Stress is a person’s physical and mental response to environmental pressure. The body has a built in physical reaction to stressful events. When a person encounters pressure, challenge or danger, he needs to respond quickly and the body elicits hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline.

This hormones form part of the so called “fight and flight” response, which affects the rate of metabolism, heart beat and blood pressure resulting to a heightened state, that signals the body for optimum performance in engaging with stressful situation.

It is necessary to distinguish between temporary stress that will subside when a situation is settled and chronic or long term stress. Oftentimes, an individual can adjust with short term stress. It can be resolved by meditation, taking walks and interaction with friend or simply rest/sleep. While chronic or long term, on the other hand, is more difficult to deal, and eventually result to physical and emotional imbalance.

Walter Cannon, (1896) advocate on stress, made use of an x-ray instrument known as fluoroscope to observe the digestive system of a dog under stress. He also observed that it causes hormonal imbalance in the body. With this experiment, Cannon used the term Homeostasis, an equilibrium state of the body.

A Canadian Scientist, Hans Selye (1907–1982), observed that individuals who suffered from chronic diseases revealed some symptoms related to it. This time, the experiment on rats was done. When rats are exposed to various physical trauma factors: shock, poison, high temperature, and noise, their glands enlarged, and thymus gland and lymph nodes shrunken. Selye then created the three Stages of Stress Response consisting alarm, resistance and exhaustion.

Among the causes of physical or mental stress are unpleasant events such as death of a loved one, divorce/separation, imprisonment, injury or ailment, marital problem, loss of job, pregnancy or change of ones financial condition.

Stress is mediated by the hormone, cortisol which is released when a person is stressed over confrontation with other people or their environment that is thought to overpower their adaptation and threaten their welfare.

The perception elements of human beings and their reaction to it differ in various aspects. It all depends on the physical attributes, personality, coping mechanism and general health of an individual.

When one suffers from this, it is important to identify the aspect of life that causes it. Although it cannot be avoided, simply changing ones lifestyle makes a difference.

By: Mark Goodworthy
Learning self-hypnosis or meditation are two great stress management tools. http://stress.y54.com
What is your Stress Management strategy?
With Stress Management Hypnosis you can even do it while you sleep.

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The world of a chronically anxious person can be very dark and exhausting. It is possible to fight fear and anxiety head-on with an arsenal of tools to re-train your mind to feel calmer and more at peace. Having suffered with anxiety my whole life, through much therapy and learning, I have learned to have a kinder and gentler way of being. It has taken a lot of work, but peace of mind is well worth it. Here are some tips to help anyone suffering from severe stress, anxiety or fear.

When feeling overwhelmed and unable to focus, stop for a moment

If your mind is on "overload," that is your body's way of telling you that you need to stop and regroup for a moment. Take a few long, deep breaths. By doing this, you are slowing down your system, and attempting to tell your body to physically calm down. Close your eyes and do this for a few minutes, as you clear your mind temporarily of all thoughts.

Get moving, to help your body produce endorphins, or "feel good" chemicals

Another way to recharge your mind is to get up and do some sort of physical activity. Whether it's a brief walk, jog or ride on an exercise bicycle, do something to get your heart moving. Physical exercise will help your body to naturally produce chemicals called endorphins, that can help to improve your mood.

Be logical, not emotional

Instead of jumping to conclusions about the situation, be rational about it and calmly think of solutions to it. Be realistic in your assessment of the problem, and don't magnify or dramatize it in any way. Just take time to think it over without allowing emotions to take over. It takes practise to do this, but is well worth the work. You are re-training your mind to react more calmly instead of in the old, familiar ways such as panicking or becoming overly emotional. Write it down, and keep a diary of your progress.

Don't beat yourself up

Be kind to your mind. Let yourself make mistakes, because that's what learning is all about. Practise being understanding and supportive to yourself. Don't rely on others to do this for you, let it come from deep inside you, instead. If you grew up hearing negative things about yourself from those you love the most, you may be conditioned to think poorly of yourself. The only way out of it is through it. I know, because I've been there myself. The more I've practised countering self-criticisms with positive thoughts, the easier it got. I can slip into being hard on myself, but then I catch the problem and correct it. Remember, nobody is perfect, and mistakes are only human.

