GOOD STRESS BAD STRESS

How To Tell The Difference?

Stress is the physiologic response to an event. It is not the event itself.

Although you may not be able to prevent external stress-producing events
from happening, you can learn to control your response to those events.
You can influence the way thought patterns work in your brain, and you can
use this to your advantage in a big way.
Humans unlike any other animal can actually turn on the stress
response just by thinking of something stressful There is almost nothing you
can do for yourself that is more important than developing solid strategies to
deal with stress.
When the stress response fires the sympathetic nervous system springs
into action. Your breathing quickens, blood pressure goes up, libido
decreases and your digestion turns off. All this is designed to keep you alive
during a life-threatening event. Once the danger is over the stress response
is supposed to stop but when it doesn’t, there’s trouble. Long-term stress
can do enormous damage to your health.
Chronic stress can actually damage the hippocampus and lead to
memory impairment. It can increase your blood pressure, blood sugar level,
cholesterol, heart arrhythmias, depression, headaches, fatigue and your
perception of pain. In fact 40 million people in the U.S. suffer from stress
related anxiety disorders.
But don’t be afraid of short-lived stress. In fact it’s okay if you even
thrive on it. Some people do. Don’t hesitate to challenge yourself. You’ll
grow stronger in the process. But here’s the catch. You need to be able to
turn off the stress response when you want to. You need to be in charge of
your stress response so that it works for you not against you.
It is not necessarily how much stress people have in their lives, it is how
they feel about it and whether they are able to shut off the stress response
when they want to so that it does not simmer unchecked. Learning how to
control the stress response is perhaps the most important lesson you can
learn when it comes to good health. There is almost nothing you can do for
yourself that is more important than developing solid strategies to deal with
stress.
 LONG-TERM STRATEGIES TO REDUCE STRESS
Exercise regularly, Eat regular meals
Sleep eight hours a night, Slow down – enjoy more of less
Create a supportive social network, Try yoga and meditation

SHORT TERM STRATEGIES TO REDUCE STRESS

Study how your body feels when stressed. You can turn off the stress
response physiologically in less than 60 seconds with a few, very slow deep
breaths. Count to five slowly while inhaling, hold for five counts, and then
exhale for five counts. After five or so breaths, focus on what it is you are
truly thankful for. Picture it in your mind, and really concentrate on this
feeling. You can think any pleasant thought you want to turn off the stress
response, but feelings of gratitude turn out to be the most effective.
Next, ask yourself if you even have any control over what’s happening.
All you can control is how you choose to respond. There is real
freedom in realizing that you can’t control a lot of what happens in life but
that’s okay. Accepting that life is not perfect can be very freeing.