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by Samuel L. Brown, MSW

In this ever changing and high-tech world it appears that the word stress has become a natural part of our conversations and daily lives. For this reason, stress is often viewed as useful, to motivate ambitions and drive competitive energy for goal oriented successes. Stress, however, can also create unnecessary pressure, and when left unchecked it can lead to behavioral, emotional, and physical disorders. The term stress frequently refers to both fear and anxiety.

Fear is an emotional or anxious feeling experienced when you are in real danger, pain, or confronting a disaster.  A person trapped inside a burning building might be fearful of losing his or her life. A woman walking alone in a parking garage towards her car feels fear when accosted by a rude stranger.

Anxiety refers to feeling worried or nervous about something you think will or will not happen. Like the possibility of losing your job, meeting your girl friend’s parents for the first time, learning how to drive on a busy highway, or waiting for medical test results.

Stress is the physical, emotional, mental or tension you experience when you feel anxious or fearful, especially when confronting a crisis or life threatening situation. Numerous people feel an enormous amount of fear and anxiety about flying on an airplane, driving across a narrow bridge, or when your child or a loved one is confronting a life threatening illness.

Before outlining a few coping strategies for what you can do to reduce stress, observe the list of concerns between the positive and negative effects of stress.

The Good Stress

Stress can be a source of motivation, causing you to feel alert and competitive, which can lead to improved performance or a strong desire to win, especially in sports. In some cases, stress can make you feel ambitious, and gives you an added boost of energy or the will to succeed. Several studies over the years have indicated that a certain amount anxiety or stress prepares you to confront many of life’s challenges, and allow you to protect yourself against real danger or the unexpected calamities of life. For example, if you have been warned about the dangers of poisonous snakes, you are less likely to attempt picking one up on a camping trip. You will also be less likely to invest $100,000 on a verbal promise it would accrue a one million dollar return.

The Bad Stress

First, stress affects what you do (your behavior). Stress can lead to obsessive compulsive behavior causing you to:

• Feel over anxious, nervousness, or worry incessantly.
• Drink or smoke excessively.
• Use drugs.
• Overeat, which could leads to obesity.
• Problems sleeping or insomnia. 

Secondly, stress affects you emotionally (how you think). By affecting the way you think, stress can cause:

• Depression.
• Anxiety disorders.
• Feelings of anger, hopelessness, apathy, indecisiveness, poor concentration, and forgetfulness.
• Panic disorders.
• Suicidal thoughts.

Thirdly, stress can also affect your physical health.

Stress can force you to use your internal or body energy to cope with various unexpected situations and challenges in our daily lives. The longer you feel under the pressure of stress, the more energy you use. This physical affect could cause your body to cave under the pressure and lead to:

•  ulcers
•  tumors
•  cancer, or other physical ailments as your body’s defense against stress.

The Urgency

Stress, if long termed and allowed to continue untreated can lead to mental health problems, physical illness or chronic illness, including cancer, which can result in death. It is imperative that you seek medical care or mental health treatment to prevent permanent damage or even death resulting from complications of prolonged stress.

What Can You Do To Reduce Stress?

• Start each day with a positive affirmation.
• Become proactive in resolving your conflicts
• Do not let the memories of a painful past control your thinking.
• Engage in activities you enjoy.
• Surround yourself with positive people.
• Do things that make you laugh, watch a comedy.
• Learn to say NO. Stop trying to please everyone.
• Exercise regularly.
• Eat a healthy diet.
• Get the proper amount of rest.
• Learn to relax.

Tags: anxiety, fear, nervous, Stress, worry

This entry was posted on Friday, September 4th, 2009 at 10:55 pm and is filed under Stress. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.