By Patricia AdamsRegardless of your age, there is a good chance that you have experienced some form of stress in your life. Stress is your body's way of preparing itself for dealing with a tough situation by increasing focus, strength stamina and the body's level of alertness. While stress helps keeps us safe in potentially dangerous situations, too much stress can actually do our bodies more harm than good which is why it is so important to learn how to reduce stress. When you become overstressed, your body is always at a heightened level of awareness which can affect how you deal with your day to day responsibilities.
Our bodies commonly respond to stress inducing situations by activating the nervous system and certain hormones. When our stress levels rise, the body's hypothalamus sends a signal to the adrenal glands to produce more adrenaline and cortisol and then release these two hormones into the bloodstream. This combination causes your heart rate to speed up, your breathing to quicken, your blood pressure to rise and your metabolism to increase.
Stress also quickens your physical responses by allowing you to react quickly and effectively to any event. Commonly known as the stress response, it is the body's normal response to a stressful situation. In normal situations the body will eventually return to normal once the stressor is handled but problems start to occur when the stress levels in the body never seem to decrease which is commonly known as over stress. In order to learn how to reduce stress, you need to first learn the type of situations that commonly cause over stress. They are:
- Exams
- Dealing with constant problems at school or work
- Dealing with sexual, physical or emotional abuse
- Dealing with relationships
- Being required to handle new responsibilities
- Moving to a new place
- Dealing with a traumatic event, such as the death of a loved one
- Dealing with a new or chronic illness or disability
- Dealing with peer pressure or dealing with being bullied
- Dealing with unrealistic expectations that have been placed on you by yourself, your friends, your family or your culture
While occasional stress is fine, being over stressed all the time can have negative effect on both your physical and mental health which is why it is so important to learn how to reduce stress. Some of the most common consequences of over stress are:
Psychological and Emotional Consequences:
- Feeling hostile, angry, or irritable
- Feeling anxious
- Choosing to avoid other people
- Crying
- Moodiness or feeling frustrated with things that normally wouldn't bother you
- A low self-esteem or lack of confidence
- Anxiety attacks
- Depression or sadness
Physical Consequences:
- An upset stomach, diarrhea, or indigestion
- Headaches
- Backaches
- An inability to sleep
- Eating either too much or too little
- An increased heart-rate
- Smoking
If you find that you are suffering from one or all of these symptoms then you may want to consider talking to your doctor or counsellor in order to learn how to reduce stress. Choosing to not reduce your stress will only end up doing your physical and mental health more harm than good.
Patricia Adams of PanicAnxietyCure-Reviews.com, had suffered from panic attacks for over twenty years, but fortunately found help from it's debilitating effects and cured herself permanently. She now dedicates her time in helping other panic and anxiety sufferers get the info that they need to gain ultimate freedom. Patricia now constantly reviews new products and natural cures in the market to make sure you get the best value products that work for you. Check out actual user reviews of the best panic and anxiety natural cures atPanicAnxietyCure-Reviews.com.
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By Paul CresswellAre you always tired? Do you feel irritable, light headed when standing quickly, have a low sex drive, find it really hard to concentrate, crave salt or sugar and have problems with your digestion? Perhaps you've had more coughs and colds than normal?
If these symptoms sound familiar, apart from the fact that they are all typical signs of stress, you may be suffering from a recently recognised stress disorder called Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome. This new syndrome covers a large group of non specific symptoms and it's now become so commonplace that it's actually recognised now by the World Health Organisation.
Adrenal Fatigue Syndromes occurs - simply - because the adrenal glands, the ones that are located just above the kidneys, get overworked. The adrenal glands work in times of stress to help the body cope by pumping out high levels of the hormone cortisol during short term periods of high stress.
The problem these days however is that the adrenal glands 'burn out' as the body is almost always under stress, with the result that the glands tire, and the levels of cortisol in the body plummet, meaning that the sufferer can no longer respond effectively to high pressure situations.
Sufferers of this syndrome can show no signs of a physical illness; instead they live with a general sense of being ill, tired and generally not 'feeling right'. People suffering from this syndrome also find they have to use stimulants such as caffeine, coffee, and colas to keep themselves going through the day. Going to bed increasingly earlier and still having difficulty getting up in the mornings, waking up still feeling tired, is also a common symptom of the syndrome.
