Handle stress

[City100a]

We live in a stressful world, morning, afternoon and night always bombarded with stressful situations

 

I this some bros and sis may read this to ensure a healthy and productive life

 

 

there are many library books and audiobooks around that can help

 

to be efficiently productively in one's live one has to be relatively stress free

 

 

hopeful this would bring happiness and prosperity for the coming year

 

 

 

 

Handle stress well, and you?re well on your way to a healthy, productive life

 

Mon, Nov 02, 2009

The Star/Asia News Network

By Dr Nor Ashikin Mokhtar

 

STRESS is probably the most over-used word of the 20th and 21st century. We are all victims of stress, brought on by our work, personal lives, relationships, and health.

 

We have come to accept that stress is inevitable. But we should not let it take over our lives and affect our health or well-being negatively.

 

By learning to manage your stress, you can give your body a break and learn to enjoy life.

 

What causes stress

Stress is not just something you experience for a while, and then goes away.

 

Your body actually reacts to stress, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Over time, these reactions have an impact on your health.

 

First, let's look at what causes stress. In today's fast-paced, highly-competitive world, we stress ourselves out with all sorts of worries.

 

Sometimes stress is thrust upon us, for example, becoming unexpectedly ill, or we bring it upon ourselves, for example, trying to do too much at work.

 

Even exciting things happening in our lives can produce stress as well - getting a promotion or having a baby is great, but you may experience changes, uncertainties, and anxieties that cause stress.

 

Women are particularly susceptible to stress caused by hormonal changes, during puberty, the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and menopause - hormone levels fluctuate consistently and cause stress.

 

Bad, bad stress

Is there such a thing as good stress? Well, considering that stress is a natural reaction by humans, there has to be a reason for it.

 

Stress can be positive, keeping us alert, motivated, and ready to avoid danger.

 

Thanks to the body's "fight or flight" response, you will experience a rush of adrenaline in an emergency situation that prepares you to run or defend yourself.

Some people perform best under stress, such as musicians, athletes, or even politicians!

 

Stress becomes bad when your body has to continuously respond to it. This will cause wear and tear on the body - both physical and emotional - and one day, you will discover that you are functioning at far lower levels than you used to.

 

Prolonged stress, leading to distress, can disturb the body's internal balance or equilibrium, leading to physical symptoms such as headache, an upset stomach, elevated blood pressure, chest pain, sexual dysfunction, and problems sleeping.

 

If you're overly stressed, you may also be plagued by ulcers, lower abdominal cramps, colitis, and irritable bowel syndrome.

 

You may find yourself falling sick with colds and common infections more often due to a weaker immune system. Or, an attack of the rashes may come on!

Women suffer from unique problems related to stress - in extreme cases, it can lead to absence of menstruation or abnormal bleeding.

 

Hormonal imbalances caused by stress may exacerbate the symptoms of fibroid tumours and endometriosis, and make it more difficult for couples to conceive a baby.

 

Some women experience changes in their sexuality and encounter various sexual dysfunctions such as loss of desire and vaginal dryness as a result of stress.

Distress can also cause emotional problems, such as depression, panic attacks, or other forms of anxiety and worry.

 

Stress becomes part of a vicious circle when people engage in the compulsive use of substances or behaviours to try to relieve their stress, such as turning to food, alcohol, tobacco, drugs, gambling, sex, shopping, and the Internet.

 

Rather than relieving the stress and returning the body to a relaxed state, these substances and compulsive behaviours tend to keep the body in a stressed state and cause more problems.

 

Getting stressed when you're already ill

Research suggests that stress can also worsen or exacerbate certain symptoms or illnesses.

 

Not everyone responds in the same way to a certain illness, and the addition of mental stress on top of that individual response certainly affects it.

 

For instance, certain diseases such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, peptic ulcer disease, or cardiac disease can worsen with mental stress.

 

It is important for women who already have some form of heart disease, such as high blood pressure, heart palpitations or high cholesterol, to be careful, because heart disease is one of the top killers of women.

 

How can you tell when you're stressed?

