Topic: What Causes Stress?

[True Muslima]

Any change in life's routine, pleasant or unpleasant, can cause stress. Divorce, bereavement, illness, retiring, marriage, holidays…., all these things can be stressful.

But the kind of stress that is really damaging to your health is long term stress such as the permanent threat of redundancy, constant family problems, loneliness and depression. Your environment can also be a major source of stress: noise levels, pollution, poor housing or high crime levels. Studies have also found that there are major differences in heart disease rates between those in higher and lower grades of employment.

It is important to remember, however, that you need 2 things to make you feel stressed: the first is a potentially stressful situation, the second is the way you react to it. There are many situations which might panic one person but stimulate another, for example a tight deadline at work can be seen as a worry or a challenge.

[True Muslima]

Stress can show itself as physical outward signs or by changing the way you feel emotionally. Some of the common signs of stress are tiredness, indigestion, sleeplessness, feeling emotional or irritable, headaches or persistent back pain.

These signs and feelings are caused by the increased activity of the nervous system, and the actions of two hormones, adrenaline and cortisol.

Adrenaline is the hormone which gears you up for action, preparing you for 'fight or flight'. It stimulates the heart to beat faster and redirects blood to the brain, heart and muscles. As blood is rapidly pumped around your body, your blood pressure rises. The blood becomes stickier and the liver releases sugars and fats into the bloodstream to give you instant energy.

The high blood pressure caused by stress can mean more wear and tear on the heart. The stickiness of blood increases the risks of blood clots forming in the arteries and if the supplies of sugars and fats are not used up by the muscles, they can stick to the artery walls and form 'fatty deposits' which can fur up the arteries. All this is bad news for your heart and can put you at greater risk of coronary heart disease.

[True Muslima]

There are two approaches to beating stress: tackling the cause of the stress or reducing the effects of stress and the way you react to it. The second approach is generally the easier to achieve.

Exercise is a good stress beater. It helps to lift tension, releases pent up aggression, and generally gives you a feeling of wellbeing. It is best to choose a form of exercise that requires stamina like walking, football or swimming, rather than the sort that builds up muscle such as weight lifting.

Special relaxation techniques such as meditation or yoga can all help to reduce stress. Just talking to a good friend can also be of help.

Learning to recognise your 'stress triggers' can be a big help. Think about what causes you stress and when you find yourself in those situations make a conscious effort to relax and stay calm.