Many people with chronic or clinical stress disorders have problems sleeping - and lack of sleep is the main cause of adrenal syndrome - which further agitates the situation because adrenal syndrome sufferers need more sleep. This condition has been shown to affect more women than men.
Obviously, it goes without saying, if you suspect this syndrome for causing your feelings, you need to see your doctor or other medical practitioner. The term adrenal fatigue is now starting to be recognised by mainstream medical services worldwide. Medical treatments are basic in their own right, the treatments being based on stress disorders, but one of the main, major aspects of this illness seems to be mentally induced, although subconsciously.
If you are constantly putting yourself under pressure to achieve, constantly feel powerless or out of control, trying to be perfect, staying in a no-win situation too long, you subconsciously put your own body under pressure. This is the major symptom that should be treated first - take time out, completely switch off from your busy life. Learn to relax or destress - yoga, meditation and exercise are the best ways to beat this syndrome.
Accept yourself for who you are and what you stand for - not what other people, or society, say you should be. Stop trying to compete, to be someone you aren't.
Follow this up with a proper diet, eat a lot of whole grains, oily fish, plenty of fruit and reinforce this by taking magnesium, B5 and vitamins C and B12.
And, most of all, simply respect yourself for the person you really are. This step alone will help remove you from the stressful situations that force your body to defend itself. Just be yourself, and respect yourself enough to give yourself some decent time out from your stressful life. Your body will thank you for it. Accept and respect your body's early warning signs and take a step back for a richer, more rewarding life that will be full of energy.
If you liked this article, come and join Paul Cresswell's community based on getting debt free from running a business. There's hundreds of ideas, professional tips & secrets as well as articles, training guides and articles like this one, for both starting & marketing your business,self improvement, psychology,earning Money on line and getting debt free, and there's hundreds of business guides as well. Everything's free, there's no sign up required and I don't want your details. Paul Cresswell is married, with a large family and an even larger mortgage, and he invites you into his life to watch the struggle turn into success and prosperity. Comments, feedback are all welcome! http://www.poundslammer.com/debtfree
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By Russell SymondsChronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a controversial condition with no precise definition or single known cause. Various things can cause it and the only way known to diagnose it is through a diagnosis of exclusion of all other pathologies known to cause chronic fatigue such diabetes, depression, anemia, leukemia, malnutrition, etc. However there are some specific terms or conditions associated with CFS such as encephalomyelitis, post-viral fatigue syndrome (PVFS), Epstein-Barr virus, adrenal fatigue, etc. The condition must also be present for more than 6 months for it to match most diagnostic criteria.
More women than men are said to have this disorder and it has been more commonly diagnosed in young children and especially teenagers. Many other symptoms ranging from mild to life-threatening such as cardiac problems, asthma, muscle fatigue, pain, spacey feelings, digestive problems, depression, immune weakness, and oversensitivity have been reported by those suffering from CFS but are not officially a part of this ailment. Some get better over a period of time and some cases do respond to various treatments.
The main symptom of CFS is an unrelenting tiredness not relieved by rest and greatly exaggerated through even the smallest amounts of exertion. One often feels like one is walking through molasses with weights tied to every part of one's body. Some days are so bad that one may need to stay in bed and sleep all day. Also not only physical body is affected, the mind and emotions are equally thwarted. CFS is an extremely serious and very frustrating condition to deal with as all aspects of one's life are seriously compromised if not ruined. It may take four times as much effort to accomplish one tenth of what the average person can achieve.
I suffered periods of what seemed to be CFS throughout most of my life starting at very early age. I was considered "lazy" and inattentive at school and used to "daydream" during class. I was actually going into deep meditative states even though no one, not even myself, realized it at the time. After a long day at high school I would often feel so exhausted that I would immediately go to sleep the moment I entered my room at 3:00 in the afternoon (school usually started at 8:00 AM and finished around 2:35 PM). I had a tough time finding enough mental energy to get any homework done and needed 14 hours of sleep!
