What is stress?

Stress is a normal human reaction that happens to everyone. In fact, the human body is designed
to experience stress and react to it. When you experience changes or challenges (stressors), your
body produces physical and mental responses. That’s stress.

Stress responses help your body adjust to new situations. Stress can be positive, keeping us alert,
motivated and ready to avoid danger. For example, if you have an important test coming up, a
stress response might help your body work harder and stay awake longer. But stress becomes a
problem when stressors continue without relief or periods of relaxation.

STRESSORS

A stressor is a stimulus that causes stress.

Exam, Deadlines
Death of a loved one, Defeats, Losses, love life, family problems (financial/broken family).

How does stress affect your brain and body?

Stress affects both the brain and body. Little bit of stress is good for people to perform and protect
themselves but too much stress can overwhelm them leading to fight, flight or freeze response. So
learning how to cope with stress is important for our mental and physical wellbeing

Does everyone respond to stress the same way?

No, everyone reacts differently to stressful situations. Accordingly, both the impact of stress and
the coping styles can vary from person to person.

What can be the manifestation of stress?

Stress can manifest as fear, worry, inability to relax, increased heart rate, difficulty in breathing,
Disturbance in sleeping patterns, change in eating patterns, difficulty in concentrating worsening of
pre-existing health conditions (physical and mental) and increased use of alcohol, tobacco and
other drugs.

What happens to the body during stress?

The body’s autonomic nervous system controls your heart rate, breathing,
vision changes and more. Its built-in stress response, the “fight-or-flight
response,” helps the body face stressful situations.

When a person has long-term (chronic) stress, continued activation of the

stress response causes wear and tear on the body. Physical, emotional and
behavioral symptoms develop.

Physical symptoms of stress include:

 Aches and pains.

  Chest pain or a feeling like your heart is racing.
 Exhaustion or trouble sleeping.
 Headaches, dizziness or shaking.
 High blood pressure.
 Muscle tension or jaw clenching.
 Stomach or digestive problems.
 Trouble having sex.
 Weak immune system.

Stress can lead to emotional and mental symptoms like:

 Anxiety or irritability.
 Depression.
 Panic attacks.
 Sadness.

Often, people with chronic stress try to manage it with unhealthy behaviors,
including:

 Drinking alcohol too much or too often.

 Gambling.
 Overeating or developing an eating disorder.
 Participating compulsively in sex, shopping or internet browsing.
 Smoking.
 Using drugs.
How is stress diagnosed?

Stress is subjective — not measurable with tests. Only the person

experiencing it can determine whether it's present and how severe it feels. A
healthcare provider may use questionnaires to understand your stress and
how it affects your life.

If you have chronic stress, your healthcare provider can evaluate symptoms
that result from stress. For example, high blood pressure can be diagnosed
and treated.
What are some strategies for stress relief?

You can’t avoid stress, but you can stop it from becoming overwhelming by
practicing some daily strategies:

 Exercise when you feel symptoms of stress coming on. Even a short
walk can boost your mood.
 At the end of each day, take a moment to think about what you’ve
accomplished — not what you didn’t get done.
  Set goals for your day, week and month. Narrowing your view will help
you feel more in control of the moment and long-term tasks.
 Consider talking to a therapist or your healthcare provider about your
worries.

Physical Activity Reduces

Stress
Stress is an inevitable part of life. Seven out of ten adults in the United States say they experience
stress or anxiety daily, and most say it interferes at least moderately with their lives, according to
the most recent ADAA survey on stress and anxiety disorders. When the American Psychological
Association surveyed people in 2008, more people reported physical and emotional symptoms
due to stress than they did in 2007, and nearly half reported that their stress has increased in the
past year.
It’s impossible to eliminate, but you can learn to manage stress, and most people usually do.
According to a recent ADAA online poll, some 14 percent of people make use of regular exercise
to cope with stress. Others reported talking to friends or family (18 percent); sleeping (17 percent);
watching movies or TV (14 percent), as well as eating (14 percent) and listening to music (13
percent).
While all of these are well-known coping techniques, exercise may be the one most recommended
by health care professionals. And among ADAA poll takers who exercise, a healthy percentage is
already on the right track: Walking (29 percent), running (20 percent), and yoga (11 percent) are
their preferred strategies.

Exercising Body and Mind

The physical benefits of exercise—improving physical condition and fighting disease—have long
been established, and physicians always encourage staying physically active. Exercise is also
considered vital for maintaining mental fitness, and it can reduce stress. Studies show that it is
very effective at reducing fatigue, improving alertness and concentration, and at enhancing overall
cognitive function. This can be especially helpful when stress has depleted your energy or ability
to concentrate.

When stress affects the brain, with its many nerve connections, the rest of the body feels the
impact as well. So it stands to reason that if your body feels better, so does your mind. Exercise
and other physical activity produce endorphins—chemicals in the brain that act as natural
painkillers—and also improve the ability to sleep, which in turn reduces stress. Meditation,
acupuncture, massage therapy, even breathing deeply can cause your body to produce
endorphins. And conventional wisdom holds that a workout of low to moderate intensity makes
you feel energized and healthy.
Scientists have found that regular participation in aerobic exercise has been shown to decrease
overall levels of tension, elevate and stabilize mood, improve sleep, and improve self-esteem.
Even five minutes of aerobic exercise can stimulate anti-anxiety effects.

What are endorphins?

Endorphins are chemicals (hormones) your body releases when it feels pain or
stress. They’re released during pleasurable activities such as exercise,
massage, eating and sex too. Endorphins help relieve pain, reduce stress and
improve your sense of well-being.
What releases endorphins in the body?

One of the easiest ways to release endorphins is by exercising. The more you
exercise, the more endorphins your body will produce. Many people feel a
“runner’s high” after a good run. But you don’t have to run to feel a runner’s
high. Other forms of exercise that will help you release endorphins include:

 Power walking.
 Swimming.
 Dancing.
 Hiking.

Other ways to release endorphins include:

 Sex.
 Acupuncture.
 Massage.
 Eating.
What releases endorphins in the body?

One of the easiest ways to release endorphins is by exercising. The more you
exercise, the more endorphins your body will produce. Many people feel a
“runner’s high” after a good run. But you don’t have to run to feel a runner’s
high. Other forms of exercise that will help you release endorphins include:

 Power walking.
 Swimming.
 Dancing.
 Hiking.

Other ways to release endorphins include:

 Sex.
 Acupuncture.
 Massage.
 Eating.