Stress is a word used commonly in many contexts.  We can be “under stress”, we can “stress out” and we can stress structures or devices in order to see how they will hold up. We can also stress parts of our body, in order to achieve strength or flexibility.  In the world of mental health, we define stress as a normal physical response to events that make you feel threatened or upset your balance in some way.  Our bodies carry something called a “Stress Response”, that is, we have defensive reaction to a stressful event.  The response helps us to stay extra alert, focused and it can even make you suddenly energetic. One of the most common examples of a stress response would be slamming on the breaks of the car when someone suddenly cuts in front of you in order to avoid an accident. The stress response may even help you be more productive in any particular task you are doing as it can sharpen your concentration and keep you on your toes in order to be better in school or on your job.

However, when stress goes beyond the normal stress response, it can be dangerous and debilitating.  If the stress response is turned on too much of the time, or even all the time, it will lead to serious health problems, both psychological and physiological.

It may be surprising to know, but according to stress researcher Dr. Pelletir, an astonishing 80 percent to 90 percent of all illness is somehow stress related.  He claims that nearly 100 million Americans suffer from illness directly related to stress.  Amongst the physical symptoms you may experience from stress are pain of any kind, heart disease, digestive problems, sleep problems, depression, obesity, autoimmune diseases, and skin conditions, such as eczema.

Our bodies contain a stress hormone, called cortisol.  Small increases in this hormone have a positive effect on us.  It can help us with better memory, increased immunity and a lower sensitivity to pain.  But, when we secrete too much cortisol, it impairs our cognitive functions, causes blood sugar imbalances, causes muscle loss and fat gain, higher blood pressure and lower immunity.

It is extremely important for you to be in control of your stresses, as opposed to stresses being in control of us.  In order to prevent these larger secretions of cortisol and having to deal with the resulting problems, it is important to learn stress reduction techniques.  Smoking, drinking alcohol, drug use, and staring at the television for hours on end are obviously not effective ways to manage stress, learning how to say no, avoiding stressful situations, avoiding upsetting subjects, and keeping your “to-do” list reasonable are good starters.

Slight stressors can be a great thing for us and help us use the stress response effectively.  Excessive stress can be devastating.  Keep your stress under control.

Alan Freishtat is an A.C.E. CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER and a LIFESTYLE FITNESS COACH with over 12 years of professional experience. He is the co-director of the Jerusalem-based weight loss and stress reduction center Lose It! along with Linda Holtz M.Sc. and is available for private consultations, assessments and personalized workout programs. Alan also lectures and gives seminars and workshops. He can be reached at 02-651-8502 or 050-555-7175, or by email at [email protected]

(Alan Freishtat – YWN)