My symptoms were quite worrisome and this problem continued in various degrees of severity throughout my life and had very little sympathy, only accusations of being "lazy" which really upset me. I never was able to overcome this problem until I regularly took the correct amounts of the right combination of certain herbs, vitamins and antioxidants. Like I said in so many other articles I have written on health, drinking loads of alkalized water also seemed to help. Not surprised because alkalized (negatively ionized) water acts as a buffer to neutralize acidic toxins of metabolism. Quercetin helps because it protects the potency of adrenalin in the body, therefore increasing overall energy efficiency.
If you or someone you care about appears to be suffering from CFS, you are going to have to get a thorough diagnosis to rule out all kinds of possible causes. I was checked and double-checked and it turned out my anxiety-disorder was to blame. I found out that my CFS would tend to get much worse after very stressful days. Depression also greatly effected it. Therefore even though I had definite symptoms of fatigue, they may not been the official, bona fide form of CFS. Instead, my chronic fatigue was most likely a "spinoff" of other problems I was presently suffering from such as my anxiety disorder and depression while developing agoraphobia. But none of this knowledge satisfied my main concern as to how to really get rid of this devastating problem, which alone was making my life miserable.
I proved to myself it was a part of my depression by noticing that when my moods would swing back toward anxiety, I would seem to have more energy. After all, even though high anxiety is not at all a positive energy, at least it was some form of energy nevertheless forcing me to get things done to distract me from the sheer terror of the highly undesirable thoughts and feelings I would often suffer from.
It was not until much later that I came across two books by Patrick Holford: Natural Highs: Feel Good All the Time and Optimum Nutrition for the Mind that I found out I was pyroluric and suffering from a common metabolic disorder known as pyroluria. There is actually a one in ten chance that you, the reader of this article could actually have at least a trace of this condition, however, not everyone reacts to it the same way. Strangely enough, some may actually have no depression, anxiety, or fatigue whatsoever, just a greater tendency toward contracting lung cancer. Anyway, I saw my entire life story written all over the symptoms related to pyroluria. After taking the zinc, B6, niacin, and many antioxidants regularly things got somewhat better. Now I feel much more emotionally balanced, however, it did take a few months and I'm still not 100% perfect. Trying to find complete wellness and maintain it is very tricky business.
My search never really comes to an end, there always seems to be something more I need to learn and use to improve my condition even further. I recently learned that chronic fatigue syndrome can also be a symptom of one or several endocrine gland disorders involving mainly the adrenal glands, sometimes the thyroid and even the pituitary and hypothalamus. Recent saliva and blood tests revealed that indeed I have adrenal and thyroid insufficiency which is a result of massive emotional stress starting from very early in life.
More information and movies related to the above article can be found here ==> Chronic Fatigue
Russell Symonds (Shaktivirya) has dedicated his life to finding wholeness and is living the "wholeness" lifestyle. His website, Science of Wholeness is a spiritual and nutritional information and research center dedicated to helping you find your keys to wholeness (everlasting joy, love, bliss, rejuvenation, and much, much more). Wholeness can be many things and his website not only discusses all the different aspects of wholeness but also all the different ways toward wholeness. There is no greater thing of beauty, value and joy as wholeness!
