Exercise to Manage Stress

Exercise is one important available and free resource to combat stress. As discussed in Stress Causes, when the body undergoes stress a number of chemicals are released into the body, approximately 1500 biochemical reactions which could be harmful if it remains in the body for a long time. Exercise does the important job of releasing these hormones out of the body. And Exercise does a lot more. Consider these:

1. Exercise Detoxifies the body.
2. Releases Anger or Hostility.
3. Alters Consciousness.
4. Increases Self-esteem.
5. Beneficial Escape.
6. Social Support.
7. Human Touch.
8. Reduces Muscular Tension.
9. Stimulates Endorphins.
10. Heightened Somatic Awareness.
11. Lessens Boredom and Stress.
12. Provides Training for Competition.
13. Improves Rest and Sleep.
14. Burns off Unnecessary Fats.
15. Wards off Illnesses

Symptoms of Stress

The symptoms of stress are the early warning signs to watch out for to determine Stress Overload.

People who are experiencing overload may notice some of the following signs:

• panic attacks
• being constantly under pressure
• irritable and moody
• stomach problems
• headaches
• chest pain
• allergic reactions, such as eczema or asthma
• insomnia
• excessive drinking, smoking, eating, or taking illegal drugs
• in the state of sadness or depression

Reaction to strain varies. Some get angry. Others vent it out to someone else. Still others resort to overeating or substance abuse. Detecting the early indications or signs of stress enables one to determine the red flags that signals it is time to take matters in hand and handle stress before it turns into an illness.

Warning Signs and Symptoms

Cognitive Emotional Memory loss Moodiness Indecision Prone to anxiety or panic attacks Lack of focus Impatience Confusion Irritability Imprudence Unable to relax Pessimism Nervousness Anxiety or pain Weighed down by circumstances Worries excessively Loneliness Biased judgment Sadness or depression Bleak expectations Feeling tensed for no reason

Emotional Symptoms of Stress. Emotions pertain to feelings. What we feel in certain situations enable us to determine our stress levels.

Handling emotional stress is important. Knowing what to do when you are emotionally affected by the pressures could help you sustain good health in the midst of a crisis.

Cognitive Stress Symptoms.
Cognitive pertains to what we are thinking. Stress affects not just our emotional but our mental faculties as well. It is important to note that there is a close correlation between mind and emotions. What affects one normally affects the other too.

Physical Stress Symptoms.
These are symptoms which manifest in the body physically. Stress affects our physical being too.

Physical
Headaches
Backaches
Muscle tension and stiffness
Dizziness
Lack of sleep or unable to sleep
Palpitations
Weight gain or loss
Skin problems such as hives, eczema
No sex drive
Frequent colds
Shortness of breathe
Allergies
Asthma attacks
Chest pains

Behavioral
- Overeating
- Loss of appetite
- Lack of sleep
- Putting off things
- Substance abuse
- Nail biting
- Teeth grinding
- Overdoing things such as too much shopping
- Overreacting to situations
- Fighting with others
- Anti-social behaviors
- Jaw clenching
- Withdrawing from friends
- Prone to crying

These signs could also indicate another medical condition other than stress. If you notice any of the signs above then it is best to approach a doctor in order to properly diagnose your case.

Stress Causes – Major Life Changes

Major life changes are also the major sources of stressors. Divorce, separation, child custody cases, empty nest syndrome, pregnancy, relocation, shifting to a new job, graduating from college, death in the family, or illness such as cancer, all causes undue strain on the person especially if the event occurs quickly leaving him or her no time to prepare.

The greater or the more dramatic the change, the bigger the strain will be. This determines the gravity and length of the problem. Also, if you happened to have a number of major life changes at the same time, the more strain you undergo. For instance, if you are in the process of divorce, relocating to another place and starting a new job at the same time, the strain on your part would be enormous. All of the events require huge adjustments.

Long-term stress is dangerous because they are ongoing and could cause strain to the coping resources of the body. Both negative and positive events are potentially straining because both require the person to cope with certain changes. For instance, a happy wonderful event such as a wedding could put undue pressure to the groom and bride-to-be. Preparing for the success of the event is particularly taxing with so many details that need to be taken cared of.

A job promotion is another positive major event that could cause strain. This is because along with job promotion and higher salary comes higher expectations on the worker’s performance. It could also cause some adjustment problems with peers or friends who are now his/her subordinates.

Major life events do not only leave a major impact in our lives but even more on our ability to handle such circumstances. Being prepared of any eventualities and our attitude towards the whole thing are important factors in such situations.

