STRESS SYMPTOMS AND RISK FACTORS

 

Symptoms

·         Sweating, tingling, rapid or shallow breathing, racing pulse, tension, or general anxiety in response to some change -- negative or positive -- in the environment.

·         Physical illness or pain that develops in response to these changes.

Who Is at Risk?

 

Everyone experiences varying degrees of stress as the body's physiological response to change. The more serious and numerous the sources of stress (stressors) in your life, the more likely it is that you will become ill as a result.

 

Which Personalities Cope Best With Stress?

 

Keeping your cool on a slow checkout line doesn't prove that you cope with stress, although research suggests that people who can take such aggravating situations in stride stay healthier and live longer.

 

The Type A behavior of driven personalities, once believed to bring on heart attacks, is now seen in a somewhat different light. Some Type A traits -- ambition and fierce competitiveness, for example -- may help you handle stress because they motivate you to deal with the events and circumstances that cause you discomfort. So-called Type B personalities, people who appear to be easygoing and relaxed, may actually be suppressing a great deal of anger and internalizing the bad feelings brought on by stressful or irritating situations.

 

The issue may not be how you deal with anger--whether you blow up or hold your tongue -- but how often you experience hostile feelings. People who are always fuming, who are chronically cynical and mistrustful, cope least well with stress. Holding on to negative emotions such as anger or paranoia ("they" are out to get you) and letting aggravations accumulate -- doing a slow burn -- may put you at high risk for stress-related illnesses.

 

Most important, psychologists say, is whether you are able to do something about the sources of your negative feelings. Healthy anger can inspire you to make changes in your life that will improve it (quitting a job that you don't like, for example). People who aren't able to make those helpful changes -- who don't have control over what's making them miserable or who can't accept what they can't control -- are most likely to suffer ill effects from stress.

 

Source:  Readers Digest (www.rd.com/content/stress-symptoms-and-risk-factors/)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WHAT CAUSES STRESS?

 

Regardless of the cause, stress sets in motion certain automatic changes in the body that are designed to give it a quick burst of energy. The pattern of changes has been called the "fight-or-flight" response because it most likely evolved from our prehistoric ancestors, who faced daily dangers in their search for food and shelter and had to either flee or do battle. Of course, we no longer face such dangers, but our bodies continue to react as if we did. So instead of responding to a saber-tooth tiger lurking behind a tree, the body reacts to petty annoyances like getting caught in traffic, being reprimanded by a supervisor, or worrying about bills. Regardless of the type of stress, the body goes through the following changes:

Sweating increases to allow the body to burn more calories without a rise in body temperature. (In theory, sweating also makes the skin slippery and more difficult for a predator to grab.)

After the stressor disappears, the body returns to its normal state (homeostasis). If, however, stress is chronic -- as it is for many people -- the body stays on high alert. The many damaging consequences include a rise in cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, damaged blood vessels, decreased mental skills, and a weakened immune system.

Source:  Readers Digest (www.rd.com/content/what-causes-stress/)