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It’s not unusual to feel burdened at this time of year. LIZ ATKINS and AMANDA URSELL look at how you can protect your wellbeing reader offer
or a result of them. We may be talking about situations or events that put pressure on us or we may mean our reaction to being put under that pressure.
Either way we’re designed to cope with a certain amount of pressure and being busy and having goals and responsibilities can be stimulating and positive. However when stress accumulates and isn’t managed well, it can affect our mental and physical health. So it’s crucial to spot the signs then find ways to manage it.
Stress is either acute or chronic. Acute stress – brought on by a real threat or trauma – triggers the classic “fight or flight” response to danger. This causes your body to respond in several ways.
“First, your muscles tense up,” explains TV medic Dr Dawn Harper. “This is a reflex designed to protect against injury or pain. Stress triggers a part of the brain called the hypothalamus to signal the nervous system and pituitary gland to release the stress hormones adrenaline, noradrenaline and cortisol. These cause you to breathe harder, your heart rate to increase and blood vessels to dilate. The hormone epinephrine is also released, which causes the liver to produce more glucose to give you extra energy to get away from a situation quickly.”
The fight or flight response is clearly useful. The trouble is the body responds in the same way, albeit at a lower level, when stress is chronic (long-term). “This can be a drain on the body, causing health problems including increased risk of hypertension, heart disease and stroke, erectile dysfunction and impotence in men and irregular or absent menstrual cycles in women,” says Dawn. “Stress can also affect digestion, causing diarrhoea or constipation or making IBS worse. It may affect the way nutrients are absorbed by the intestine. Some people have changes of appetite, eating more or less than usual.”
Mind suggests two approaches to reducing the effects of stress. The first is to manage your environment so the stressful situation doesn’t happen quite so often.
This might mean a change of job or living situation. Sometimes of course it’s not easy or even possible to do. The second step is to develop your emotional resilience so you’re better at coping with tough situations when they happen.
Here are a few ways to do that: Talk your worries over with someone you can trust.
Set realistic goals and don’t be too hard on yourself. Try to be a problem solver rather than looking for obstacles and learn to say no.
Prioritise relaxation. Try yoga, meditation or take time out to have a massage, soak in a hot bath or listen to music. It’s important to do