Stress & The Body

Stress &You

Understanding Stress

We experience all of life through the physical reality of our bodies. Our pleasures and pains, the ups and downs of daily life affect the body profoundly. Stress is something everyone feels to some degree during their lifetime.

Stress is a biological physiological response experienced on encountering a threat that we feel we do not have the resources to deal with.
A stressor is the stimulus or threat that causes stress, for example; job/loss of job, divorce, loss of a loved one, health concerns, moving, etc.

Stress is an unconscious and automatic reaction to anything we believe may be threatening to us. In the stress response, the body is primed for flight or flight by messages carried by the sympathetic branch of the nervous system. Whether we are confronted by a mugger on the street or find ourselves in a long line at the drive-through during a short lunch hour, the effects on our bodies are the same, impacting us physically, mentally, and emotionally. Ideally, this defensive reaction will subside once the situation has resolved, allowing our body to return to a normal state. However, a person who is frequently under stressful influences can become locked into a pattern of stress response, unable to relax or let go. This type of stress pattern is damaging to our bodies, and can greatly impact our lifestyle. As these patterns escalate, it can ultimately lead to discomfort or pain and is a contributing factor in most disease processes.

Signs and Symptoms of Stress Overload

The following table lists some of the common warning signs and symptoms of chronic stress. The more signs and symptoms you notice in yourself, the closer you may be to stress overload. Keep in mind that the signs and symptoms of stress overload can also be caused by other psychological or medical problems. If you’re experiencing any of the warning signs of stress, it’s important to see a doctor to help determine if your symptoms are stress-related.

Cognitive Symptoms

Memory problems
Inability to concentrate
Poor judgment
Seeing only the negative
Anxious or racing thoughts
Constant worrying

Emotional Symptoms

Moodiness
Irritability or short temper
Agitation, inability to relax
Feeling overwhelmed
Sense of loneliness and isolation
Depression or general unhappiness

Physical Symptoms

Aches and pains
Diarrhea or constipation
Nausea, dizziness
Chest pain, rapid heartbeat
Loss of sex drive
Frequent colds

Behavioral Symptoms

Eating more or less
Sleeping too much or too little
Isolating yourself from others
Procrastinating or neglecting responsibilities
Using alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs to relax

Causes of Stress

Many different things can cause stress -- from physical (such as fear of something dangerous) to emotional (such as worry over your family or health). Identifying what may be causing you stress is often the first step in learning how to better deal with your stress. Some of the most common sources of stress are:

Survival Stress - You may have heard the phrase "fight or flight" before. This is a common response to danger in all people and animals. When you are afraid that someone or something may physically hurt you, your body naturally responds with a burst of energy so that you will be better able to survive the dangerous situation (fight) or escape it all together (flight). This is survival stress.
Internal Stress - Have you ever caught yourself worrying about things you can do nothing about or worrying for no reason at all? This is internal stress and it is one of the most important kinds of stress to understand and manage. Internal stress is when people make themselves stressed. This often happens when we worry about things we can't control or put ourselves in situations we know will cause us stress. Some people become addicted to the kind of hurried, tense, lifestyle that results from being under stress. They even look for stressful situations and feel stress about things that aren't stressful.
Environmental Stress - This is a response to things around you that cause stress, such as noise, crowding, and pressure from work or family. Identifying these environmental stresses and learning to avoid them or deal with them will help lower your stress level.
Fatigue and Overwork - This kind of stress builds up over a long time and can take a hard toll on your body. It can be caused by working too much or too hard at your job(s), finances, or home. It can also be caused by not knowing how to manage your time well or how to take time out for rest and relaxation. This can be one of the hardest kinds of stress to avoid because many people feel this is out of their control.

Understanding the Stress-Pain Connection

It's not completely clear yet to researchers how stress and pain are related. However, stressed-out people often experience neck, shoulder, and back pain. This could be due to the link between stress and tension in the muscles. It could also be related to brain chemicals. Pain is regulated by the nervous system, so the brain is a key player in how we perceive pain, the brain is always trying to inhibit pain signals. But if you're stressed, simply put, the brain's ability to filter these pain signals is affected in a bad way and pain can be increased. To allow us to keep functioning despite pain, the brain tries to maintain balance when it receives pain signals, however chronic stress can offset this balance.

One thing is clear, for many people stress relief, be it avoiding stress or learning how to cope with it, can lead to pain relief. You can’t completely eliminate stress from your life, but you can control how much it affects you. Our bodies antidote to stress is known as the relaxation response, which is triggered by the parasympathetic branch of the nervous system. This action sends messages to the body, to relax, slow down and take a deep breath, saying in effect, it’s time for rest and healing. Relaxation techniques such as massage, yoga, meditation, calming music and deep breathing activate the bodies relaxation response. When practiced regularly these activities lead to a reduction in your everyday stress levels and a boost in your feelings of joy and serenity. They also increase your ability to stay calm and focused under pressure.

Managing stress is all about taking charge. Taking charge of your thoughts, your emotions, your schedule, your environment and the way you deal with difficulties. Stress management involves changing the stressful situation when you can and controlling your reaction when you can’t, taking care of yourself, and making time for rest and relaxation.