The rest of his original articles and his free online book, Science of Wholeness I & II can be found here ==> Wholeness Site Map
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By Erika CookAre you feeling tired, worn out, or just unable to regain your normal energy level no matter what you do? If the answer is yes then you may be suffering from a condition called Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome. Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome (technically called hypoadrenia) is a disorder that is affecting more and more people every day, however a majority of the sufferers are not even aware that their symptoms are even symptoms at all. This is a very prevalent, yet rarely diagnosed condition that has been around for the past 50 years. Because this condition has gone mostly overlook, most will be left untreated. First, what exactly are the adrenal glands? The purpose of your adrenal glands are to assist your body in coping with any sort of stress. The stress can come from any possible source, from injury and disease to work and relationship problems, the adrenals handle it all. Often referred to as "the glands of stress", the adrenal glands are directly responsible for your resiliency, energy, and endurance. Without any of these things we wouldn't even be able to get out of bed in the morning, let alone deal with stress! They also are responsible for producing hormones such as adrenaline, cortisol, estrogen, and testosterone which are a necessary part of your body's functionality. You have two adrenal glands, each the size of a walnut, and they sit atop each kidney. Centrally located, these glands not only affect every tissue, organ, and gland in your body, they also greatly affect how you think and feel as well. Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome is when your adrenal glands have been over stimulated and are not functioning at the optimal level. Overstimulation of the adrenals can occur after periods of intense and lengthy physical or emotional stress. Your glands then become exhausted, unable to keep up with your increased stress levels, therefore resulting in the adrenals not being able to supply your body with the sufficient amount of hormones that it needs to function at a normal level. Some common symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue are: - excessive fatigue and exhaustion - inability to cope with stress of any kind - feeling constantly rundown - craving salty and sweet foods - craving caffeine or other stimulants - difficulty concentrating - low stamina - poor digestion - low immune function - low blood pressure - getting non-refreshing sleep Unfortunately, there is no test that one can take to diagnose adrenal fatigue syndrome and there is no miracle pill to cure it either. Recovery from Adrenal Fatigue takes major lifestyle changes along with taking different supplements and vitamins that your doctor recommends. In order for you to fully recover from this condition it will take dedication and patience. If you believe that you indeed may be suffering from Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome here are some simple life style changes that can help improve the functionality of your adrenal glands: - Laugh as often as possible, this increases the parasympathetic supply to the adrenal glands - avoid stressful environments and people - exercise 3-4 times per week (or more) - go to bed no later than 10 pm every night - sleep in until 9 am, if possible - eat 6 small meals a day, rather than 3 large meals - always eat breakfast - avoid alcoholic beverages as they hinder the functioning of your immune system - avoid excessive caffeine intake - avoid excessive sweets, try to regulate your blood sugar - take a multivitamin/ B complex - take adrenal glandulator, this is helpful in replacing some hormones that may be missing - take Pregnenolone, DHEA, these are good hormones that can help to resolve adrenal fatigue Erika Lyn Cook is a freelance writer and the author of the upcoming book Purple People - The Diary of an Indigo Child. This book is a memoir of her life, and takes you through a journey of exactly what it's like to live as an Indigo child. Erika is also a certified Angel Healer Practitioner, Reiki practitioner, a certified Chrystal Healer, and an I.E.T. Healer. For more information about her services or about her upcoming book visit her website at http://ErikaLynCook.comArticle Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Erika_Cook
By Caroline SelfeAdrenal Fatigue Syndrome sufferers know the true meaning of exhaustion. They know it all too well. The exhaustion is physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. The manifestation of the many symptoms including exhaustion is a wake up call. The cause of adrenal fatigue syndrome is daily pounding stress. So much stress that your stress-fighting system has been depleted. When one develops a stress-related illness it is a reflection of lifestyle. You have to ask yourself, "How did I get this way"? You got this way because of self-neglect, low self-esteem and denying your emotions. The symptoms of adrenal fatigue syndrome tell you it is time for a change. If you do not take the time to heal your life, there is a huge chance an even worse illness will strike. You can do this by deciding to take care of yourself and love yourself enough to go through the healing process. Take these steps and your vitality will return. · Build your self esteem. If you don't feel worthy of the self love it takes to become healthy, you are simply not going to heal. · Give your body what it needs. Change your eating habits, take daily walks and get enough rest and relaxation. Vitamin and mineral supplements will also strengthen your nervous, immune and adrenal systems and relieve the exhaustion. · Deal with stressors. When someone or something is causing you daily stress, you can do one of three things. Get rid of the stressor, change the stressor or change how you think about the stressor. It is as simple as that. · Heal emotions and trauma. Carrying around negative emotions can wear you down. It is time to deal with the anger, resentment and hurt that you feel. It is time to forgive and heal. Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome is a condition of your state of self-esteem. It is treatable only if you change your lifestyle. Slow down, listen to yourself and nurture your body, mind and spirit back to health. To receive a valuable free newsletter and report click here: Free ReportIf you need more information and resources click here: Adrenal Fatigue SyndromeCaroline Selfe has been a passionate seeker of natural and holistic stress relief methods for the past 25 years. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Caroline_Selfe
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