Any kind of change in your life can cause stress

76A - Fit and Well Column for June 20th, 2004

76A - TITLE: "Stress!"

Dear Trish and David,

I hear so much about "stress", and how it causes health problems. Can you explain to me exactly what stress is, how to reduce it, and, maybe even better, how to eliminate it.

Also, is there any way that I can determine for myself what level of stress I'm under?

Thanks for all your help.

Sincerely,

Sam in Davidsonville

Dear Sam,

Ahhh… stress. You can't live with it, and you can't live without it (sorry about that!).

Trish and I recently return from a three-day health seminar for corporate employees in Vermont. One of the main issues in our dialogue was to determine the "relative" level of stress, and what resources were being utilized to handle it. Quite an eye opener! No problem with identifying the causes of stress, but very for the clients to formulate effective means to process the stress. More about that later.

What is Stress?

We recently asked a number of people to define stress. Their responses were interesting. No one, without exception, could pinpoint its meaning. Some said it was similar to anxiety, but not quite. Others said it was tension, but could not specify what that means. Still others were only able to say they know what it is, but just could not describe it. If you were to look up the word in the annals of psychology, you would find a vast array of definitions. Just trying to figure it out causes stress!

Stress happens when life doesn't conform to your wants, needs, or expectations. This disparity of is immediately converted into a physiological and emotional response. In other words, you see the world through the lens of the mind. You then interpret and compare that world with what the mind wants, needs, expects, hopes for and desires. This perception results in your experiencing both a physiological and emotional response, which you then define as tension or stress. Combine your perception of now with your memory of your past and projections of the future, and, voila, you're stressed!

The origin of stress is the mind. But it doesn't stop there!

From the Mind, to Emotions, to the Body

The mind creates a story, which either coincides with what you want, or do not want. This "story" is then expeditiously compared to reality. If there is a mismatch (which there usually is), there is an immediate emotional response, which in turn generates a physiological response. Of course, the order may be reversed. You may first experience a physiological response and then an emotional one. Sometimes, you may experience a physiological response, then make an interpretation of that feeling, and then create an emotional response. Regardless of the order, this combination of mind, body and emotions is what defines stress.

Sources of Stress

So exactly what is the origin of stress? Well, even though it is internally generated, most stress comes from real world events. Any change, even if it is slow, causes stress. Quick unexpected change causes even more. It is important to understand that as far as the body goes, there IS NO "good" or "bad" stress… it is all the same once it gets to the physical level.

Here is a list of some common "life events", and our approximation of the level of stress that it may induce (on a scale of 1 to 10).

"Bad Stressors"

Death of a spouse 10

Divorce 7

Serious Illness 6

Loss of job 5

Change of Job 4

Arguments with Spouse 3

"Good Stressors"

Get married 7

Moving 7

Retire 6

Have a baby 6

Buy a house 5

Get promoted 4

Graduate 3

Find new friends 2

Make up with Spouse 2

Take a vacation 1

The more of these, and other, major life changes that have occurred in your life during the last year or two, the greater the chances of your becoming physically or emotionally ill. Even small events and changes eventually add up to a large stress index.

The Stress Cycle

Though stress begins in the mind, it doesn't end there!

The body reacts to stress (either real or imagined) with set of reactions that mobilize the resources to deal with an impending threat. It is a "fight-or-flight" response that includes various involuntary neurological and physiological reactions.

When a threat is perceived the hypothalamus signals both the sympathetic nervous system and the pituitary. The sympathetic nervous system stimulates the adrenal glands. The adrenal glands release corticosteroids to increase metabolism, which provides immediate energy. The pituitary gland releases adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) which also affects the adrenal glands. The adrenal glands then release epinephrine and norepinephrine, which prolongs the fight-or-flight response. Yipes!

Other changes include increases in heart rate and blood pressure as well as pupil dilation. All this to give the body the necessary pushes to be able to manage the threat ahead.

Stress, and the subsequent reactions, are truly life protecting. When the huge dinosaur is approaching your cave, and has a very hungry look on his face (he's thinking "super-size me!), your body's stress response is critical. Either fight the dinosaur, or get the heck away from it (this is one of the few times that we DO recommend running as a life-enhancing exercise!).

However, when the threat is conceptual, or self-generated, the stress response is truly unnecessary, and can be detrimental, and harmful.

The Consequences of Stress
Although there are situations in which these adrenaline surges are very helpful in helping us mobilize, the constant adrenaline surges due to repeatedly perceived threats, have a toxic effect on the body. For example, recurrent adrenaline surges inhibit some of the other important functions in the body including growth and tissue repair, digestion and the immune response.

Physically, the body is likely to develop a stress-related disease as a result of the stress toxins that are released. For example, chronic stress can lead to cardiovascular disease by elevating blood pressure, damaging the heart and arteries and increasing blood sugar. Respiratory conditions such as asthma and bronchitis can result from stress-triggered changes in the lungs. When stress inhibits the body’s digestive functions, diseases such as ulcers, colitis and chronic diarrhea can occur. In addition, stress contributes to inhibited growth of tissue and bone, which can lead to decalcification and osteoporosis. The immune system is also inhibited by the reduced efficiency of the white blood cells, making the body more susceptible to disease. Increased muscle tension, fatigue and headaches are additional consequences of chronic stress.

