There is no universally accepted definition of stress - but I think we all know what we are talking about here...
Anything that leads to us feeling under pressure or anxious might be defined a stressful. Indeed, stress, and the increase in anxiety level it causes, can actually be helpful and enbale us to perform better at whatever the task is before us, or to overcome the situation we face.
However, too much stress leads to too much anxiety - and the benefits then tail off and performance drops - ask anyone with exam phobia!
Part of the way the body reacts to stress is the "fight or flight" response - remember those biology lessons - and this is brought about by stress hormones like adrenaline, which is pumped out by glands above our kidneys. It is a basic, primitive animal response to threat (stress), and literally prepares us to fight or run away, by causing us to breathe deeper and faster, making the heart pump harder, increasing blood pressure, and diverting blood flow to the muscles.
Trouble is - modern life simply isn't like that.
We no longer face sudden threats such as a sabre-toothed tiger outside the cave entrance but more prolonged, low level stress - eg. work pressure, traffic chaos, financial worries, exams, assignment deadlines, stroppy bosses...you get the picture.
So, instead of fighting or flighting, and burning up all that adrenaline and anxiety in a short intense burst of physical activity, we now have to be polite and bottle it all up, and manage the "threat" in a civilised manner.
In a sense, the human body hasn't caught up in evolutionary and functional terms with the changes in lifestyle man has had in the last few hundred years.
This can lead to problems, and the prolonged, multiple-source, lower intensity stress of our lives today can lead to anxiety states and conditions such as panic attacks and generalised anxiety disorders.
So what can be done about all this? Well we can't speed up evolution, so we'll have to make do with trying to manage our lives a little more effectivley, and, when necessary, to treat states of severe stress with professional help.
Here are some tips:
• employ better time-managment, be organised and prioritise
• build relaxation or "down time" into your diary at least once a day
• list your stressors - then create a methodical action plan for tackling each one
• take regular exercise - this releases stressbusting neurochemicals!
• eat regularly and have a balanced diet
• be assertive instead of aggressive
• learn how to say NO!
• take relaxation training
• avoid relying on alcohol or drugs to relieve stress - they make it worse
• see your doctor if you have persistent stress related symptoms
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