Article Sphere Logo

Stress Management, The New Health Trend

By Expert Author: Trenton Martkes | Article Abstract
Word Count: 485 words | Views: 77 view(s)
What is it about stress and stress management that everybody has their panties up in a bunch about now-a-days? I mean do we really think that our society today is more stressed out than back in the days when people were dying right and left, eaten by large animals, starving, being shot with arrows, etc.? I mean you've got to be kidding me right? Well yes and no. The fact is that people who are stressed out by today's standards have more life limiting diseases such as cancer and heart disease and these are also the same people who aren't living as long. This is in comparison to the average person who doesn't face any of the stresses like those mentioned above and the present day people that do.

So what the heck is going on? Well there has been a lot of research done on the nature of stress and the mechanisms that were designed by God in our bodies to deal with it. Most people have heard of the fight-or-flight response and this turns out to be a major mechanism that affects our health negatively. So what has changed? This mechanism is certainly been helpful to our ancestors as they dealt with stress--a life preserving rather than life limiting process. Well it turns out that the kind of stress that we face today turns this system on almost as well as the other more immediate life threats but our bodies don't absorb it in the same way and so it goes unnaturally unchecked and takes its toll. We therefore need a different type of stress management than we were naturally getting by running away from the large beast that was trying to eat us.

Exercise is one obvious type of stress management that helps to use up or absorb some of the sympathetic tone that is the "fight-or-flight" response to job and life stress. It does things like check the increased heart rate and the high amounts of insulin and other hormones in our system, and it gives us natural mood enhancing substances (endorphins) which counter the stress response as well. Another aspect is the cognitive response to stress that needs to be addressed.

Partly or emotional and mental health is addressed by exercise but it also needs to be addressed in terms of some of the behaviors that we choose to dull rather than correct our unhealthy stress response. We need to find correct ways of thinking rather than use substances like alcohol, nicotine, and illicit drugs to mask our low moods. We need to train our minds to think positively. We need to find alternative activities and vents for our feelings like art and social release. We need to eat better and be out side more to get the natural anti-depressants that are found there and are much healthier. Only then will we be approaching stress management in a healthy and life extending way.
Trenton Martkes

About the Author/Author Bio

Trenton Martkes counsels professionally and has done lots of original research in the area of stress management. Check out www.learnstressmanagement.info to learn more about how stress affects you and how you should deal with it.

Article Source: http://www.articlesphere.com/Article/Stress-Management--The-New-Health-Trend/29315

Article Tags: stress management

Article Submitted: 2006-05-24 | This Article has been viewed 77 times.

Rate Article

Related Videos

Overview of Stress Management Techniques
Stress Management Techniques - Relaxation Response
How Women Can Learn Stress Management
Stress Management and Counseling
How to Manage Stress - Part 1/3
 

More "Stress Management" Related Articles

 
 

Listed below are more articles related to the above article from the "Stress Management" article category.

People interested in the above article "Stress Management, The New Health Trend" are also interested in the related articles listed below:

 
Nothing is permanent in this world except change. And since any sort of change causes stress, then, people should just accept that stress is a fact of life that we all have to live with. But what exactly is stress? Stress is a psychological and physiological response to events that upset our personal balance in some way. There is good stress and bad stress. Good stress gives you the motivation to do your best when cramming for exams, or preparing for a job presentation. However, when things get out of hand and life's demands exceed your ability to cope, stress becomes bad for your physical, emotional and psychological well-being.
After a long day's work, it is natural to feel drained and tired. Working on any task for about five hours or more can really lessen a person's energy and vitality. Stress is the most common factor for loss of energy and vitality especially among people who work everyday. Stress is also the most known factor contributing to a person's risk of getting sick.
A day's work ends not at "quitting time." After a hard day's work, one cannot just rush home and immediately sit back on the sofa with feet raised. After long hours of paper sorting, tedious analysis and hours more of report writing, the average worker cannot simply relax knowing that there are are still more things to done in the house. Eight hours at the office is followed by more domestic tasks such as cleaning the living room, washing the dishes, or doing the laundry. Being at home is just like doing another work shift, but this time, without the need to wear that tie or long-heeled pair of Prada.
In my opinion it's time to throw out the stress reducer pills, and potions, because I truly believe stress in some doses can be, a very powerful tool in your life. This is a very radical opinion since most opinions point to stress being very bad for your health. Stress like all other emotions server a purpose.
With all the responsibilities we have in the modern world we live in, it's no wonder most people are seeking a stress reducer or stress reducers. With the increasing roles that men and women have to play, everything from businessman/women, husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, dad, mom, etc., it can cause extra stress and pressure to fulfill each role in life.
Stress is a common word these days, a word that most of us feel. It has become socially acceptable to be stressed out all time. And people are now seeking a stress reducer or stress reducers to help them. I have found that most people are seeking a quick fix stress reducer. We are a culture that wants quick results. It's no wonder that we would want a quick stress reducer that makes us feel blissful now, and we don't want to wait for it.
With the constant challenges and high amount of responsibilities at work, it's no wonder why so many people have high levels of office stress. You wake up at the crack of dawn, drive in rush hour traffic, and work all day with so many responsibilities. Emails, phone calls, meeting, reports, and so much more. I'm probably stressing you out even more right now just talking about it. This is just how it is in our modern world we live in today. Office Stress is so common, and most will never learn how to overcome it and use it to work for them. Yes, you heard me correctly. Stress is a very powerful tool if you use it correctly.
 
Article Directory Home All Categories Health And Fitness Stress Management
 

Can't find what you're looking for? Try Google Search!
 
Copyright © 2005 - by Larry Lim, Singapore - Article Search Engine Directory at ArticleSphere.com™
All Rights Reserved Worldwide. All Trademarks and Servicemarks are the property of the respective owners.

Afrikaans Albanian Arabic Belarusian Bulgarian Catalan Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Traditional) Croatian Czech Danish German English Estonian Filipino Finnish French Galician Greek Hebrew Hindi Hungarian Icelandic Indonesian Irish Italiano Japanese Korean Latvian Lithuanian Macedonian Malay Maltese Dutch Norwegian Persian Polish Portuguese Romanian Russian Serbian Slovak Slovenian Spanish Swahili Swedish Thai Turkish Ukrainian Vietnamese Welsh Yiddish