Did you know that the body does not distinguish between physical and
psychological stress? If you have a lot of responsibilities and
worries, you may be stressed most of the time. The more your body's
stress system is activated, the easier it is to trigger and the harder
it is to shut it off.
Long term exposure to stress can lead to
health problems. Chronic stress can raise blood pressure, suppress the
immune system, increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, contribute
to infertility, and speed up the aging process.
How much stress
is too much stress? Think of this as your own personal stress
tolerance level. Here are the things that can influence what that
tolerance level is, and how vulnerable you are to chronic stress:
1.
Your support network - this is your personal buffer against life's
stressors. The more lonely and isolated you are, the greater your
vulnerability to stress.
2. Your sense of control of the situation -
people who are vulnerable to stress tend to feel like things are out of
their control.
3. Your attitude and outlook - stress-hardy people
have an optimistic attitude. They tend to embrace challenges, have a
strong sense of humor, accept that change is a part of life, and
believe in a higher power or purpose.
4. Your ability to deal with
your own emotions - your ability to calm and soothe yourself when you
are feeling sad, angry, or afraid. The ability to bring your emotions
into balance helps you bounce back from adversity.
5. Your prior
knowledge and preparation for difficult events - the more you know
about a stressful situation, including how long it will last and what
you can expect, the easier it is to cope. For example, if you go into
surgery with a realistic picture of what to expect post-op, a painful
recovery will be less traumatic than if you were expecting to bounce
back immediately.
6. Your exposure to past trauma - research
indicates that traumatic life events can predispose a person to
stronger than average reaction to future stressors.
Here are
some self-analysis questions from "The Language of Emotional
Intelligence" by Jeanne Segal, Ph.D. that you can ask yourself to
figure out whether you are in control of stress or if stress is
controlling you:
1. When I feel agitated, do I know how to quickly calm and soothe myself?
2. Can I easily let go of my anger?
3. Can I turn to others at work or home to help me calm down and feel better?
4. When I come home at night, do I walk in the door feeling alert and relaxed?
5. Am I seldom distracted or moody?
6. Am I able to recognize upsets that others seem to be experiencing?
7. Do I easily turn to friends or family members for a calming influence?
8. When my energy is low, do I know how to boost it?
You
are in control of stress to the degree that you were able to answer yes
to the questions above. The portion that you responded to with a no
represents the degree to which stress is controlling you.
Return to Stress-Based Illness
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