The Danger of Stress

Getting stressed isn't just a state of mind. It can also seriously harm the body. By Melinda Wenner | August 15, 2008 | 22 You probably think you're doing everything you can to stay healthy: you get lots of sleep, exercise regularly and try to avoid fried foods. But you may be forgetting one important thing. Relax! Stress has a bigger impact on your health than you might realize, according to research presented yesterday at the annual conference of the American Psychological Association in Boston. Ohio State University psychologist Janice Kiecolt-Glaser and her partner, Ronald Glaser, an OSU virologist and immunologist, have spent 20-odd years researching how stress affects the immune system, and they have made some startling discoveries. An easy example comes from their work with caregivers, people who look after chronically ailing spouses or parents (no one would argue that this role is quite stressful). In one experiment, Kiecolt-Glaser and her colleagues administered flu vaccines to caregivers and control subjects and compared the numbers of antibodiesproteins involved in immune reactionsthat the two groups produced in response. Only 38 percent of the caregivers produced what is considered an adequate antibody response compared to 66 percent of their relaxed counterparts, suggesting that the caregivers' immune systems weren't doing their jobs very welland that the stress of caregiving ultimately put them at an increased risk of infection. If stress affects immune responses, then it should also affect how well the body heals itself. In one particularly cringe-worthy study, Kiecolt-Glaser and her colleagues afflicted a group of caregivers with small arm wounds using a tool dermatologists use to perform skin biopsies. The caregivers' wounds took 24 percent longer to heal than wounds that they had afflicted to non-caregivers. Okay, but what if caregiving isn't an accurate proxy for stress? To explore other stressful situations, Kiecolt-Glaser and colleagues performed another experiment in which they produced tiny lesions in the mouths ofquite appropriately11 dental students at two different points in time. Once was during their summer vacation, when they were relaxed, and once was during the fall, several days before a difficult exam. The lesions done before the exam took from two to eight days longer to heal than the summer wounds. For some subjects, the exam wounds took nearly twice as long to get better. Ouch. How Stress Hurts It might seem counterintuitive, but Kiecolt-Glaser believes that stress makes our immune systems less effective because it actually elicits an immune response itself. Stress, she says, causes the body to release pro-inflammatory cytokines, immune factors that initiate responses against infections. When the body produces these cytokines over long periods of timefor instance, as a result of chronic stressall sorts of bad things can happen. Not only does it hamper our body's ability to fight infection and heal wounds, but chronic inflammation also increases our risk of heart disease, osteoporosis, and autoimmune diseases including type 2 diabetes.

What's more, because regular stress causes a chronic immune response, it can also increase a person's risk for allergies, which occur when the body elicits a chronic immune response against something that's not really dangerous (like pollen). In her most recent study, announced yesterday, Kiecolt-Glaser found that when people are under lots of stressfor instance, when they are forced to deliver a speech or do difficult math problems on the spot their allergies worsen over the course of the next day. I admit, this post may not exactly have the intended effectworrying about the danger of stress is definitely stressfulbut take a deep breath. If you ask me, learning a few relaxation techniques sounds like a more appealing illness-prevention strategy than many other alternatives. (Go ahead and throw away that cod liver oil.) Indeed, the next time you feel guilty about enjoying a lazy Sunday, or taking a day off from work for the heck of it, think again. Your body will thank you for it.

How To Stop Life Stress Before It Becomes Severe

Preventive Stress Management
By Elizabeth Scott, M.S., About.com Guide Updated February 22, 2012 About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by the Medical Review Board
We all know what it feels like to be overwhelmed by stress, and this site has many techniques that can effectively reduce high levels of stress to more manageable levels so you dont suffer negative health consequences. However, the best way to manage severe stress is to prevent it, or catch it while its still low-grade stress and prevent it from becoming severe and chronic. This article contains some important suggestions that have also been recommended by the Mayo Clinic on how to manage stress day-by-day to prevent it from becoming overwhelming. Relaxing Its important to keep your mind and body relaxed. Meditation, prayer, having a creative outlet, listening to music and laughter all help. For other relaxation techniques, visit the Tension Tamers section. Watch Your Body Before you experience ulcers, heart disease and other major health problems from stress, your body will experience milder forms of discomfort, such as headaches, stomach upset and poor sleep. When you feel these early warning signs, start practicing your tension taming techniques and put a stop to low-grade chronic stress before it becomes a bigger problem. Physical Activity Practicing martial arts, jogging, lifting weights, or even a short walk can improve mood and reduce feelings of stress by increasing endorphins, lowering cortisol levels, and providing many other benefits. Here are some of the best ways to reduce stress with exercise. Eat Well A healthy diet gives you the energy to handle daily stress, and keeps your blood sugar levels stable so you dont experience mood swings due to low blood sugar levels. Skipping meals and making poor food choices can contribute to fatigue, greater susceptibility to illness, greater feelings of stress, and a general feeling of poor health. Setting Boundaries Being overscheduled and rushed can be a significant cause of stress. By prioritizing your commitments and saying no to some tasks can help you be more successful with what you find to be really important, and youll have extra time for additional stress management activities.

