Symptoms Of Stress

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There are many signs of stress. Too many to list. Essentially they come down to this.

 

If you push a machine beyond it’s limits, sooner or later it will break.

 

In the same way if you push your body, your emotions, your mind and your relationships too far, they will break.

 

Physiologically we are elastic. In that if we push ourselves to our limits we can go that little bit further. 

 

Under stress, our adrenal glands secrete stress hormones. These shut down our digestive processes and drain all blood to our limbs. They block our sensitivity to pain and gather all of our resources to cope with the current situation.

 

As a temporary state and with adequate rest, this isn’t a problem. In fact we actually mould ourselves to be able to cope with more. We become stronger.

 

The problem arises when we abuse this elasticity. When the situation is no longer something like seeing off a hungry lion, but a demanding work problem. We over stress the body. We are in an almost perpetual state of stress and so we deplete our resources.

 

Whatever we eat we can’t get the full nutritional value from because our digestive system isn’t working properly.

 

We don’t look our best because our resources are diverted.

 

We feel bad physically because our muscles are in a permanent state of heightened awareness.

 

We feel bad mentally because our processes are working on minimal resources and our attention is focused on possible danger.

 

And so we feel bad emotionally because we know we are at the end of our tether. Our body becomes like a car without oil to lubricate it’s work. And everything we do becomes a source of friction. Every symptom of stress feels like poking an open cut. 

 

Through understanding these symptoms and processes we can prevent them from happening.

How To Relieve Stress – Forever

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I often hear people talking about how they want to reduce or relieve the stress in their lives. 

 

I believe though that everything in our lives serves a purpose. And by finding the purpose and the reason that the stress is there we can cut it off from it’s source.

 

This way we can not only reduce stress now, but prevent it from occurring ever again. Here’s my take on the purpose that stress serves…

 

Stress relieves boredom.

 

What we all crave more than anything else in our lives is excitement.

 

We all somewhere, however deep it is buried have a dream that we wish to be living. And these dreams are full of excitement.

 

If we were to really live our dreams we would jump out of bed every morning full of motivation, passion and purpose.

 

However most people, aren’t at that stage in their life. Most either have no clue what they want to be doing or they can’t see how they could turn it into reality.

 

Without something in our everyday life that sets our soul on fire we have to varying degrees…

 

boredom.

 

Boredom is the absence of life and vitality. Boredom is the death of life. 

 

We cannot stand to listen to someone speaking in a monotone.

 

We cannot bear to sit and watch paint dry. 

 

We cannot bear to eat the same foods, do the same activities everyday.

 

Why?

 

Because it literally sucks the life from us.

 

We need excitement and stimulation because that’s what makes us feel alive. It causes our brain to create the chemicals that make us feel alive. And emotion… feeling alive is preferable to feeling like a zombie.

 

So without some overriding purpose, passion and excitement in our lives. 

 

Without something that brings our spirit to life… that sets our soul on fire… we look for whatever will bring us a quick shot of excitement. Whatever will get adrenaline pumping through our veins. This is where stress comes in. Stress relieves boredom.

 

Gossip, the fascination with pop stars, celebrities, sport, movies, television, news are all ways that we use for quick excitement.

 

So too are danger, drugs, sex, work and any kind of addiction.

 

The problem is that in exchange for a shot of excitement from outside of us, we give up some of our control over our life. 

 

And so while we get our shot of excitement we also get the lows. Then we get bounced around by life.

 

If you want lasting excitement, passion and purpose that sets your soul on fire you need to create it as the foundation of your life.

Stress: The 60 Second Overview

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Stress when we talk of it in relation to machines, refers to how much the machine can take before it will break.

 

In the same way people have a limit as to how much they can take.

 

Stress depletes us. It makes us less than we are. It takes away our ability to be effective… to think clearly and rationally… and therefore it cuts off options. Options that possibly could provide solutions.

 

Since the experience of life is really a response to our continuous selection of various options. Stress diminishes and lessens our experience of life.

 

Happiness is all about freedom. Or more accurately, perceived freedom. The freer we are, the happier we feel.

 

We feel tense when options seem to be closing off to us… unless we act now.

 

If we feel pressed down to one option and stuck we feel de-pressed. 

 

We can overcome stress and tension when we have the clarity to see – beyond the panic and fear of the moment – the broader and deeper perspective that will solve the problem concerned.

 

If we base our lives from this broader and deeper perspective. In other words, if we allow ourselves to see more possibilities… more options… we will soon find that we cut off the source of stress, before it reaches our experience.

 

And then you can experience true peace of mind and tranquillity.

Definition Of Stress

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Stress is one of those words that has become so commonly used that it is used to cover a whole spectrum of emotions and feelings. We all assume that everyone else means the same as we do.

Yet there are many varying definitions of stress.

Some researchers distinguish between Eustress (when something changes for the better) and Distress (when something changes for the worse).

Others use stress to cover anxiety. By which I mean a fear of what may happen.

Others define stress as being beyond the individual’s ability to cope.

By clearly defining what stress really is, we are better able to understand it. And what we understand we can control, manage and prevent. So here goes…

If you look up stress in a dictionary you’ll find most cover three basic variations.

1. Distress
Here they are referring to the negative consequences of something being too much to cope with. This is the subsequent emotions.

2. A Mechanical Or Physics Based Explanation
This refers to the ability of a machine, or some other solid physical object, to cope with the level of pressure or work it is subjected to. It’s about being used in a way that you aren’t designed to be used.

3. Emphasis

This definition refers to where you place importance. For example, in a sentence you may accent or emphasise a particular word. Here you are stressing it’s importance.

Now if we look at these definitions we can better understand stress, it’s causes and how to prevent it.

My Definition Of Stress

Cause
We feel stressed if we focus our attention and so emphasis negative aspects of our life.

Effect
It creates a pressure on us so that we find it hard to cope.

And this tension and causes us to feel negative emotions.

This doesn’t mean that we have to bury our head in the sand and ignore what we don’t like. It means that, rather than focusing our attention on the unfairness and injustice of the situation, we focus on what we can do. Not what we can’t.