Overall Health by A. Louis Blackwell - HTML preview

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Chapter 6:

The Basics On Stress

Synopsis

Stress is defined as a reaction to something that bothers us physically, mentally and emotionally, which as a result affects our equilibrium. Therefore, stress is innate and can be triggered when something adverse happens. When a stressful event takes place the fight/flight response is triggered causing the adrenaline and cortisol in the body to rise to keep us alert and alive.

Relax!

Having a small amount of stress is good but keeping it for a long period of time can significantly affect our overall health. While stress is unavoidable, the best way to prevent it to linger more is to change your reaction towards stress. How will you do that?

You need to understand stress and why it has to be present in our lives. Stress has several types and levels. Therefore, it makes sense that we get affected by it in so many different ways. For us to manage it effectively we must understand first what types of stress we are experiencing. That way we can condition our mind and body to expel stress as quickly as possible.

Stress should not be perceived as something bad at all times because in life stress can either be good or bad. What makes stress becomes bad is when we allow it to stay in us for a long duration. The good side of stress when present in moderation is the energy that it gives us that keeps us alive and stimulated to do our tasks. Recognizing the good stresses from the bad ones will allow you to use it to your advantage.

Our health can be greatly affected by stress when taken for granted. It can cause us to get sick every so often. Not only that, “chronic stress” can also affect our mental health which could possibly lead to emotional instability. Before that happens, you have to stop the madness before it ruins you completely.

Research also shows that stress has an effect on your physique. This is because when you have stress overload, chances are you will care less about yourself. You won’t pay much attention to your looks and worse you will not care about your eating pattern and the type of foods that you are consuming which can cause change to how your body processes the food. If this happens, your weight and body figure will be greatly affected.

Stress can also affect our way of life and relationships. When we are stressed we are likely to feel that there is never enough time for us to complete our responsibilities. As a result, involvement becomes less and you hardly see your friends and family. Also, since stress can make someone moody, you might hurt your loved ones because of your erratic mood.