| Stress - What it does and how to cope with it. |
How stressed are you?
Count any ofthe statements that apply to you! |
| I feel guilty much of the time |
I am too busy to relax |
| Its increasingly difficult for me to concentrate |
I experience feelings of paranoia |
| I pick fights with people |
I find it hard to make decisions |
| I often tap my feet and/or my hands shake |
I suffer from flatulence |
| I often feel restless and/or hyperactive |
I often feel frightened and/or apprehensive |
| I often have obsessive thoughts e.g. checking the door is locked and the gas off |
My sex life is not what it was |
| I suffer regular headaches/migraines |
I set myself unrealistic deadlines |
| I feel angry or irritable much of the time |
I feel faint sometimes |
| I often suffer from nausea |
I bite my fingernails/drum my fingers |
| I often have feelings of self loathing and i lack self worth |
I have experienced a dramatic change in my menstrual cycle |
| I suffer from cold hands and feet |
I think of ending my own life |
| I often have butterflies in my stomach |
I frequently suffer from colds and flu (more than twice a year) |
| I suffer from dramatic mood swings |
I have a frequent desire to urinate |
| I often have a ‘lump’ in my throat |
I often have a dry mouth |
| I suffer from breathlessness |
I suffer from sweaty or clammy palms |
| I suffer from sweaty upper lip and/or feel hot and flushed |
I suffer from aches and pains in my back and shoulders |
| I often suffer from indigestion |
I work longer to achieve the same or less |
| My alcohol consumption is high |
I have difficulty sleeping |
| I suffer from frequent diarrhoea/constipation |
I over/under eat |
| I find it difficult to say no to peoples requests |
I often have nightmares |
| I drink lots of tea and coffee |
I suffer from palpitations |
| I like to stick rigidly to a routine |
I often wake up feeling tired |
| I often grind my teeth or clench my jaws or hands |
I feel constantly tired |
| I experience muscle twitches and nervous tics |
I suffer from pains and/or tightness in my chest |
| I suffer from asthma |
I suffer from hypertension |
| Score ONE point for each Item counted that fits your criteria. |
| 0 – 5 Not very stressed |
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| 6 – 10 On the verge of severe stress. |
Try to cut down and be aware of stressful situations |
| Over 10 |
Unacceptably stressed and at risk of stress related illnesses. Should urgently rethink your way of life and introduce stress-coping techniques |
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| Are you surprised? |
You shouldn’t be, almost everyone at some time in their lives will suffer with stress – It is not a weakness!
Stress can be caused by any situation or thought that makes you feel frustrated, angry or anxious and we will all feel stress in different ways and suffer to different degrees. How we deal with stress varies enormously and this is where we need to take a long honest look at ourselves, are we going to ignore it and carry on until we reach break-down or will we stop, listen to ourselves and put a coping strategy into place? It is very likely that we will need help with this whichever route we decide on.
We are designed to be able to withstand large amounts of stress for short periods of time, information from our senses received by our brain are relayed to the central nervous system which causes the required reaction to remove us from the obvious stressor – this is known as ‘Fight or Flight’ response and enables our subconscious mind to deal with stress in the best way for our survival – We have no conscious control over this mechanism.
Our adrenal glands secrete catecholamines (stress hormones), these are otherwise known as adrenaline and noradrenaline and they between them, orchestrate our responses to stress and/or danger.
These responses are designed to give the body the extra power and energy (fight or flight) needed to execute the decided actions. |
| We then see:- |
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- Increased respiration
- Increased heart rate
- Raised blood pressure
- Blood can now be channelled to the muscles and directed away from the digestive tract; this will be experienced as a dry mouth due to a reduction in the amount of saliva produced
- The liver releases energy-giving sugars so we can see a rise in blood sugar and cholesterol
- Vision improves and an increase in the amount of clotting agent in the blood guards against bleeding to death
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Complications arise when stress becomes prolonged, our bodies as we have already said can cope with short bursts but over a period of time stress can be extremely destructive.
We begin with some of the lesser symptoms and signs that often go unnoticed for example we may find it difficult to relax, anger quickly, and have restless nights. Gradually the symptoms become worse and we begin to feel we can’t cope and start to feel ill. Welcome to STRESS! |
| There are several different categories of stress |
- Emotional – Interpersonal conflict of any type
- Illness, mental or physical – Of yourself or another significant person in your life
- Environmental – Things that affect our internal balance. Extremes of temperature, toxins including tobacco
- Push,push, shove – Overdrive, in the shape of work or play. Burning the candle at both ends
- Hormones – Life’s biological transitions. Puberty, PMT, Post Partum, Menopause, Mid-life crisis!
- Allergic – Bodies perceive allergens as poison, reacting as if under threat
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| Practical coping skills |
Try to remember the phrase
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U-C-O-P-E |
| U – Understand – By understanding what is happening to us when we are affected by stress we significantly increase our effectiveness of any strategies and/or therapies we chose to help in our recovery |
| C – Check Reality – Anxiety and stress tend to take us on a roller-coaster of panic and confusion. If we can take a step back, take a few deep breaths and assess the situation, we can bring our mind and body reactions back in tune with reality |
| O – Organise Thought – Once we have assessed the situation we can organise our thoughts into a positive and constructive solution-led pattern |
| P – Prevent Pressure – As we come back into the reality of the situation and take stock, the pressure that we felt will start to become less and we can mentally prepare our course of action |
| E – Engage with the Environment – Panic over, we can get on with the tasks before us |
| Relaxation Exercise |
| 1.Lie on your back, placing one hand over your heart and the other over your abdomen |
| 2.Inhale slowly and deeply through your nose for a count of 4 |
| 3.Watch the hand on your abdomen rise as you fill your lungs with air, expanding your chest. The hand over your heart should barely move (if at all) |
| 4.Hold your breath for a count of 4 |
| 5.Exhale slowly through the mouth or nose for a count of 4 |
| 6.Repeat for 10 full breaths. STOP IF YOU FEEL DIZZY! |
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