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Stress in the modern world has become part of our lifestyle. It is becoming more important every day to combat stress and stress-related illness. This article explores the implications of stress for the modern man and woman and suggests alternative ways of dealing with high stress. Prolonged stress can overwork many organ systems, especially the heart, blood vessels, adrenals, and immune system. When stress is overwhelming, the response is general depression, low blood pressure and heart rate, increased cortisol (natural steroid hormone), and low sex steroid hormone secretions. Failure to cope with stress can lead to stress-related disorders such as headaches, hypertension, heart disease, stroke, and ulcers.
Most people experience some stress in their lives, but what is stress? In 1925, Hans Seyle, a European physician trained at the German University in Prague, noticed that all his patients displayed the same symptoms, including fatigue, aching bones and joints, fever, and appetite and weight loss. He subsequently developed the concept of "stress" and the body's adaptive reactions to any demand or "the rate of wear-and-tear caused by life." A number of agents can cause stress, including intoxification, trauma, nervous strain, heat, cold, muscular fatigue, polluted air and radiation. According to Seyle, the body reacts to stress in the same way it reacts to danger - by going through a series of biochemical changes, which he called the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS). In the first phase, the body mobilizes its defenses against the stressor agent in a "fight or flight" response: the heartbeat is accelerated, blood pressure levels are elevated, an increased amount of blood flows to the muscles, and the lungs dilate to increase respiratory effort. The second phase of GAS is the "resistance phase" during which the body continues to fight the stress long after the effects of the "fight or flight" response have worn off. If infectious agents induce the stress, the body's immune system activity increases; if the stress is physical, the neuroendocrine system converts protein to energy; if the stress is psychological, a combination of responses may occur.
Many people may not be aware that they are undergoing stress; few recognize that events such as pregnancy, retirement, marriage, death of a close family member, divorce, and writing exams or a number of smaller events, overload the adaptive system of the body, which causes high levels of stress. Successfully coping with stress involves using therapies that are designed to counteract the effects of the "fight or flight" response by inducing its opposite reaction -- the relaxation response. There are several techniques that can induce the relaxation response, including yoga, meditation, progressive relaxation, autogenic training, self-hypnosis, and biofeedback. Equally beneficial for stress management is aromatherapy, exercise, dancing, massage, and listening to soothing music.
Yoga effectively reduces stress and anxiety, lowers blood pressure, relieves addictions, and improves metabolic and respiratory functioning. All forms of yoga involve gentle movements and regular breathing exercises. Some yoga practices also include visualization, progressive relaxation exercises and meditation.
Meditation can be used to help people suffering from chronic diseases as well as stress-related disorders, including abdominal pain, ulcers, and chronic diarrhea. Meditation helps slow the breathing rate and increases oxygen consumption and blood flow to the brain, which produce a more relaxed brain wave rhythm. In some traditions, such as Buddhism, meditators sit comfortably in silence and think no thoughts. In tai chi and other Chinese disciplines, practitioners perform gentle, dance-like movements while meditating on the flow of chi energy through their bodies.
Progressive relaxation is an effective therapy for inducing the relaxation response. People are first taught to contract and relax their face and neck muscles. These muscles are tensed for one to two seconds and then relaxed. This simple procedure helps patients experience the difference In blood flow to a muscle when it is stressed - and away from the muscle when it is relaxed. The "contracting" procedure is repeated progressively from the face and neck to the upper chest and arms, the abdomen, hips, buttocks, thighs, knees, calves, and feet. The whole process is repeated two or three times, and produces a deep state of relaxation.
Some stress is unavoidable in normal living, and while it can provide an opportunity for growth and development, excessive prolonged stress is harmful and increases the risk of medical disorder. Recognizing the early signs of stress and doing something positive through exercise, relaxation, correct eating habits, and other techniques can make an important difference in a person's quality of life and sense of well being.
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