Maintain Social Support Having a supportive network of friends can help you stay healthy and reduce stress in many ways. Friends can provide resources that you may need when youre in a bind, or a supportive ear that helps you feel accepted and understood. Studies show that having a sense of belonging can reduce your risk of depression. And having a friend who makes you laugh can also make you healthier and less stressed. Find Fun Distractions Playing games, reading, watching movies and t.v. can all help you get your mind off of whats stressing you and onto something more pleasant. Sometimes this is just the break you need to stop a pattern of obsessing over your problems, and enable your body and mind to enter a relaxed state. When you come back to your stressors, they may not have the same powerful grip on you. Keep a Positive Perspective Throughout the day, stop and evaluate the endless stream of thoughts that run through your mind. If theyre negative, try to reframe those thoughts in a positive way. (This isnt the same as pretending everythings great when it isnt, a form of denial that doesnt always help.) Using less negative language in your self-talk, looking for the hidden benefits as well as the obvious drawbacks of stressful situations, and reminding yourself that this, too, shall pass are all effective strategies in positive thinking that have helped many people. Get Help If You Need It If stress is affecting your ability to work or find pleasure in life, seek help from your doctor, mental health provider or other professional. Theres no need to let stress overwhelm your life, and there are many effective forms of help available. Finding it could give you the life you want and deserve.

Working toward implementing these practices into your daily routines can go a long way toward reducing stress in your life and leaving you healthier and happier. Take baby steps at first, and reward yourself for the progress you make, and in no time, these new practices will be old habits.

Top 10 Things To Know About The Effects of Stress

From Your Guide, Elizabeth Scott, Updated February 22, 2012 About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by the Medical Review Board
While there's a wealth of information available about the effects of stress, it can be stressful trying to wade through it all! Here are 10 important facts about the effects of stress that can go a long way in helping you understand stress and its role in your life. This can help you quickly and easily learn more about the effects of stress and find some effective stress management techniques to incorporate into your life right now. 1. The Wrong Attitude Significantly Increases Your Stress Level We all experience stress, but the pessimists, perfectionists, and those with 'type A' personalities (to name a few) greatly increase the level of stress they experience in a given event, and even bring more stressful events into their lives with their self sabotage thought and behavior patterns. If you have some of these tendencies, you can significantly reduce the level of stress you experience with these resources on stress and self sabotage. 2. Some Types of Stress Can Be Beneficial A certain type of stress, eustress, is actually necessary and beneficial for a balanced and exciting life. Eustress is the type of stress you experience when you're riding a roller-coaster (if you enjoy fast rides), are playing a fun game, or are falling in love. Eustress makes us feel vital and alive. (Chronic stress, however, is another story!) If you're interested in learning more about the different types of stress and how they affect your health, read this article on stress and health. 3. You Can Stop Your Stress Reaction Right Now When you experience stress, all manner of physiological changes occur to get you in top physical shape to fight or run. Unfortunately, if you don't calm yourself down relatively quickly, you could remain in this altered state for too long, and it could take a toll on your health. Practicing stress relievers like breathing exercises and meditation can calm you down quickly, returning your body to normal. Read more on how to calm down quickly. 4. Even Small Amounts of Stress Can Affect Your Health You may be aware that months spent in a stressful life situation can leave you vulnerable to illness, but did you know that relatively short periods of stress can also compromise your immune system, elevating your risk of illness? Sadly, it's true. Learn more about the ways that stress, especially job stress, can impact your health. 5. The Wrong Attitude Can Make You Sick Negative thought patterns and emotional stress can lead to psychosomatic illness, a condition that's caused at least in part by stress, but has physical symptoms that need to be treated as any other

illness does. If you're concerned about your thoughts and emotions taking a physical toll, read more on psychosomatic illness and staying healthy. 6. You Can Prevent A Significant Amount Of Stress In Your Life From Occurring Some stress is inevitable, but you can structure your life in ways that buffer you from stress and stressful events. For example, maintaining a healthy diet, getting regular exercise, and having at least a few close friendships are all important ways to relieve stress and stay healthy. Find more ways to relieve daily stress in your life, and prevent some of your stress from ever occurring! 7. Stress Can Age You Prematurely in Many Ways It may be surprising, but stress can be more of a factor in determining your physical age than the number of candles you blow out each year. Stress actually speeds up wear and tear on many, many areas of your body and at all levels, inducing many of the changes we refer to when we talk about 'aging'. Read more about recent research on this here. 8. Not Everyone Experiences Stress In The Same Way Certain inborn personality traits and learned thought patterns can cause two people who live through the same event to experience it very differently, with one person finding it extremely stressful and the other finding it only mildly stressful or not at all. Some of these traits you can't change, but others you can alter to a large degree. Read more about mental traits contributing to burnout and stress, and find resources for altering your experience of stress. 9. Some 'Stress Relievers' Actually Cause More Stress Most of us have a few less-than-healthy ways of dealing with stress. Unfortunately, most of these 'bad habits' that feel so good at the time can really cause much more stress in the long run. If you smoke, drink in excess, spend too much, or handle stress in a way you know may not be good for you, find resources for understanding how you're affecting your stress levels right now, and find resources for healthier coping. 10. By Imagining Your Stress Gone, It Can Be Certain mental stress relief techniques, such as affirmations, guided imagery and visualizations, involve imagining that your stress is gone. And they work! Learn more about these and other mental stress relievers, and see which one works best for you.