Stress Causes: Daily Hassles

Major life changes are stressful occurrences but they do not occur on a regular basis. Divorce does not happen every day. Just as giving birth is not a daily thing. Daily hassles, on the other hand, confront us often. Traffic jams, money problems especially if you live on paycheck to paycheck basis, relationship problems like quarrels with boyfriend-girlfriend and other concerns. Since these daily, small events happen on a daily basis they could affect us more than the major life changes.

The sources of daily stress include the following:

• Environmental stressors – the environment is a source of daily stress, such as mentioned traffic jams. Other environment factors could be pollution, safety, and discrimination. Living conditions such as staying in squatter’s area or crime-ridden places could also affect the person. Those in war-torn places, displaced individuals, refugees are constantly beset with strain. Environment problems could also be experienced in school. Bullying at school, examination hassles or study loads could cause problems. Harmony with environment has biblical and spiritual basis. A safe and clean environment is always conducive to a person’s health and peace of mind.

• Family and relationship stressors – relationships with friends, family, romantic partners are another source of strain. Problems with marriage, quarrels with family members, coping with teenage angst or looking after a family member who is quite taxing especially on a daily, regular basis. This could upset a person’s performance at school or work if unresolved.

• Work stressors – work is another strain-inducing factor. Oftentimes, careers come first in our lives. Demands from our careers could cause continuous strain. Problems at work could come from burn-out, conflicts with co-workers or managers, lack of fulfillment from the job, excessive workload, unsatisfactory pay and office politics.

• Social stressors – social situation can cause problems. Discrimination, no work, feeling unaccepted, harassment, isolation, being unpopular at school, lack of friends and no family support, all of these cause strains in a person’s life.

Cognitive Stress Symptoms

Humans are the only animals blessed with the capacity to think and to reason. We can process complex thoughts. Thought or cognition is made up of several processes: sensation, perception, apperception (perception+awareness), association and memory. The human brain is very capable of conducting these complex processes. Each function has a different section or part of the brain assigned to it. Stress gets in the way of the smooth functioning of the cognitive part of the brain and the part which is involved with emotion. Cognitive processes are disrupted as a result. This is one of the cognitive stress symptoms. If you are affected emotionally then you are experiencing emotional symptoms of stress.

Human beings are thinking animals. Your capacity for complex thought makes you what you are. In classical psychology, thought, or cognition, is seen as a process consisting of several steps: sensation, perception, apperception (conscious perception with full awareness), association, and memory. Your brain conducts these complex processes, with different sections more or less responsible for particular elements. Stress disrupts the functioning of those parts of your brain necessary for cognitive activity, just as it alters the functioning of the sections involved in emotion. When it does, it interferes with your cognitive processes on a number of levels.

Stress affects the brain. It stimulates adrenaline from adrenal gland which further stimulates the ascending reticular activation system (ARAS). ARAS activates the brains causing faster twice or three times faster release of neurons. Consequently, you can think faster. The brain is in a state of hyperactivity. Brain hyperactivity makes one impulsive, hasty in deciding, have poor memory and unable to process complete information. It is not advisable to make decisions in the midst of strain as this could cause more problems later. Emotional disturbance is also an additional complication. Sometimes, in order to slow down the brain activity, some resort to over-the-counter drugs or medications such as sleeping pills to attain stability or normal functioning.

Physical Symptoms of Stress

Physical symptoms of stress are particularly more pronounced in the muscular aspect. Everybody feels some muscular aches and pains at some point when undergoing strain. We all feel muscular pain when we overexert our muscles such as too much exercise. Using our muscles to do a thing repeatedly could cause aches.

The same way with stress. When we are under strain, our muscles get tensed which is a natural reflex during the ‘fight or flight’ response to stress. Noradrenaline which comes from the sympathetic nervous system tells the muscles to get ready, hence its tense state. The tenseness will enable the muscles to act quickly when in danger. There is a boost of energy during this state.

However, if no action happens, muscle tension may continue which could keep you alert and ‘on guard’ far longer than intended. The human body’s skeletal muscular system is made up of four hundred (400) different muscles. It makes up 40 per cent of the total body weight. These muscles could undergo muscle fatigue, injury or spasms. Muscle fibers are capable of tensing and relaxing continuously. They are designed that way. For instance, while you walk, one set of muscles tense, another set relaxes. Every movement you make has a corresponding and alternative tense/relax effect on the muscles.

If, for some reason, muscle tension does not lead to relaxation such as experienced during continuous and prolonged stress this could result to tension headaches, back pain and temporaro-mandibular joint (jaw pain). Chronic muscle tension can lead to illnesses and decline in muscle health.

