Stress and You

Everyone is familiar with stress. We experience it in varying forms and degrees every day. In small doses, stress can actually be beneficial to us. It is only when the stress becomes too great, affecting our physical or mental functioning, that it becomes a problem

Stress Causes
The following are risk factors for uncontrollable stress:

• Social and financial problems
• Medical illness
• Lack of social support
• Family history

Stress Symptoms
Stress usually first affects the inner emotions. Initial symptoms may include the following feelings:

• Anxiousness
• Nervousness
• Distraction
• Excessive worry
• Internal pressure

Stress Treatment
Self-Care at Home
When you find yourself feeling the bad effects of stress, you need to take action immediately. The sooner you begin the process of treatment, the easier it will be and the quicker you will be back to your normal state.

The first step in the process is to try to identify the cause of the stress. Sometimes this is a known source such as a deadline at work, a pile of unpaid bills, or a relationship that is not working out. It can at times be more difficult to find the source of your problem.

Often, many relatively mild stressors occurring at once can bring on the same stress as a larger problem or known source of anxiety or worry.

Some people experience stress from events that occurred in the past (post-traumatic stress disorder).

Prevention

• You can take steps to prevent stress in your life.
• Set realistic goals and limits for yourself.
• Put things into perspective and try not to get upset about insignificant or relatively unimportant matters.
• Take stress, time management, or anger management classes.
  Find activities that you enjoy and set aside time to participate in them on a regular basis.
• Participate in regular physical exercise.
• Maintain a positive outlook.
• Set goals and break them into easily achievable tasks.
• Reward yourself for the good things that you do each day.