Stress: Why Should We Be Concerned?

When most of us think of stress, we think of stress from the job, stress from paying the bills, or the stress from personal relationships.

We don’t often think of the other things in our day that cause stress. Getting up to an alarm clock, the drive to work, or the stress of an improper diet.

Stress is most often thought of as the body’s response to an unknown or dangerous situation. The “fight or flight” response. The heart quickens and the senses become heightened. In a dangerous situation this may be helpful, but long term stress can be very detrimental to our health and may even be deadly.

There are many different types of stress:

• Acute stress: A sudden and short response to an unknown or dangerous situation. For example: A traffic accident.
  
  
• Episodic acute stress: Many episodes of acute stress, one right after another.
  
  
• Physical stress: Although physical activity can be stressful to the body, physical stress can also include exposure to toxins (pollutants in the air or additives to our food) or an improper diet. Obesity can also cause physical stress.
  
  
• Chronic stress: Ongoing, stressful situation, often with no end in sight. Some examples: Being in debt or being in an abusive relationship.
  
  
• Traumatic stress: Brought on by a catastrophic event, such as the death of a loved one.

According to the AMA (American Medical Association) 80% of all illness is related to stress. Sometimes stress is the direct cause of the illness. Sometimes it worsens an already existing condition. 2/3 of the prescriptions written in the United States are to combat stress.

To give you just a short list of problems brought on by stress: depression, heart disease, stroke, obesity and cancer. These conditions could eventually lead to premature death.

So what can we do about it? I will cover that in more detail in future articles, but for now here are some suggestions:

• Write about it: Sometimes writing about what you’re stressed about can release some frustrations.
  
  
• Physical activity: Exercise can help release a lot of tension. Walking, jogging, bicycling are great forms of exercise. Dancing can also help. You don’t have to go out to do it. Put on some of your favorite music and enjoy yourself. I’m a practitioner of the martial arts. I found I could release a lot of frustration pounding away on a heavy bag.
  
  
• Medication or supplements: As I stated earlier, 2/3 of the prescriptions written in the U.S. are to combat stress. But medication can also be toxic to the body, which means physical stress. In this case the risks must be weighed against the advantages. There are, however, natural supplements that can help combat stress. I will discuss those in future articles.

In my next article I will discuss how stress affects the immune system and ultimately, your health.