This is the reason why daily physical exercises are highly recommended to relieve stress. Daily exercise can release pent-up muscular tensions and enable the muscles to attain relaxation. Proper conditioning of the muscles through exercise alternating with relaxation can help lessen muscular symptoms of stress. Muscles need proper nutrition, exercise and rest too to be able to function fully.

Relaxation techniques such as yoga, meditation and other stress-relievers greatly help release muscle tension. Aspirin could also relieve occasional muscle tensions. Chronic muscle tension can also be brought about by other factors other than pressures such as wrong posture and non-stop routine motions.

How to Handle Emotional Stress

Emotional stress could sometimes lead to various ailments. Griefs, extreme joy, disappointments, frustrations and so many other emotions could be causes for emotional stress.

There are three main steps on how to handle emotional stress:

1. Sorting Out Emotions.

To handle emotional symptoms of stress, it is important that one identifies the emotions first and the reasons behind them. Label each emotion you are experiencing. Could it be fear? Pain? Sadness? Or a combination of the three.

Write down as many words to describe what you are feeling is best way. Writing down ideas would give concreteness to your intangible emotions. It would help clear your mind if you know or see exactly what you are dealing with.

Then try to understand why you are feeling pain? Why the fear? Or, the sadness? Knowing the root cause would make it easier to process the feelings and solve whatever is bothering you. Know more facts about emotional stress symptoms here.

2. Determining Intensity of Emotions

Try to think of a situation that would increase your emotional intensity. Then think of thoughts that will decrease it. Then rate the intensity of your emotions on a scale of one to ten with ten being the highest. Try to experiment increasing or decreasing your intensity levels using thoughts. This will train you to shift emotions when you need to. When you feel down, you can think lighter thoughts to pick up your mood. Remember always, our thoughts affect our emotions and vice versa. So take care of your thoughts and your emotions will follow. For a detailed discussion on the effects of stress on our thoughts, check out Cognitive Stress Symptoms is found here.

3. Releasing emotions

Releasing

Effects of Stress

Effects of stress could be multiple. Even the most capable person could not sustain its ability to handle stress on a continuous, daily and lengthy basis. Strain could exhaust our coping abilities resulting to problems in our minds and bodies. Acute stress could lead to palpitations, difficulties in breathing, inability to work, confusion, irritability and other sufferings.

Effects on Health

Strain accounts for the reason for 60 to 90 percent of illnesses. This particularly affects the nervous system, cardiovascular system and the immune system. The body is prone to infection and illnesses, digestive system doesn’t function well, getting pregnant could be difficult and children under strain would not grow in height. One could experience medical problems such as the following effects of stress:

• Muscle Aches and Pains
• Headaches
• Heart Illness
• Heartburn
• High blood pressure
• Ulcers
• Diabetes
• Allergies
• Asthma
• PMS
• Eating Disorder such as overeating
• Infertility
• Autoimmune diseases such as cough,cold,etc.
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Skin diseases

Effects of Stress on Emotions

Emotional disturbance is a foregone conclusion when you are under stress. As mentioned in the emotional stress symptoms, the emotions accompanying strain are anger, anxiety or depression. Often, when under tension, a mixture of these three emotions manifests. This could lead to further complications such as:

- Substance abuse
- Eating disorders

Severe Trauma Effects

Effects of severe stress could be felt from accidents, natural disasters, rape, life-threatening illnesses or situations or being a war combatant. Once shock wears off, trauma often gives way to recovery. But some people could not recover quickly or will not recover at all. The body could not go back to its normal health state. This severe reaction to traumatic situations is called Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Symptoms of PTSD include:

• Flashbacks, nightmares about the trauma
• Avoiding places and things that reminds one of the trauma
• Extreme caution for signs of danger
• Constant tension and irritability
• Depression

PTSD is complicated and should be treated by qualified medical professionals.

Stress Prevention

Stress prevention is keeping stress at bay. Stress need not paralyze you into inaction. You do not need to cope with it, if you learn how to prevent it. Yes, its debilitating effects can be curbed before it can even strike.

Stress management is the way to prevention. Still, taking care of your self is the best strategy. It is important to note that you only have one self and you are stuck with it, for better or worse. So why not make life a bit more convenient? Give yourself a break, learn to relax and live in the moment with nary a care in the world.

The following stress prevention strategies could help:

• Unclutter Your Life. The simpler the better. A highly complicated, busy life is exciting but stressful. Saying no to some engagements or activities could be beneficial. Sometimes we have this ‘superman’ syndrome when we would to do everything and be everything. But that is not possible. We all have our limitations. We must be humble enough to admit that. Also, our bodies are prone to wear and tear so we must take due care.

• Time Management. Along with stress prevention and management is time management. Learning to manage time effectively would free you from unnecessary tasks.