 

Generally, an increased pulse rate is a good indication that your adrenaline has gone up, but you can be stressed while having a normal pulse rate.

 

Other giveaways are constant aches and pains, palpitations, anxiety, chronic fatigue, crying, over- or under-eating, frequent infections, and a decrease in your sexual desire.

 

A good indication is if you feel like you're "out of it" and you lose interest in most things.

 

You may find yourself grinding your teeth or clenching your jaw all the time, suffer from indigestion, muscle tension, trembling or shaking, and even inexplicable diarrhoea.

 

If you experience all this or more, you don't need anyone to tell you that you really need to relax.

 

If you don't make an effort to cut out the stress from your life, it could cause serious problems to your health and well-being.

 

Start with your state of mind - be positive about things in life and accept that there are events that you cannot control. Don't let anger, frustration, or fear crowd your mind.

 

Try to look for constructive solutions instead. Lifestyle choices can help your body fight stress.

 

Exercise regularly so that your body is fit. Eat healthy, well-balanced meals to keep your energy levels up and your immune system strong. Get enough rest and sleep - this makes a huge difference in helping you recover from stress.

 

Finally, make choices in life that are right for you. Know when to say "no" to requests that will cause excessive stress, and manage your time effectively to handle what you have on your plate.

 

Know when to ask for help, either from friends, family, colleagues, bosses, or even health professionals such as your doctor or psychologist.

 

Don't let stress run your life, or you will be constantly sick, tired and frustrated.

 

What kind of life would that be

[Hamburger]

i read until also v stress........

[Mazdaowner]

The best way to handle stress is to exercise and get it out of your system, have a good sound sleep at night

and be ready to take on the next day. If everyday you wake up or even before you sleep you keep thinking about the day's stress,

you screw up your sleep time, and wake up more stressed then the day before.

 

The time I spend in the gym helps me cope with the stress I get everyday in my work.

[Baibai]

i read until also v stress........

 

same [laugh]

[SonicYouth]

i read until also v stress........

 

 

no leh.it actually helped me to de-stress.

i merely scrolled up and down to see how long the story was and i fell asleep already.

[laugh]

[Zouking]

haha, abit too long lar this article

[City100a]

i read until also v stress........

so sorry lah

maybe next time got time take you out for a bugger king hamburger to destress

[City100a]

no leh.it actually helped me to de-stress.

i merely scrolled up and down to see how long the story was and i fell asleep already.

[laugh]

i know

i what to summarize it

but worried that bros and sis may not like it

anyway now you found a way to sleep fast

[City100a]

Another long one

 

actually i do find our malaysian newspaper very interesting

someimes more info than our own

 

 

Get a grip on stress

 

An adverse reaction to stress manifests itself but its manageable

 

Tue, Nov 03, 2009

New Straits Times

By Kasmiah Mustapha

 

An adverse reaction to stress manifests itself in physical and psychological symptoms but this can be changed to get a better outlook on life, writes KASMIAH MUSTAPHA.

 

ANITA has always suffered from headaches and back pain, which she dismissed as a part of ageing. Then one day, it was so severe that she fainted in the office.

 

She was sent to the emergency room but after a thorough check-up, the doctor could not find anything physically wrong with her.

 

Her fainting spell continued for about a week. The doctor was perplexed as he had done a CT scan and an MRI, and didn't detect any tumour or abnormal changes in her body.

 

As any medical condition was ruled out, the doctor suspected she could be having emotional or psychological issues. He asked her questions about her personal life, family and work.

 

It turned out that she was in a highly demanding job that required her to be available to the bosses almost 24 hours a day. To make matters worse, two of the employees in her department had resigned recently.

 

With the additional workload and constantly worrying about meeting the bosses' demand, Anita's body started to react to the stressful situation. The headaches and pains then escalated to fainting spells.

 

Anita was advised to seek psychological help to address her situation and find ways to cope with it.

 

Prince Court Medical Centre clinical psychologist Hariyati Shahrima Abd Majid said stress is a psycho physiological concept in which the body reacts to a situation which a person perceives as threatening.

