Taking control of your wellness

Of course there is a whole lot of things that make you stressed that you have no influence over - but there are ways to cope differently and better with them. There are also things that you may feel you can't change - but you could influence others to change (constructive communication is a wonderful tool). Then there are the things that you definitely can change - even if right now they are beyond your comfort zone. You don't have to change your life completely in one week - change one small thing every week. You will notice a difference. If the word 'exercise' conjures up pictures of fitness training, aerobics and sickeningly lean bodies...walking for 30 minutes a day is exercise. It makes you feel better, breathe easier and sleep better. You also lose weight, become more flexible and stress becomes something you more easily can take in your stride. Go back to that picture of 'exercise' - could it be you with the sickeningly lean body?

Not one reason, but many

With our modern lifestyle, illness doesn't always happen as a result of one reason. There are many factors for why symptoms and illness develops - and it can take years between the symptom developing and you actually noticing a difference. Modern life is a risky business for your body. On a cellular level, very little has changed since our ancestors crawled out of the sea, climbed up a tree and then came back down again. Science and technology moves forward in giant leaps but our bodies remain constant. In the last 400 years, the only thing that has changed in the human body is that in northern Europe, people are more able to digest cow's milk. So a change in lifestyle may be beneficial for you, when you have to face your own sabre-toothed tigers!

Making sense of stress

The meaning of the word 'Stress' has changed to include the reasons that you feel stressed. Originally, 'stress' meant the reactions that happen as a result of pressure or perceived threat (the fight or flight response) like lack of time, debts and the consequences of not meeting payments on time. In everyday language 'stress' is used to explain a state of being - 'I feel stressed'. In scientific terms, there is no consensus as to what should be included and what it actually means, so we thought it might be a good idea to clarify some of it:

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The brain rules - OK?

Stress is different for everybody. What you see as a breeze can be experienced as extremely stressful by someone else, and vice versa. Some cope with the sight of blood, others faint. Some people climb Everest, others get dizzy when they stand on a chair. It's all in the mind and it's all perception, so when someone tells you that they feel stressed they mean it, even if you see the situation differently.

The human mind is also unique in its ability to predict future events - like lying awake worrying about pressures that may happen tomorrow.

'Coping' is the process of interpreting and reacting to situations. Your ability to cope can be reinforced by increased material, psychological and social resources. There is also growing evidence that people who are physically active and well rested find it easier to cope with or avoid stress reactions. If the brain interprets a situation as threatening, the fight or flight mode kicks in and the body is in a constant state of alertness. Usually this is exhibited in behaviour, often as irritation or hostility - a person becomes very defensive. How many times have you been told or said 'You're over reacting'? Over a period of time, stress reactions like these often develop into something more serious - a feeling of 'giving up' - feeling down, being more subdued and emotionally exhausted.

Stressors

The factors that can lead to psychological and physiological stress reactions are stressors. Anything from an external crisis to a physiological strain can be a stressor. Normally, stress happens in the various social settings we live in - work or personal relationships.

Physical reactions to stress

How the body reacts to stress also starts in the brain. Neural systems that control our digestion, stomach and intestines as well as muscles and pain reaction are activated. When you cope better with a stressful situation, the activation lasts for a relatively short period of time and your body resumes a more balanced function. If you find it difficult to cope, the activation becomes a constant state of alertness, and physical symptoms become more evident - sore muscles and an aching back because your muscles never relax; a racing heart beat due to the levels of adrenaline being released into your blood stream on a constant basis. Your internal organs suffer the strain and become damaged.

Tipping the scale

As everything else in nature, your body relies on a finely tuned balance. The human body is truly amazing but despite its resilience, it has limits. When you suffer stress for longer periods, your hormonal system changes - the imbalance causes physical damage that in some cases is irreversible. High blood pressure, heart attacks, high cholesterol, obesity, diabetes and cancer can often be traced back to stress. And though there is no cure for diabetes, there is an easy cure for stress.