• Preparation. Being mentally and physically prepared to cope with stress is an important strategy. Being healthy, strong and mentally capable prepare you for the worst case scenario. Knowing what to expect or knowing the extent of the problem would give you confidence in tackling it. Being caught unaware is the worst possible situation to be in.

• Regular and Proper Exercise. Perhaps, the most highly recommended stress prevention is exercise. Exercise does not only tone done muscles and flexes your bones, it also keeps depression, anger and anxiety at bay. A person who exercises regularly has physical outlet for wayward emotions.

• Healthy Diet. Stress prevention would not be complete if proper diet is not part of it. Eating a healthy diet would provide you with nutrients that boost your immune system like Vitamin C. This would make you less susceptible to illnesses caused by strain.

• Attitude Adjustment. It is not how difficult our problems are but how we view them that matters. Even if the problem is not that big but if we think we are inadequate to handle the problem then most likely, it will overwhelm you and appear to be bigger than it actually is. Watch out for negative attitudes and try to inject positive thoughts.

• Break from the Hassles of Daily Life. It is good to step back once in a while and see what you have accomplished thus far and not let petty things floor you. Take a moment to breathe deeply and relax. This will sustain you to continue all throughout the day.

• Relax. Take some quality ‘me-time’ everyday even for a few minutes. Also, take some time to relax like go to massage parlor, shopping, hanging out with friends or watch a movie alone. Anything that can take your mind off your worries even just temporarily is good.

• Laugh. The bible says ‘a merry heart doth wonder’ and it’s true. Laughter releases endorphins or natural painkillers which make one feel better. Laughter also lowers blood pressure, enhance the immune system and circulation.

• Learn to Let Go. There are circumstances beyond our control. It is good to know that you have done your best but beyond that, there is nothing much we can do.

• Develop Inner Resistance/Spirituality. Inner strength is not attained in one setting. It is a compilation of action and circumstances which make one stronger than before. It is important that before trouble strikes, one should nurture inner strength. Developing inner spirituality like praying or meditating is one way to attain inner strength. The more inner resources you can draw upon in times of difficulties, the higher your likelihood for success would be. Return to Symptoms of Stress

Why Do People Get Depressed?

Depression is caused by an amalgamation of factors such as genetics or biological, cognitive, environment, life events, medical conditions, and people’s reaction to things happening in their lives.

Genetics or Biological Reasons

Research shows that depression is inherited. Some people carry with them the genes that make them vulnerable to depression.

Unhappiness or “depression” is also believed to be caused by biological abnormality called “biological” or “endogenous” or “clinical” depression. In her book The Broken Brain: The Biological Revolution in Psychiatry, University of Iowa psychiatry professor Nancy Andreasen, M.D., Ph.D., says “The older term endogenous implies that the depression `grows from within’ or is biologically caused, with the implication that unfortunate and painful events such as losing a job or lover cannot be considered contributing causes” (Harper & Row, 1984, p. 203).

In 1984 in the Chicago Tribune Joan Beck claimed that: “depressive disorders are basically biochemical – and not caused by events or environmental circumstances or personal relationships” (July 30, 1984, Sec. 1, p. 16).

Some believe that the chemical imbalance due to hormonal changes cause “depression” as exemplified by the fact that women’s moods change during the menstrual cycles. Some women do experience physical discomfort during menstruation but it is unclear if the biological changes cause depression.
Another biological indication of depression is when women undergo menopause. Also, the widely contested period of depression for biological reasons after giving birth to a child called postpartum depression is another culprit cited for depression.

Another theory of biologically caused depression is based on stroke damage in the left front region of the brain causing.

The idea of biological or endogenous depression is important to psychiatry for two reasons. First, depression is considered the most common supposed mental illness. As Victor I. Reus, M.D., wrote in 1988: “The history of the diagnosis and treatment of melancholia could serve as a history of psychiatry itself” (appearing in: H. H. Goldman, editor, Review of General Psychiatry, 2nd Edition, Appleton & Lange, 1988, p. 332). Second, all of psychiatry’s biological treatment for depression – whether it is drugs, electroshock, or psychosurgery – are based on the idea that depression can be caused by a biological malfunction rather than life experience.

Hypoglycemia or low blood sugar is also believed to cause depression. The book Fighting Depression, by Harvey M. Ross, M.D., stated that “In my experience as an orthomolecular psychiatrist, I find that many patients who complain of depression have hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). … Because depression is so common in those with hypoglycemia, any person who is depressed without a clear cut obvious cause for that depression should be suspected of having low blood sugar” (Larchmont Books, p. 76 & 93).

