Stress

Stress is a normal physical response to events that make you feel threatened or upset your balance in some way. When you sense danger – whether it’s real or imagined – the body's defenses kick into high gear in a rapid, automatic process known as the “fight-or-flight” reaction, or the stress response.

Because of the widespread damage stress can cause, it’s important to know your own limit. But just how much stress is “too much” differs from person to person. Some people roll with the punches, while others crumble at the slightest obstacle or frustration. Some people even seem to thrive on the excitement and challenge of a high-stress lifestyle.

http://www.stressdown.org.au/

10 simple ways to cope with stress

• Cut back on caffeine, which exacerbates anxiety. Replace it with herbal teas or delicious coconut water, which is extremely hydrating for the skin

• Have some ‘you’ time each day, whether it’s a bath scented with essential oils, a yoga class, a walk in the sunshine, or curling up with a brilliant novel

• Learn to say no. Taking on too much is a one-way ticket to Stress City, so only say yes to what you know you can accomplish without burning yourself out

• Eat a mostly organic, natural diet with plant-based foods and plenty of good protein and pure water

• Don’t cheat yourself out of sleep — make sure you get 7–8 hours each night so your body (and mind) can rest and repair

• Exercise at least half an hour a day, or three times per week for an hour – it’s by far one of the best stress-busters, because it helps eliminate stress hormones, increases your endorphins, and improves your circulation (which benefits the skin)

• Learn how to meditate, and sit each day for 24 minutes (one minute for each hour of the day). You can try focussing on your breath, gazing at a candle, repeating a mantra, or observing your bodily sensations. Mukti talks about her favourite styles of meditation in this post

• Once a month, book yourself in for some sort of relaxing, pampering treatment, such as a massage, facial, reflexology treatment or an acupressure session, which will help balance out your hormones

• Be mindful of your thoughts: when you catch your mind racing off at a million miles an hour, freaking about everything you have to get done in the next 24 hours…STOP. Breathe. Write a list of what you need to do and how long each task will take. If you’re stressing about something minor, like being late for an appointment, just accept that the world won’t end if you’re late. Everything will be OK and if it’s not, you will deal with it when the time comes.

• Remember this mantra: the bridges you cross before you come to them are over rivers that don’t exist!

something that causes a state of strain or tension

a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances

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Three solutions to common stress problem

Hair Loss High levels of stress can cause hair loss and, in some cases, alopecia.Lucas Sojka, director of Hair Solved, says: ‘It’s estimated that the stresses of modern life have left one in three women over the age of 25 suffering from hair loss.‘There are two types linked to stress. Trichotillomania, a type of  obsessive-compulsive disorder, causes sufferers to pull their hair out for a feeling of stress relief. It’s estimated that up to two per cent of Britons suffer from it. ‘Telogen effluvium [a form of alopecia] is a disruption to thehair growth cycle and can be triggered by a trauma or prolonged periods of stress.Hair loss caused by stress can be chronic, varying from a few months to many years, and for many sufferers it becomes a vicious circle as they lose hair because of stress and then worry about it, causing the cycle to repeat itself.‘There are solutions for sufferers and the sooner you look into combating hair loss and stress, the better. Seek medical advice for ways to manage and reduce your stress levels and research hair-loss solutions such as non-surgical hair integration.’
Teeth grinding Dentist Dr Uchenna Okoye from London Smiling says the number of people grinding their teeth at night (bruxism) has increased because of stress levels, while a report by the Bruxism Association says there was a 60 per cent rise in demand for its services last year.‘Teeth grinding is on the increase because of stress and I have seen the greatest increase in men,’ says Dr Okoye. ‘The recession and job losses haven’t helped anxiety levels, which are the most common causes of teeth grinding. The main problems physically associated with bruxism include pain around the face, earache and migraines. However, dentally it can result in short teeth as the enamel is worn away, broken teeth, teeth splitting, loose teeth and gum recession.’
Dr Okoye says true bruxism is a reflex action that cannot be prevented so the aim of treatment is to protect the teeth. ‘There are different ways to treat teeth grinding which can be anything from an occlusal splint [a plastic guard to protect your teeth at night, pictured], occlusal equilibration, which means adjusting your bite so the teeth meet evenly, Botox to help the muscles relax and changing your behaviour to help you relax – stress does make the situation worse.’
Chemical reaction
Master clinical hypnotherapist and neuro-linguistic programming specialist Monica Black, from Hampstead Hypnotherapy, says that around 90 per cent of our troubles are caused in one way or another by stress.
‘When stress chemicals are released into the blood stream, certain changes take place within our bodies,’ she says. ‘Our heart beats faster, our eyes dilate and some of our internal workings shut down, such as our digestive system. Too much stress is detrimental to our health and sleep patterns, and we should try some simple exercises to help relax.’Black recommends trying the following:
1) Place one hand on your diaphragm and the other on your chest. Where your hand is on your diaphragm, imagine that there is a balloon. Close your eyes and take a deep breath in. If you’re breathing properly your hand should raise slightly. Now, as you breathe in, see that balloon blow up and when you breathe out slowly see the balloon deflate and feel all the tension deflate, flowing out just like your breath. Do this several times, allowing yourself to become calmer and more relaxed with each breath.

2) Close your eyes and imagine a screen in front of you. That screen has written on it the numbers 25 down to one. Breathing evenly and deeply, slowly count backwards from 25 to one, crossing off each number in your mind as you think it. Think each number on your outward breath and allow yourself to become more relaxed with every number

Money
Stress and fighting over money constitute one of the most oft-cited marriage problems that couples face. Generally speaking, when couples fight about money, their dispute is really symbolic of something different—power struggles, different values, or other issues that surround money. However, in tough economic times, financial stress can actually cause more general stress, and more conflict over things unrelated to money, as well as money-centered arguments. (For example, when one partner is extremely stressed about money, they may be less patient and more stressed in general; they may then pick fights with the other partner about unrelated things without even realizing it!)

Children

The advent of children brings another potential source of marriage problems. Children are wonderful, and can bring wonderful and meaningful gifts into our lives. However, having children can bring additional stress into a marriage because the caretaking of children requires more responsibility as well as a change in roles, provides more fodder for disagreement and strain, and reduces the amount of time available to bond as a couple. This combination can test even the strongest of bonds