National Stress Awareness Day

To recognize National Stress Awareness Day (April 18th) I decided to post some information on stress that includes some links to more detailed information.

Since everyone has experienced stress at some point in their lives it’s important to learn how to cope with it. There are different kinds of stress that have different symptoms and treatment approaches and it is important to be able to distinguish them so you know how to deal with them.

Acute Stress:

Acute stress is the most common form of stress. It lasts only for a relatively short period of time: getting your taxes paid on time, a fender bender traffic accident, or a project deadline are examples of things that can cause acute stress. The most common symptoms are:

- emotional distress, including anger or irritability, anxiety, and depression
- muscular problems including tension headache, back pain, jaw pain,
- stomach and bowel problems such as heartburn, acid stomach, diarrhea, and irritable bowel syndrome;
- short term stress can lead to elevation in blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, sweaty palms, heart palpitations, dizziness, migraine headaches, cold hands or feet, shortness of breath, and chest pain.

Episodic Acute Stress:

Episodic acute stress is when you experience frequent occurrences of acute stress—you’re always in a rush but you’re always late; you can never seem to get organized; you’re always worrying about something.

The symptoms are:

elevation in blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, sweaty palms, heart palpitations, dizziness, migraine headaches, cold hands or feet, shortness of breath, and chest pain.

Chronic Stress:

Chronic stress grinds at people day after day and causes wear and tear on the body. Chronic stress includes experiences like dysfunctional families, poverty, or unhappiness with one’s job.

Chronic stress can lead to suicide, violence, heart attacks and other problems. Depression may set in and lives are destroyed. Treatment often involves both medical and behavioral interventions.

DEALING WITH STRESS:

You can prevent or reduce stress by:

- Planning ahead
- Preparing for stressful events

Some stress is hard to avoid. You can find ways to manage stress by:

- Noticing when you feel stressed
- Taking time to relax
- Getting active and eating healthy
- Talking to friends and family

For more information on managing stress, visit Stress Management from the American Heart Association.

Links to more information:
Stress: Constant Stress Puts Your Health at Risk (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)

Listening to the Warning Signs of Stress (American Psychological Association)

Stress Symptoms: Effects on Your Body, Feelings and Behavior (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)