By battling stress and anxiety full-force, on a consistent basis, you can improve the quality of your life. Don't give up. Part of my success has come from being somewhat stubborn and tenacious about solving problems. I use all those fighting skills once needed for survival, now against the high emotion I no longer want or need. Most of my days are peaceful and calm. If a problem crops up, I deal with it. Before, panic would set in and I'd look to others to help me fix it. By believing in myself and my ability to overcome problems, my life has improved. If I can do it, so can you.

By: Carolyn McFann
Carolyn McFann is a scientific and nature illustrator, who owns Two Purring Cats Design Studio, which can be seen at: http://www.cafepress.com/twopurringcats. Educated at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York, Carolyn is a seasoned, well-traveled artist, writer and photographer. Besides handling numerous assignments in the US, she has lived and worked in Cancun, Mexico. Clients include nature parks, museums, scientists, corporations and private owners. She has been the subject of tv interviews, articles for newspapers and other popular media venues.

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Physical symptom of stress—do you have one? Or do you have several? It’s quite possible you don’t realize that some discomfort or condition you have is a physical symptom of stress.

When you don’t realize you have a physical symptom of stress, and you do have one—or more, you can be in danger. When it comes to stress, ignorance is anything but bliss.

If you don’t know you’re stressed, how can you take steps to remove the stress? Or if you know you’re stressed but don’t realize how badly you’re stressed, how can you lower your stress level?

Awareness leads to action.

Your body can give you awareness of your stress levels. But you must be able to understand the language your body is speaking.

Here’s a list of common physical stress symptoms:

--Headaches
--Difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much
--High blood pressure
--Irregular heart beat
--Chest pain
--Fatigue, low energy
--Hair loss
--Nausea, heart burn
--Constipation or diarrhea
--Shortness of breath
--Asthma
--Frequent colds or flues—resulting from a weakened immune system
--Muscle aches
--Pinched nerves
--Weight gain or loss
--Food cravings
--Worsening of addictions
--Heart disease
--Stroke
--Diabetes
--Memory loss
--Cancer

Ugh—did you see the last physical symptom of stress? Did you realize that stress can put your life in danger?

We have a tendency to bandy around the word, “stress”, as if it’s nothing. We say we’re stressed as if it’s an annoyance or inconvenience. We often say it with a laugh.

But stress, especially a physical symptom of stress like cancer, or even diabetes, stroke, or heart disease, is nothing to laugh about.

The bottom line is that almost any ailment you have COULD be a physical symptom of stress.

So how do you tell if your illness or physical complaint is stress related?

You do an emotion/experience check.

Whenever you have a physical symptom, cross-check that symptom with your emotions and your life experiences. Ask yourself these questions:

Have I experienced pressure lately (time pressure, performance pressure)?
Have I experienced a lot of change?
Have I experienced a loss or shock?
Do I have money problems, job problems, relationship problems, family problems or any other problems that I think about more than a few minutes a day?
Have I felt any of these emotions more than usual: anger (anything from annoyance to rage), sadness, frustration, overwhelm, annoyance, resentment, disappointment?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, whatever discomfort you’re feeling in your body may be a physical symptom of stress. Zero in on the cause of the stress as much as possible, and focus on removing the cause. Doing this will oftentimes alleviate the your physical symptom of stress.

By: Andrea Waggener
Ande Waggener, J.D., is an author and life coach who inspires baby boomers and others who want to Finally Live Unleashed. She offers advice to help alleviate your physical symptom of stress and other powerful methods for living your best life. Find out how to turn your problems into power. Get a free report on how to create outstanding results in your life at http://www.finallylivingunleashed.com.

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Are you filled with despair and emptiness? Has life lost its meaning for you, and no one could possibly understand your feelings? Do you believe there is no future without your loved one? It is likely, if you are feeling this way that you are suffering from what is often called normal reactive depression. You are down and reacting because something or someone you cherish is gone.