Another physical disease causing depression is hypothyroidism. The theory is that the thyroid gland, which is located in the neck, normally secretes hormones which reach the brain through the bloodstream necessary for a feeling of psychological well being and that if the thyroid produces too little of these hormones, the affected person can start feeling unhappy even if no problems result from the endocrine (gland) problem other than the unhappiness.

Not everyone who has the genetic makeup for depression gets depressed, though. And many people who have no family history of depression have the condition. So although genes are one factor, they aren’t the single cause of depression.

Cognitive

Depression could also have cognitive causes. For one, it could be due to a “chemical imbalance” in the brain. Dr. Andreasen in her book The Broken Brain theorized that “depression” is the result of neuroendocrine abnormalities indicated by excessive cortisol in the blood. The test for this is called the dexamethasone-suppression test or DST.

Another theory is “the most widely accepted theory about the cause of depression…the `catecholamine hypothesis.’” She states that “This hypothesis suggests that patients suffering from depression have a deficit of norepinephrine in the brain” (p. 183), norepinephrine is one of the “major catecholamine systems” in the brain (pp. 231-232).

To determine the validity of the catecholamine hypothesis one needs to study the components of norepinephrine, called MHPG, in urine. People with so-called depressive illness “tended to have lower MHPG” (p. 234).

Another popular cognitive theory about depression is that it is caused by lowered levels or abnormal use of another brain chemical called serotonin. It is hard to determine though if this abnormality “associated” with depression, is the cause or effect of depression.

What Happens in the Brain When Someone Is Depressed?

Depression involves the brain’s delicate chemistry particularly chemicals called neurotransmitters. These chemicals function as sender of messages between nerve cells in the brain. Some of these neurotransmitters control the mood of a person. If they run low the result would be depression, anxiety or stress. There are a number of causes that could decrease the number of neurotransmitters. One is stress. Stress affects the balance of neurotransmitter.

The human body responds to stress by stimulating the nervous system and releasing specific hormones. The hypothalamus signals to the adrenal glands to release more hormones adrenaline and cortisol into the bloodstream. These hormones are manifested physically through faster heartbeat, quicker breathing and higher blood pressure and metabolism.

Blood vessels expand to enable the blood to flow toward muscle groups alerting the muscles. Pupils widen to enhance vision. Liver releases glucose to add to body’s energy. Sweat cools off the body. These changes are referred to as the stress response. These kinds of response enable the body to react quickly to the situation. If the response works well then the body responds to pressure well. If not, it could overreact or might have a hard time turning off the response, hence causing depression.
Medications that doctors prescribe to their patients to treat depression work by helping to restore the proper balance of neurotransmitters.

Social Events

Several major life changes could also induce depression. One is death of a family member, friend, or pet. Others include parents divorce, separation, or remarrying. Relocating to another place or school can also affect the person making him depressed.

A dysfunctional family could also make its members negative, stressful, or unhappy leading to depression. Living in high-stress situations such as poverty; homelessness; and violence in the family, relationships, or community are also social factors that could lead to depression.

Substance use and abuse which are prevalent among youths today can possibly cause chemical changes in the brain that affect mood. Alcohol and some drugs are known to cause depression as side effects. The negative social and personal repercussions brought about by substance and alcohol abuse can also lead to severe depression.

Types of Depression

Depression can come in varying forms. It could be intense and short-term. It could also be less severe but can be long-term. Doctors distinguish two types of depression. The severe but short-term is called major depression, while the longer-lasting but less severe is called dysthymia.

A third form of depression is what doctors referred to as adjustment disorder with depressed mood. This pertains to a depressive reaction to a specific life event such as a death, divorce, or other loss. Unhappiness is actually normal when those events occur but when the adjustment takes longer than necessary then it becomes chronic and turns to depression.

Bipolar disorder (also sometimes called manic depressive illness) is another depressive condition characterized by periods of major depression combined with periods of mania. Mania means abnormally high mood and extreme bursts of unusual activity or energy.

Symptoms of Depression

Symptoms include the following:
• depressed mood or sadness for long periods of time for no apparent reason
• tiredness at most times
• lose of interest in things or inability to enjoy things that used to be pleasurable
• withdrawal from friends and family
• irritable mood, angry, or anxious
• unable to focus
• sudden weight loss or gain
• considerable change in sleep patterns such as inability to fall asleep, stay asleep, or getting up late in the morning
• feeling unworthy or guilty
• feeling aches and pains even if there is no medical cause
• prevalence of negativity and indifference
• contemplating death or suicide

When someone exhibits at least five or more of these symptoms for 2 weeks or longer, then the condition is probably no longer mere sadness but already depression.

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