Stress Reduction and Management

Obviously, reducing stress in our lives is one of the best solutions. If you can manage things effectively, and eliminate the source of changes and unexpected situations, that would be great. But, truly, even the effort of trying to manage things in itself causes stress! Life does not respond well to self-willed management. So we need to develop other ways to acknowledge and reduce the stress that is inevitable in life.
Just as the thinking part of your brain is responsible for turning the stress response on, you can turn it off by changing the threatening appraisals you are making. Once you are able to determine that a threat does not exist or that it can be effectively managed, your thinking brain stops sending panic messages to the nervous system. As a result of this reappraisal, the hormones and chemicals cease to be released and the body returns to normal.
Bringing the body back to an "un-stressed" state is very important since almost every system in the body can be damaged by stress. Although our bodies are adaptive and can recover from periodic stressors, chronic stress has serious consequences.
Exercise for Stress Management and Reduction

Because stress is ultimately physical, one very effective way of coping with it is exercise. Exercise contributes to physical fitness. People who are more physically fit tend to have fewer stress-related health problems. They are likely to have fewer symptoms of depression, such as trouble sleeping at night, sleeping too much during the day, overeating, or not eating when they exercise regularly.

A combination of low fitness and high stress can leave you vulnerable to getting more illnesses, like colds and flu. Improved fitness and lower stress can help improve both physical and mental health. It is believed that fitness activities, especially aerobic-type exercises, are helpful in improving cardiopulmonary fitness and in reducing anxiety. I imagine that those little "stress devils" are literally flushed out when I sweat during a spirited interval aerobic exercise session.

Researchers have suggested that endorphins and other chemicals are released in the brain during aerobic-type exercise. This helps the body recover from some of the harmful effects of stress.

Endorphins are formed within the body and naturally relieve pain and induce feelings of well-being and relaxation. They have a similar chemical structure to morphine. Not only will exercise have a relaxation effect at the end of your workout; it will also help you fall asleep faster as well as reduce high blood pressure.

For exercise to be effective in buffering some of the harmful effects of stress, it should be done at least three days per week for at least 30 minutes each time.

And, of course, there's the psychological benefits of exercise. Exercise may be the only time you have during the day exclusively for YOU…no phones, no kids, no spouses, no bosses. A great way to disconnect, meditate, and refocus.

Exercise and Time

Many of our clients (and "should have been" clients) site lack of time as the primary obstacle in engaging in an exercise program. They go so far as to insist that exercising and other stress reduction activities will INCREASE stress because of time restraints. To that we say "phooey!".

Here's how to get past a busy schedule:

Schedule your exercise time.
If you can't find a full 30 minutes during your day, break it up into 10 or 15 minute segments. Though not ideal, this is certainly still very beneficial.
Get up a few minutes early and take a brisk walk, use 15 minutes of your lunch hour to walk the stairs and walk the dog or lift weights after work.
Keep a calendar of your workouts to you can track your progress and stay motivated
Remember that exercise generates energy--the more energy you have, the more you'll get done each day.

Other Stress Management Tools

Exercise is NOT the only effective way to manage stress. Here is a list of other ways that you can reduce stress, and feel better on a daily basis:

Take a deep breath. Deep breathing helps calm the body.

Watch your thoughts. Negative or fearful thoughts create more anxiety and stress. Thinking positive about a situation helps reduce stress.

Practice visualization. Visualize what you want to happen in your life and affairs.

Exercise Regularly. Physical activities often relieve the body of unnecessary tensions and allow the body to function more effectively. Exercise also provides needed diversions from life's pressures.

Eat well, and wisely. Proper nutrition will promote internal balance.

Learn to relax. Just a few minutes of peace and quiet each day to give one the ability to properly assess a challenging situation and to respond in an appropriate manner. Relaxation is a skill. Read something inspirational and listen to your favorite music.

Talk about stress. Opening up about your problems or tensions with close friends, a therapist, co-workers or a clergy member will allow a sharing of feelings and an opportunity to keep potential stressors in proper perspective.

Structure planning of daily activities. By properly planning and using one's time, daily demands can be handled before they create unhealthy stress. Daily planning provides for a varied schedule, which can include work, leisure, social and family activities, as well as personal time. But beware of OVER-CONTROLLING… life just happens!

Set realistic goals. People who expect too much of themselves are most frequently troubled by stress. Goals must be realistic to be motivational.

Do some fun things. Treat yourself regularly by doing something that you enjoy. Eat Ice Cream often. Play with the dog, kids, and spouse (not necessarily in that order!).

Get regular physical checkups. Your doctor may discover physical manifestations of stress that enable you to respond quickly, and effectively.

Turn of CNN!

A Beginning
Although you can’t always control what happens to you, you can take specific steps to cope with stress and manage it more effectively. With practice, these behavioral/relaxation and cognitive techniques will be easier to perform and the benefits of their utilization will be indisputable.

Be fit, and well.

END