What Is Stress?

Stress is your body's way of responding to any kind of demand. It can be caused by both good and bad experiences. When people feel stressed by something going on around them, their bodies react by releasing chemicals into the blood.

These chemicals give people more energy and strength, which can be a good thing if their stress is caused by physical danger. But this can also be a bad thing, if their stress is in response to something emotional and there is no outlet for this extra energy and strength.

Examples of "overload" situations leading to stress are common in today's world:

• You and your spouse both work full time while you are raising your family. At the same time, your parents are retired, in ill health, and are dependent on your help with shopping and running errands.
• You are a single person living alone, and your salary isn't rising as fast as the rate of inflation. It's getting harder each month to pay the bills.
• You are a divorced parent and share the custody of your children with your former spouse. But the friction between the two of you on matters concerning the children is becoming more bitter and more frequent.
• The expectations and competition at your workplace is becoming fierce. You find yourself coming in early, staying late, and taking on more work than you can handle.

What Are The Signs Of Stress?

Stress can cause both mental and physical symptoms. The effects of stress are different for different people.

The mental symptoms of stress include:

• Tension
• Irritability
• Inability to concentrate
• Feeling excessively tired
• Trouble sleeping

The physical symptoms of stress include:

• Dry mouth
• A pounding heart
• Difficulty breathing
• Stomach upset
• Frequent urination
• Sweating palms
• Tight muscles that may cause pain and trembling

Many addictions are linked to a stressful lifestyle, such as overeating, smoking, drinking, and drug abuse. These are used as an escape or a temporary way of "switching off" - but they do not address the underlying problem.

Good Stress Versus Bad Stress

So if stress can be so bad for you, how can there be "good" or "positive" stress?

If you are suffering from extreme stress or long-term stress, your body will eventually wear itself down. But sometimes, small amounts of stress can actually be good.

Understanding your stress level is important. If nothing in your life causes you any stress or excitement, you may become bored or may not be living up to your potential. If everything in your life, or large portions of your life, cause you stress, you may experience health or mental problems that will make your behavior worse.

Recognizing when you are stressed and managing your stress can greatly improve your life. Some short-term stress -- for example what you feel before an important job presentation, test, interview, or sporting event -- may give you the extra energy you need to perform at your best. But long-term stress -- for example constant worry over your job, school, or family -- may actually drain your energy and your ability to perform well.

You Are Not Alone: Common Facts About Stress

• Millions of North Americans suffer from stress each year.
• In fact, 3 out of 4 people say they experience stress at least twice a month.
• Over half of those people say they suffer from 'high' levels of stress at least twice a month.
• Stress can contribute to heart disease, high blood pressure, and strokes, and make you more likely to catch less serious illnesses like colds. It can also contribute to alcoholism, obesity, drug addiction, cigarette use, depression, and other harmful behaviors.
• In the last 20 years, the number of people reporting that stress affects their work has gone up more than four times. (Whereas the number of people reporting that other illnesses affect their work have gone down.)
• One fourth of all the drugs prescribed go to the treatment of stress.

Managing stress involves learning about:

• How stress affects the mind and body
• How to identify the warning signs of stress
• How to develop good stress-management techniques
• When to seek professional help

There are simple steps you can take right now to help reduce your stress!  For information on these techniques and to learn more about stress dowload my free guide “How to Solve Your Problems by Stopping Your Stress”