Download Stress Awareness

Get Healthy. Stay Healthy.
Stress
Awareness
and it’s your turn to make the plans. Your kids have soccer practice at the same
Top 10 most stressfull
life events(3)
time, in different places. You haven’t seen your best friend in two months, and
1. Death of your spouse
your mom is calling to ask if you can come over to help with some yard work….
2. Divorce
You have a deadline looming at work. Your wedding anniversary is coming up
If you’re like most people, you’re stretched a little too thin. You’re very familiar
with stress – in fact, it’s probably a constant state for you. Most of us have a lot
of commitments that we enjoy, individually. But collectively it can all get to be a
bit too much.
What is stress?
Stress involves a relationship between the
demands of your life and the emotional
resources you have to meet these
demands. Demands are usually things
like your job or your family situation. Your
health, general outlook on life, financial
situation and social network will affect how
deep your emotional reserves go. Once the
demands start to exceed your resources,
you struggle to meet these demands and
start to feel stressed.(1)
The way you feel when you’re stressed
– sweaty palms, racing heartbeat, upset
stomach – is actually the way our bodies
are geared to respond to physical dangers
– like predators and physical aggression
– that humans faced more often in the
past. But now our stressful situations can
last for weeks or longer, rather than the
minutes or hours involved in a physical
threat. Your stress response system is in
3. Separation from your spouse
4. Serving time in prison
5. Death of a close family member
6. Personal injury or illness
7. Getting married
overdrive, and there are consequences
for your health. The hormones that are
released when you’re stressed can
disrupt almost all your body’s processes,
increasing your risk for heart disease,
obesity, digestive problems, memory
impairment, insomnia and depression,
among other things.(2)
Resources.
Maybe you feel fine. Maybe life is going
great. But even happy events in your life
can cause unhealthy levels of stress. To
help you determine your risk level, take the
interactive Holmes-Rahe Scale(3) stress test
at www.geocities.com/beyond_stretched.
It helps predict how stress might affect
your health in the near future based on
questions about recent events in your life.
If your score shows that you’re at high risk
for stress-related health problems, talk to
your doctor at your next visit about your
results.
8. Getting fired
9. Marital reconciliation
10. Retirement
Turning lemons into
lemonade
When it becomes too much(4)
How stress can affect
your mind
How stress can make
you feel
• Memory problems
• Moody and hypersensitive
• Difficulty making decisions
• Restless and anxious
• Inability to concentrate
• Depressed
• Confusion
• Angry, irritable and resentful
• Seeing only the negative
• Overwhelmed
• Repetitive or racing thoughts
• Insecure, guilty
• Poor judgment
• Apathetic
• Loss of objectivity
• Urge to laugh or cry at
inappropriate times
• Desire to escape or run away
How stress can affect
your health
How stress can affect
your behavior
• Headaches
• Eating more or less
• Digestive problems
• Sleeping too much or too little
• Muscle tension and pain
• Isolating yourself from others
• Sleep disturbances
• Neglecting your responsibilities
• Fatigue
• Increasing alcohol and drug use
• Chest pain, irregular
heartbeat
• Nervous habits (nail biting,
pacing, smoking)
• High blood pressure
• Teeth grinding or jaw clenching
• Weight gain or loss
• Overdoing activities like
exercising or shopping
• Asthma or shortness of
breath
• Losing your temper
• Acne and increased
sweating
• Overreacting to unexpected problems
• Decreased sex drive
• Relationship conflicts
We’ll always have some level of
stress in our lives. It’s important
to have some solid strategies for
coping with stress so it doesn’t
become completely overwhelming.
Take Care of yourself.
Eat healthy snacks and meals,
exercise, and make sure you
get enough sleep. Spend time
doing things you enjoy.
Lean on your support system.
Talk things through with
friends and family members
who can be constructive and
positive.
Set limits.
Decline requests for your
time or energy in a kind but
firm way.
Ask for help.
Don’t be afraid to seek
advice from a health care
professional if your stress
levels continue to be greater
than what you’re comfortable
with. Sometimes other
health conditions have
symptoms similar to stress,
so it’s important to make sure
lingering symptoms aren’t a
sign of something else. (2)
Visit Anthem.com for more ways to get healthy — and stay healthy.
(1) http://www.channel4.com/health/microsites/0-9/4health/stress/tsg_step1.html (2) http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress/SR99999 (3) Holmes & Rahe (1967). Holmes-Rahe life changes scale. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, Vol. 11, pp. 213-218.
(4) http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_signs.htm
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