 

If he is unable to handle the situation well, it will cause physical and psychological symptoms.

 

"Excessive stress will bring about certain symptoms. The body will show symptoms that we've never experienced or we'd suffer from them more than usual.

"When we perceive something as a threatening stimulus, our brain will receive the information and release the stress hormone cortisol excessively. This will cause havoc in our body."

 

When the person cannot handle the situation which he perceives as stressful, he will get easily irritated, agitated, anxious, start overeating and find it difficult to fall asleep.

 

He could also suffer from migraines, heart palpitations, backaches and pains, arthritis and tremors as well as shaking.

 

Hariyati said, however, the severity of the threat is actually a perception. When the person perceives that he is unable to cope with the excessive demands placed upon him, his body will react to the situation.

 

"The perception is the disability to cope with the stimuli. When we don't think we have the resources than we will experience the impact of stress.

 

"We actually do not understand our body well enough because there are resources that we can mobilise to help cope with the situation."

 

Stress will have a negative impact if our reaction to it turns chronic. If a person continues to perceive the issue as a threat, in the long run it may cause him to develop symptoms detrimental to his health.

 

"If stress is not managed properly, it does increase health risks. When you cope with stress by smoking or eating unhealthily, there's the risk of getting heart disease, cancer or growing obese.

 

"It would be the combination of not being able to handle stress that leads to unhealthy living which then causes illnesses."

 

Many people think that stress always has a negative impact on their lives. But there is "good" stress which can improve performance and motivate one to do better.

 

Different people have different reactions to situations. Some people have a high level of tolerance, so even in the most difficult conditions, they will be calm. Some get agitated easily and this will cause drastic changes in the body.

 

"The impact will depend on how a person perceives or evaluates the stressors or threatening stimulus.

 

"For example, when you are stuck in a traffic jam and you perceive the situation as threatening, you will get irritated, angry and maybe even have problems breathing.

 

"But if you realise that you do not have control over the situation, you will find ways to deal with it. Maybe turn on the radio and sing along to the songs."

As stress is a psychological condition, its management is through lifestyle modification such as participating in physical activities, eating healthily and, most importantly, modifying one's reaction to the stressor.

 

One of the classic symptoms of stress is increased paranoia in which one starts to have catastrophic thoughts of all the worst things that could happen or things one could do to change the situation, said Hariyati.

 

"When the boss calls you into the office, your first thought would be that you are in trouble. You begin to feel anxious and think of the worst thing that can happen.

 

"These thoughts usually lead to unnecessary increased stress levels. We help patients modify these thoughts into something more constructive and adaptable to them."

 

Stress management is through lifestyle modification and behavioural changes. The first step is to identify the stressor and find ways to overcome it.

 

"We are not denying that medication is needed to treat the symptoms but there is a need to address the reason why we are stressed in the first place.

 

"The medication may be able to reduce the symptoms for a while but you will keep having them because you have not addressed the source of your stress.

 

"To overcome it, a multi-disciplinary approach is required, especially if you have a medical condition.

 

"If you are suffering from certain physical symptoms, you need to see a doctor who needs to assess and diagnose your condition.

 

"Doctors also have to realise that stress components can also play a role in either the onset or exacerbation of the illness."

 

Common symptoms of stress:

 

 

[Booboon]

Yes, exercise is a good way to destress. I always smash at my opponent to destress.

[SonicYouth]

Another long one

 

actually i do find our malaysian newspaper very interesting

someimes more info than our own

 

 

Get a grip on stress

 

An adverse reaction to stress manifests itself but its manageable

 

Tue, Nov 03, 2009

New Straits Times

By Kasmiah Mustapha

 

An adverse reaction to stress manifests itself in physical and psychological symptoms but this can be changed to get a better outlook on life, writes KASMIAH MUSTAPHA.

 

ANITA has always suffered from headaches and back pain, which she dismissed as a part of ageing. Then one day, it was so severe that she fainted in the office.

 

She was sent to the emergency room but after a thorough check-up, the doctor could not find anything physically wrong with her.

