Stress Management
According to the American Institute of Stress, 43 percent of all adults suffer adverse health effects due to stress, and 75 percent to 90 percent of all visits to primary care physicians are for stress-related complaints or disorders, most of which could be remedied by stress management techniques.
In the same way, anything out of the ordinary that happens to you is stressful on your body. Some of that stress feels good. Even great. Without stress at all, life would be a big bore. Stress isn't, by definition something bad, but it certainly isn't always good, either. In fact, it can cause dramatic health problems if it happens to you too much and for too long.
Stress isn't just out-of-the-ordinary stuff, however. Stress can also be hidden and deeply imbedded in your life.
Stress is such a broad term, and there are so many different kinds of stress affecting so many people in so many different ways. What is stressful to one person might be exhilarating to another. So what exactly is stress?
ACUTE STRESS = CHANGE
Yep, that's all it is. Stuff you're not used to. This could include anything from a change in your diet and exercise plan to a change in your job or living environment or the people involved in your life.
Acute stress is hard on our bodies and our minds because people tend to be creatures of habit.
Here's the tricky part: How much change you can stand before the changes start to have a negative effect on you is a completely individual issue. A certain amount of stress is good, but too much will start to become unhealthy, unsettling, and unbalancing.
EPISODIC STRESS = LOTS OF LIFE CHANGES ALL AT ONCE AND OVER A PERIOD OF TIME.
People who suffer from episodic stress always seem to be in the throes of some tragedy. They tend to be overwrought, sometimes intense, often irritable, angry, or anxious.
Sometimes, episodic stress comes in a more subtle form such as "worry." Worry doesn't solve problems.
CHRONIC STRESS = LONG-TERM, CONSTANT, UNRELENTING STRESS ON THE BODY, MIND OR SPIRIT.
Someone with migraine headaches or other conditions that result in constant pain is under chronic stress. Living in a dysfunctional family or working at a job you hate is a source of chronic stress. So is deep-seated self-hatred or low self-esteem.
All forms of stress can result in a downward spiral of illness, depression, anxiety and breakdown, physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. Too much stress is dangerous. It saps the joy out of life. It can even kill, whether through a heart attack, a violent act, suicide, a stroke, or, as some research suggests, cancer.
SO, HOW DO YOU GET RID OF IT?
You may not feel like stress in your life is quite so bad just yet. You aren't on the verge of a heart attack or a nervous breakdown.......are you???
But what will happen if you don't begin to manage your stress right now? How long will you allow
stress to compromise your quality of life, especially knowing you don't have to let it?
THAT'S WHERE STRESS MANAGEMENT COMES IN.
As pervasive as stress may be in all its forms, stress management techniques that really work are equally pervasive. Pamela Hadfield-Grier can help you manage, even eliminate, the negative stress in your life, by helping you find the stress management techniques that work best for you.
LEARN THEM AND TURN YOUR LIFE AROUND!
Call or email for a free complimentary consultation.