), regression (catagen) and resting (telogen). Severe stress due to illness, trauma or surgery inhibits hair growth and inhibits the hair from moving into the telogen phase. Within a matter of a couple of months, hair loss occurs. The only respite to the situation is that the hair can grow back after a gap of six to nine months from the same hair follicle. Physical Illnesses Related to Stress
Stress-related physical illnesses are commonly referred to as psycho-physiological disorders or psychosomatic illnesses. Even though the general perception is that stress causes psychological problems, the reality is that psycho-physiological disorders and illnesses are nearly as common. It is just that most people fail to correlate stress with physical symptoms and problems. Stress produces a response from the central nervous system that initiates certain actions within the body. We do not have conscious control over these actions. Continuous stress results in constant alertness, something that can adversely affect certain organs. For example, the stress response can cause the heart to beat faster, something that the blood vessels may not be able to tolerate if the pressure is maintained at high levels for a long time. Stress and Weight Gain - The Correlation
Many human behaviors are controlled by hormones. Hormones are chemicals that are released by specific cells in the body. These hormones affect other cells in the body and act as messengers that carry signals from one cell to another. Small amounts of hormones are sufficient to alter cell metabolism significantly. In many cases, a certain hormone signals the release of other hormones. Besides behavior, hormones affect growth, mood, and the processes that control the number of cells in the body, including the immune system, metabolism, and the reproductive cycle. They also prepare the body for a new activity. Weight gain is a significant feature caused by the disruption of the cortisol levels in a body. Stress Medicines and Natural Stress Relief
Stress-related physical and emotional symptoms often prompt us to pop a pill to relieve these conditions. The biggest contributor to this unhealthy habit is the easy availability of analgesics, drugs and other painkillers that are available over-the-counter. There is a strong case against self -medication for any type of disease. The same holds true for self-medication for stress relief. It is necessary to understand stress in its correct context before resorting to medicines and drugs to handle symptoms induced by stress.