 

Her fainting spell continued for about a week. The doctor was perplexed as he had done a CT scan and an MRI, and didn't detect any tumour or abnormal changes in her body.

 

As any medical condition was ruled out, the doctor suspected she could be having emotional or psychological issues. He asked her questions about her personal life, family and work.

 

It turned out that she was in a highly demanding job that required her to be available to the bosses almost 24 hours a day. To make matters worse, two of the employees in her department had resigned recently.

 

With the additional workload and constantly worrying about meeting the bosses' demand, Anita's body started to react to the stressful situation. The headaches and pains then escalated to fainting spells.

 

Anita was advised to seek psychological help to address her situation and find ways to cope with it.

 

Prince Court Medical Centre clinical psychologist Hariyati Shahrima Abd Majid said stress is a psycho physiological concept in which the body reacts to a situation which a person perceives as threatening.

 

If he is unable to handle the situation well, it will cause physical and psychological symptoms.

 

"Excessive stress will bring about certain symptoms. The body will show symptoms that we've never experienced or we'd suffer from them more than usual.

"When we perceive something as a threatening stimulus, our brain will receive the information and release the stress hormone cortisol excessively. This will cause havoc in our body."

 

When the person cannot handle the situation which he perceives as stressful, he will get easily irritated, agitated, anxious, start overeating and find it difficult to fall asleep.

 

He could also suffer from migraines, heart palpitations, backaches and pains, arthritis and tremors as well as shaking.

 

Hariyati said, however, the severity of the threat is actually a perception. When the person perceives that he is unable to cope with the excessive demands placed upon him, his body will react to the situation.

 

"The perception is the disability to cope with the stimuli. When we don't think we have the resources than we will experience the impact of stress.

 

"We actually do not understand our body well enough because there are resources that we can mobilise to help cope with the situation."

 

Stress will have a negative impact if our reaction to it turns chronic. If a person continues to perceive the issue as a threat, in the long run it may cause him to develop symptoms detrimental to his health.

 

"If stress is not managed properly, it does increase health risks. When you cope with stress by smoking or eating unhealthily, there's the risk of getting heart disease, cancer or growing obese.

 

"It would be the combination of not being able to handle stress that leads to unhealthy living which then causes illnesses."

 

Many people think that stress always has a negative impact on their lives. But there is "good" stress which can improve performance and motivate one to do better.

 

Different people have different reactions to situations. Some people have a high level of tolerance, so even in the most difficult conditions, they will be calm. Some get agitated easily and this will cause drastic changes in the body.

 

"The impact will depend on how a person perceives or evaluates the stressors or threatening stimulus.

 

"For example, when you are stuck in a traffic jam and you perceive the situation as threatening, you will get irritated, angry and maybe even have problems breathing.

 

"But if you realise that you do not have control over the situation, you will find ways to deal with it. Maybe turn on the radio and sing along to the songs."

As stress is a psychological condition, its management is through lifestyle modification such as participating in physical activities, eating healthily and, most importantly, modifying one's reaction to the stressor.

 

One of the classic symptoms of stress is increased paranoia in which one starts to have catastrophic thoughts of all the worst things that could happen or things one could do to change the situation, said Hariyati.

 

"When the boss calls you into the office, your first thought would be that you are in trouble. You begin to feel anxious and think of the worst thing that can happen.

 

"These thoughts usually lead to unnecessary increased stress levels. We help patients modify these thoughts into something more constructive and adaptable to them."

 

Stress management is through lifestyle modification and behavioural changes. The first step is to identify the stressor and find ways to overcome it.

 

"We are not denying that medication is needed to treat the symptoms but there is a need to address the reason why we are stressed in the first place.

 

"The medication may be able to reduce the symptoms for a while but you will keep having them because you have not addressed the source of your stress.

 

"To overcome it, a multi-disciplinary approach is required, especially if you have a medical condition.

 

"If you are suffering from certain physical symptoms, you need to see a doctor who needs to assess and diagnose your condition.

 

"Doctors also have to realise that stress components can also play a role in either the onset or exacerbation of the illness."

 

Common symptoms of stress:

 

•A fast heartbeat and fast breathing.

