STRESS and DESTRESS

STRESS and DESTRESS
Stress! It’s as inevitable as death &taxes, and it has more disguises than you can imagine, including frustration,anxiety,fear,job and family pressure, sadness and happiness, and boredom and overactivity.Stress is a normal part of life; it’s how you respond to it that affects your health.
Lifestyle, personality&even genetic makeup influence our emotional and physiological responses to stress. However, you can modify those responses by making changes in how we act, think, relate, move&relax.
Be more flexible.
Take things one at a time.
Learn to say no &avoid taking on more responsibility than you can handle. Cut out unnecessary activities.
Rest rejuvenate-even during busy periods; try to leave work at a reasonable time a few nights a week, also every hour take a five mts break&walkaround.
Keep in touch-the more social contact you have the less stressed you feel lowered your risk for many illness.
Workout, jog or walk-exercise is one of the best antidotes to stress.
RESISTANCE TO STRESS
The term stress as used in biology has been defined as any change in the environment those changes or threatens to change an existing optimal steady state. Most if not all of these stresses activate counteractions at the molecular, cellular, or systemic level that tend to restore the previous state, ie, they are homeostatic reactions. Some but not all of the stresses stimulate ACTH .This ACTH secretion is essential for survival when the stress is severe.
PSYCHONEUROIMMUNOLOGY
Mind influences the body in a profound manner through neuroendocrine mechanism. The bodily changes induced by emotions include not only those on the heart, blood vessels, respiration and gut but also on the immune system. Positive emotions such as love &joy enhance immunity, whereas negative emotions such as anger and depression impair immune function. The effects on immunity have been measured in terms of natural killer cell activity, proliferation response of lymphocytes to mitogens and antibody titer.
AN INTEGRATED RESPONSE TO STRESS
Stress, may it be emotional, physical or biological evokes an integrated response of sympathoadrenal medullary system and hypothalamic-pituitary cortex axis.
STEPS INVOLVED IN STRESS ADAPTATION
PERCEPTION OF STRESS SIGNALS: Stress is perceived by many areas of the brain, from the cortex down to brainstem including limbic system and reticular activating system (RAS)
ACTIVATION OF HYPOTHALAMIC-PITUITARY-ADRENAL AXIS.Major stresses activate CRH neurons, CRH release stimulates ACTH release and ultimately elevates plasma cortisol levels.
ACTIVATION OF SYMPATHOADRENAL MEDULLARY SYSTEM:
“ALARM” OR STRESS RESPONSE OF THE SYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM
When large portions of sympathetic nervous system discharge at the same time-that is, a MASS DISCHARGE –this increases in many ways the ability of the body to perform vigorous muscle activity. The effects are:
1. Increased arterial pressure.
2. Increased blood flow to active muscles with decreased blood flow to organs such as GIT&KIDNEYS.
3. Increased blood glucose concentration.
4. Increased glycolysis in the liver&in muscle
5. Increased muscle strength
6. Increased mental activity.
The sum of these effects permits a person to perform far more strenuous physical activity than would otherwise be possible. The purpose of the sympathetic system is to provide extra activation of the body in states of stress; this is called the sympathetic stress response.
IMPLICATIONS FOR DISEASE
Stress may progress the development of type1 diabetes by stimulating the secretion of counter-regulating hormones &possibly by modulating immune activity.
Acute stress reactions:
Following stressful event, some people develop a characteristic pattern of symptoms, which include anxiety, anger, depression, overactivity&withdrawal.The symptoms are transient; they start to subside within a few hours and usually completely resolve within 3 days of their onset. Precipitating events include a traumatic diagnosis such as that of AIDS or CANCER, death of a family member, a major accident, assault and rape.
The autonomic responses to emotions are appropriate for physical activity, and thereby make the body for fight or flight associated with stressful situations. In human beings, civilized behavior demands that physical activity be avoided, no matter how much the provocation. The results are increased cardiac output and constricted blood vessels, which leads to a steep increase in blood pressure and an enormous increase in the workload of the heart. In acute stress, these changes are reversed, but in chronic stress, the elevation in blood pressure becomes persistent leading to hypertension.
Most of the stressful stimuli that increase ACTH secretion also activate the sympathetic system, and part of the function of circulating glucocorticoids may be maintenance of vascular reactivity to catecholamines.It should be noted that the increase in ACTH which is beneficial in the short term, becomes harmful and disruptive in the long term, causing among other things, the abnormalities of Cushing’s syndrome.
A QUICK STRESS TEST
Do you:
*Neglect your diet?
*Try to do everything yourself?
*Act rude?
*Make a big deal of everything?
*Fail to laugh at what others find funny?
*Avoid people whose ideas differ from yours?
*Neglect exercise?
*Get too little rest?
*Get angry when kept waiting?
*Gossip?
*Spend a lot of time complaining about the past?
*Use sleeping pills without your doctor’s approval?
If you answer yes to more of the questions, you need to reduce stress in your life.
RELAXATION TECHNIQUES:
*BREATHE DEEP: Inhale slowly and deeply as you expand first the belly, then the diaphragm and finally the chest. Hold for a few seconds, and then exhale in a reverse 1-2-3 pattern. Repeat 10 times.
*STRETCH: 10 mts day of simple stretching or yoga can keep tense or underused muscles loose, help prevent future tension, and recharge your batteries.
MEDIDATE: Calm, inward reflection for only 10to 20 mts a day may help lower blood pressure. Sit or lie down in a quiet, comfortable place. A nice view, fresh air, soft music, or sweet scents can help clear your mind.

Always have a positive attitude in life.
There is something positive in every person,
Even a stopped watch is right twice a day.
Happiness always looks small,
When we hold it in our hands
However, when we learn to share it,
We realize how big and precious it is…!

“Winners don’t do different things
They do things differently.”(_shiv khera)

Think different….think apple