Stress - its effects are felt by almost everyone. Although the progress of civilization has made us live longer and more comfortable, we also pay dearly for it. We feel more and more lonely, lost. We are busy, absorbed in competition, overloaded with excess duties at work. The huge amount of stressors around us makes it impossible to escape them.

Meanwhile, even good stress , if it stays too long or appears too often, can hurt. Therefore, it is necessary to capture the moment when stress starts to work against us.

Stress: causes

There are many reasons for stress. And they do not always have to be negative. We are stressed by difficult relations with the boss or co-workers, but also our own wedding, which is a very expected event. Stressing is sometimes moving, taking a loan, changing a place of residence or for a child - school, but also receiving an important prize or ... vacation. Preparation for him: finding accommodation, means of transport also cause stress.

There was even a stress scale created by two psychiatrists - Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe. Doctors interviewed 5,000 patients - they presented a list of 43 events they called life change units (LCUs). Each of these events had a different "weight" of stress - the more stressful, the higher its weight. The patients were to indicate which of these 43 events took place in their lives. The more events, especially those with high weight, the greater the likelihood that a person will fall ill.

The most stressful events in life are (in order of the most stressful):

• death of a spouse
• divorce
• isolation
• stay in prison
• death of a close family member
• injury, illness
• wedding
• dismissal
• reconciliation with husband / wife
• retirement

Stress phases:

Alarm - so-called the initial manifesting itself with anxiety about the new surroundings and situation. It is divided into a shock phase and counteracting the shock

Adaptations - our body has found a way and learned how to effectively deal with stressors

Exhaustion - if the stressful situation is chronic with the accompanying emotions and frustration, the person loses the resistance to the stressor. Then, the organism gets exhausted and exhausted.

Stress: symptoms

Do not underestimate the first symptoms of stress. Everyone reacts differently to stress. Some have stomach problems, others are fasted heartbeats , suffer from insomnia , deterioration of memory. The harassment of stress may be a lack of appetite or hunger pangs , irritability or lethargy. We are alternately hot or cold, the mood is getting worse, we can have fears.

Such signals must not be underestimated. The more so because at this stage we can still help ourselves. Let's not wait for stress to do real devastation in the body. Researchers warn us that sooner or later, we will pay for long-term stress. And its effects may appear even after a few years.

The symptoms of chronic stress are:

• heart and circulatory diseases,
• headaches - also chronic,
• backaches,
• diabetes,
• osteoporosis,
• trouble with digestion,
• ulcers of the stomach and duodenum,
• obesity
• trouble with complexion,
• hair loss.

Important

Work is one of the most common stressors

• As many as 44% of French respondents say that the most stressful element of everyday life is commuting.
• Every 10 Britons suffer from chronic work-related stress.
• The most stressful professions in the EU countries are in the order of: teacher, nurse, journalist and presenter, social worker, transporter, policeman, prison guard.
• According to research carried out in Sweden, heart attacks among professionals are the most common on Mondays.
• The threat of employment is one of the main causes of stress not only in Poland, but also in Germany or Finland, where unemployment is much lower than in our country.

Stress: effects

Stress weakens the immune system

Researchers say that up to 80% of stress-related diseases are a consequence of a weakened immune system . Because under the influence of cortisol , which under chronic stress is produced almost continuously, the number of white blood cells and the body's ability to produce antibodies decreases. Therefore, people who have problems at work, marriage or take care of bedridden relatives, are more likely to suffer from various types of infections, both viral and bacterial, and mycoses , and react less well to vaccines .

More and more research also supports the fact that stressed people are more exposed to certain cancers. Swedish researchers have shown that stress can also increase the risk of breast cancer . Chronic stress also often triggers or exacerbates the symptoms of autoimmune diseases, Prolonged release of cortisol can lead to a reduction in the body's sensitivity to this hormone. Then the immune system does not pick up signals that lead to the completion of the immune response. The body behaves as if it was still in a state of danger, which is why it fights its own tissues.

Do it necessarily

A simple relaxing exercise

Sit comfortably or lie down, put your hands behind your head.

1. Pull your elbows, straighten your legs to the ends of your fingers, tightening your muscles.
2. Tight your stomach, hold your breath and count to seven.
3. Slowly release the air, loosening all muscles.
4. Feel into this blissful relaxation - take pleasure in the fact that the body takes on inertia.
5. Stretch out like a cat after a nap and then yawn long.
6. In thoughts or aloud, say the affirmation: I am full of energy, focused ( and ) calm (s).