•A headache, a stiff neck and/or tight shoulders and back pain.

•Sweating and sweaty palms.

•An upset stomach, nausea or diarrhoea.

 

You may:

 

•Feel cranky and unable to deal with even small problems.

•Feel frustrated, lose your temper more often and yell at others for no reason.

•Feel jumpy or tired all the time.

•Find it hard to focus on tasks.

•Worry too much about small things.

•Imagine that bad things are happening or about to happen.

 

In the long term, stress can affect your:

 

•Immune system.

Constant stress can make you more likely to get sick more often. And if you have a chronic illness such as AIDS, stress can make your symptoms worse.

•Heart

Stress is linked to high blood pressure, abnormal heartbeat (arrhythmia), blood clots, and hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis). It's also linked to coronary artery disease, heart attack and heart failure.

•Muscles

Constant tension from stress can lead to neck, shoulder and low back pain. Stress may make rheumatoid arthritis worse.

•Stomach

If you have stomach problems, such as gastroesophageal reflux disease, peptic ulcer disease, irritable bowel syndrome, or ulcerative colitis, stress can make your symptoms worse.

•Reproductive organs

Stress is linked to low fertility, erection problems, problems during pregnancy and painful menstrual periods.

•Lungs

Stress can make symptoms of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease worse.

•Skin

Skin problems such as acne and psoriasis are made worse by stress.

 

Ways to relieve stress

 

•Write

It may help to write about things that are bothering you. Write for 10 to 15 minutes a day about stressful events and how they make you feel. Or think about starting a stress journal. This helps you find out what is causing your stress and how much stress you feel. After you know, you can find better ways to cope.

•Let your feelings out

Talk, laugh, cry, and express anger when you need to. Talking with friends, family, a counsellor or a member of the clergy about your feelings is a healthy way to relieve stress.

•Do something you enjoy.

[thumbsup]

yes im stressed

Edited November 6, 2009 by SonicYouth

[Jman888]

why all articles was from Malaysia's paper? kampong people also got stress meh?

[Thargor]

The best way to destress is come to MCF and wait for pple like Picanto/pinic06/urns/Gearoil/the likes to start honeypot thread with all the fire flares flying around....

 

We get all so worked up reading their thread....and yet when during peaceful times....we will constantly refresh the forum waiting for their unique posting....

 

Ironic but true!

[Mazdaowner]

why all articles was from Malaysia's paper? kampong people also got stress meh?

 

Male chicken cannot lay eggs lah, so stress lor. [laugh]

[Mazdaowner]

The best way to destress is come to MCF and wait for pple like Picanto/pinic06/urns/Gearoil/the likes to start honeypot thread with all the fire flares flying around....

 

We get all so worked up reading their thread....and yet when during peaceful times....we will constantly refresh the forum waiting for their unique posting....

 

Ironic but true!

 

Live firing exercise. [laugh]

[City100a]

The best way to handle stress is to exercise and get it out of your system, have a good sound sleep at night

and be ready to take on the next day. If everyday you wake up or even before you sleep you keep thinking about the day's stress,

you screw up your sleep time, and wake up more stressed then the day before.

 

The time I spend in the gym helps me cope with the stress I get everyday in my work.

the problem is the problem does not go away

if you have a good night sleep you will feel better and think better tomorrow

good advice

thanks

[City100a]

The best way to destress is come to MCF and wait for pple like Picanto/pinic06/urns/Gearoil/the likes to start honeypot thread with all the fire flares flying around....

 

We get all so worked up reading their thread....and yet when during peaceful times....we will constantly refresh the forum waiting for their unique posting....

 

Ironic but true!

give them a break leh

actually when i do read their posting some have been helpful

 

that is why this is called a forum

 

a rojak of people and cars

[City100a]

Male chicken cannot lay eggs lah, so stress lor. [laugh]

male chicken - baby chicken not mature how to lay legs

male - c o c k - cannot lay eggs unless bi

female - hen - definitely can lay eggs

 

anyway do you still take 2 half boil eggs everymorrning