We are not talking here about clinical or biochemical depression, although reactive depression can evolve into the clinical type. Depression from the loss of a loved one usually does not require medication, although in some instances it is prescribed, and is useful on a temporary basis. Here is what you need to know.

1. Not everyone gets depressed after the death of a loved one. It is perfectly normal not to suffer depression as it is to have to deal with it. However, after the death of a loved one, thoughts and attitudes often trigger loneliness and resulting depression, which occurs early in grieving. It features confusion, little motivation, altered self-esteem, lack of meaning, reduced functioning in one’s social circle, insomnia, and low energy.

2. If you are depressed, acknowledge it. Describe it in detail, where it hurts, and what it feels like. “What is the message or messages this emotion is delivering to me?” is an important question to address. What do I need to accept? To let go of? The refusal to accept the loss is often a root cause of depression. Depending on what you believe about your depression will lead to choices that either help you manage it, or prolong it.

3. Talk to your best friend. Remember, the more you isolate yourself—and this is what depression tends to do—the more you will increase emotional and physical stress. Saying how you really feel (especially what you fear and how angry you may be) to someone you are confident of being with, is an excellent antidote for your grief and to deal with depression. And, forgiving yourself and others, will also release depressed feelings.

4. Use a universal treatment for depression: exercise. Physical activity will have an affect on brain chemistry and help in the management of depression. Take 10-15 minute walks, preferably with someone. This will activate your endorphins and affect mood.

5. Find a symbol of comfort and guidance. Create a symbol that will bring back loving memories of the person who died and/or of your Higher Power who is with you at all times, and will help you through your great loss. Keep the symbol in a place where you will see it often and use it as a cue to think of loving memories—and to accept the new conditions of life.

6. Are deep seated negative beliefs (I can’t go on alone, I’m being punished, I’m never going to feel better, I’m worthless, etc.) adding to your depression? Regain your power. Take it back from those beliefs that say you are less and not more. Believe you can get well. Create opposing affirmations and keep repeating them throughout the day.

7. Start learning to tolerate uncertainty. This can be accomplished by turning toward your spiritual and symbolic beliefs. You will increase your options by letting your spiritual beliefs guide you and strengthen your faith that you will get through this hurtful loss. Know what you can and cannot control. You can control how you deal with major changes; you cannot control what others say and do or what has already happened.

8. Let possibility educate you out of depression. Here is where your imagination can help in a very positive way. Are you open to exploring the numerous choices there are for dealing with loss? Begin to learn about them from others, support groups, readings, and the experts. By creating options for dealing with fear, anger, guilt, and negative thoughts, you can change your view of what lies ahead.

9. Check your eating habits and whether you have an insufficiency of amino acids. Protein consumption at all three meals can affect neurotransmitters and your energy levels. Reduce carbohydrate (not complex carbs), sugar, alcohol, and fast food consumption, and increase fruits and vegetables. The way you feel physically will add to or detract from depression.

Whenever you feel depression creeping back in, immediately ask yourself this key question, “What are my choices here?” If you are burying your feelings and not facing them, depression is a common result.

Refuse to withdraw from life; make connections and express your feelings to a support group or to your best friend. If your depressive symptoms go on for more than a couple of months, be sure to consult a professional counselor. You can get through this darkness and into the light by taking action early (don't wait for it to worsen) to deal with this pervasive emotion.

By: Lou LaGrand
Dr. LaGrand is a grief counselor and the author of eight books, the most recent, the popular Love Lives On: Learning from the Extraordinary Encounters of the Bereaved. He is known world-wide for his research on the Extraordinary Experiences of the bereaved (after-death communication phenomena) and is one of the founders of Hospice of the St. Lawrence Valley, Inc. His free monthly ezine website is http://www.extraordinarygriefexperiences.com.

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There is an old saying, "laughter is the best medicine". Why not treat yourself to some laughter? Visit our jokes index and relax with some jokes, humor and humerous anecdotes.

Comments: For those of you that would like to comment on this or any other post in this blog, go to the Contact me link on the upper right hand side of this page and send your comment via that link. If your comment is on topic, whether pro or anti, and even fairly well written, we will post it with the article. If you have a site that you would like to be linked to your comment please supply it and we will include it.