The Danger of Self-identifying as "Stressed"

You break your own heart when you give in to stress. Published on September 15, 2011 by Loretta Graziano Breuning, Ph.D. in Your Neurochemical Self

Everyone has stress. It's foolish to speak of some people as "stressed" as if others go through life effortlessly. Being alive is stressful.

But you get to choose how you manage your stress. Often, people give in to it. They feel hopeless and defeated, which causes the heart to contract. You are literally hurting yourself when you "lose heart." Your muscles tighten, which stresses your whole body as if you had experienced an actual injury. You can break the habit of stressing yourself by managing your expectations. If you expect your survival needs to be met without struggle, and expect people to get along without conflict, and expect to have fun all the time, the world will not meet your expectations. Something is wrong with the world, you may say. But blaming the world puts you in a powerless, hopeless position, and your heart contracts. Stress just happens to you, in the popular opinion. It plops into your life from external sources, putting you at an unfair disadvantage against people you imagine to have no stress. This perspective overlooks the internal nature of stress, and your active participation in it. Such thinking leaves you powerless to do anything about your stress.
A stress habit can get reinforced by people who are trying to "help." Doctors and teachers may ask if you are "having stress," and you get the impression that you qualify for extra slack if you say "yes." Friends seem extra nice when you are "stressed," and they like you if you empathize with their stress. Identifying yourself as "stressed" has benefits that lure people. But it's not worth the cost. If people invite you to be stressed, just say no.

This is easier said than done. A shared identity grows among people who talk about how awful things are, and they regard you as a freak if you don't share this view. Such people come to think of themselves as heroic, and may accuse you of not doing your share if you're not in a frenzy as they are even if you get more done than they do. Animals face constant life-threatening survival challenges. Their bodies release cortisol when they perceive a threat. This is the chemical humans experience as stress. Cortisol creates the sensation that something must be done urgently. Animals have a limited repertoire of responses to that internal alarm. Humans complicate things with lots of extra neurons, so when our internal emergency alarm rings, we don't see a clear way to "do something."
Animals don't think something is wrong with the world, despite their survival challenges. Reptiles have thousands of offspring and most are eaten by predators. Lions fail to catch their prey 95% of

the time and often go hungry. Male mammals don't get to have sex unless they fight their way up the status hierarchy, and female mammals are dominated by older females their whole lives. Of course animals don't conceptualize their stress, or project it into the future. They release it in the moment. But the next moment they confront a new stressor. They never give up, however. They just keep trying.

As long as you keep trying, your cortisol doesn't get the better of you. You evolved for action. Humans have one kind of stress that animals don't have: awareness of our own mortality. Your brain reacts to this awareness as if it were a clear and present danger. Animals don't have enough neurons to terrify themselves with their own mental constructions. You can't escape from the knowledge that the world will spin merrily along without you some day. The thought triggers so much anxiety that people try to avoid it. They project the anxiety onto other things, like health care and finances. No amount of health care and finances will keep you alive forever, so you are better off accepting the fact that you are a vulnerable bit of protoplasm. It's an uncomfortable thought, but accepting it helps you stop stressing over what is wrong with the world. You cannot live forever, so you might as well make good use of the time you have. If you find yourself stuck in the idea that something is wrong with the world, you're not alone. This idea is being taught as fact at most universities. You get to decide if you want to invest your life in this paradigm. What alternative is there? Check out my positive paradigm, at positiveparadigm.org.

Opening sentence: I agree with the article The Danger of Stress published on August 15, 2008 by Melinda Wenner. By refer from that article; I think here are some of the best ways to reduce stress. Topic sentences: Do some physical activities to prevent stress. SD1- Practicing physical activities can improve mood and reduce feelings of stress. SD2- For example, people can do practicing martial arts, jogging, lifting weights, or even a short walk. Sp3-It is because those thing will increase healthy and providing many other benefits. Topic sentences- People need to setting up their boundaries. SD1- Being overscheduled and rushed can be a significant cause of stress. SD2- By prioritizing your commitments and saying no to some tasks can help you be more successful with what you find to be really important. SD3- So, by doing that you will have extra time for additional stress management activities. Topic sentences- Maintain Social Support SD1- Having a supportive network of friends can help you stay healthy and reduce stress in many ways. SD2- Friends can provide resources that you may need when youre in a bind, or a supportive ear that helps you feel accepted and understood. SD3- Studies show that having a sense of belonging can reduce your risk of depression, and having a friend who makes you laugh can also make you healthier and less stressed. Conclusion In short we all need to control our stress level because it is very dangerous for our health. We need to always be positive on what we do and also on what people say. Do fun things that can make us happy so that we wont feel stress. Just follow these three simple ways and we can be on our way on a better and healthy life.