The Negative Effects of Stress
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| Stress and anxiety are very prevalent in today's society. When there's too much for your body to handle, the results can be devastating. |
The human body is equipped to deal with the sort of stress that people faced in the pre-industrial world, such as crossing paths with a tiger, tribal warfare, natural disasters or other situations that provoked the fight or flight response.
The Physiology of Stress and Anxiety
In stressful situations, adrenal glands spurt adrenaline into the bloodstream and switch the nervous system over to the action mode of the sympathetic branch of the body.
Your body physically responds to stress by fighting, running, or some other high-energy physical reaction. This burns off the stimulative hormones and extra glucose pumped into the bloodstream for that purpose then returns to normal. These situations occurred occasionally but not chronically. Hopefully, you haven't crossed paths with a tiger recently!
Today the same biochemical responses are triggered hundreds of times throughout out the day and night by frustrations in the office, marital strife, repressed rage, bad news on the TV, exposure to microwaves, abnormal electromagnetic fields, fear, alienation, peer pressures and other daily hazards of modern life.
However instead of making high energy physical responses, we are taught to repress our rage, fear and other negative emotions provoked by stress, thereby failing to utilize the powerful hormones released into the bloodstream.
These potent chemicals quickly break down into various toxic by-products that poison our systems, suppress immunity, and impede other vital functions. Under chronic stress, your body never has a chance to excrete these toxins thoroughly and restore proper balance in the essence of the body and spirit.
Stress is basically a sudden demand on the body to adapt. It preoccupies the entire human system whenever it strikes, engaging body, mind and energy in a vicious circle of tension and turmoil that has no outlet.
Stress can be defined as any type of change that causes physical, emotional or psychological strain. Not every kind of stress is harmful to you or even negative in nature. There are a few different types of stress that you may encounter.
Types of Stress
When faced with chronic stress and an overactivated autonomic nervous system, people begin to experience physical symptoms. The first symptoms are relatively mild, like chronic headaches and increased susceptibility to colds. With more exposure to chronic stress, however, more serious health problems may develop. These stress-influenced conditions include, but are not limited to:
The Negative Effects of Stress and Anxiety
It’s estimated that as many as 90% of doctor’s visits are for symptoms that are at least partially stress-related!
Maintaining lower levels of stress and anxiety is critical. High amounts of stress leave us more susceptible to disease and illness. However, in our fast track society how do we deal with all the extra pressure? Find out how to relieve stress on the next page.
Related Pages on This Site
How to Relieve Stress Naturally
The Symptoms of Depression – What You Need to Know!
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Help for Depression - Common Herbs and Tonics
Depression Help - Where There is Good News!
Psychological Depression During the Holidays
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