Stress is a feeling that’s created when we react to particular events. In small doses, stress can actually be beneficial to us. It is only when the stress becomes too great, affecting our physical or mental functioning, that it becomes a problem. Everyone reacts to stress differently. Too much emotional stress can cause physical illness, such as high blood pressure, ulcers or even heart disease. Physical stress from work or exercise is not likely to cause such ailments. Everyone reacts to stress differently, but there are some common effects that help us recognise it. In times of extreme stress, people may shake uncontrollably, hyperventilate (breathe faster and deeper than normal) or even vomit. The events that provoke stress are called stressors , and they cover a whole range of situations - everything from outright physical danger to making a class presentation or taking a semester’s worth of your toughest subject. Stress can cause headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, eating disorder, allergies, insomnia, backaches, frequent cold and fatigue to diseases such as hypertension.

The specific signs and symptoms of stress vary from person to person, but all have the potential to harm your health, emotional well-being, and relationships with others. The long term and short term effects of stress on the body manifest itself irrespective of the age groups. When the trigger is repetitive, prolonged or unanticipated, then it becomes pathological. The effects of stress affect not only man, but also animals. Stress can also occur as the result of a more positive event such as getting married, moving to a new city, or starting a new job. Whether a stressful event itself can actually cause a person to become depressed is not fully known. In fact, sometimes people become depressed even when there is little or no stress in their lives and everything seems to be going very well. Although you can use drugs to relieve stress temporarily, drugs do not remove the conditions that caused the stress in the first place.

Symptoms of Stress

Some sign and symptoms related to stress are as follows:

• Excessive fatigue.
• Tremulousness or restlessness.
• Nausea and vomiting.
• Shortness of breath.
• Muscle aches.
• Sense of being overwhelmed.
• Rapid breathing.
• Lack of confidence.
• Rapid or irregular heart rate.

Stress is a part of the human condition, a gift from nature to help keep us motivated. Stress affects virtually everyone at some time in their life. As well as the emotional and psychological disruption it causes, stress-related medical problems are becoming increasingly common. Stress is often associated with situations you perceive as difficult to handle. When you feel that your life is being “pushed” or “pulled” in different directions, then you are undergoing stress. Stress can be brought about by a traumatic accident, death, or emergency situation. Stress can also be a side effect of a serious illness or disease. Stress can take on many different forms, and can contribute to symptoms of illness. Common symptoms include headache, sleep disorders, difficulty concentrating, short-temper, upset stomach, job dissatisfaction, low morale, depression, and anxiety. Some people are simply biologically prone to stress; many outside factors influence susceptibility as well.

When stress is handled in a negative manner it usually leads to depression. To come out of this depression many take the harmful help of tobacco, alcohol, and drugs, all of which give a sense of stress relief. Most people can cope with short periods of stress, and it can often be relieved by relaxing, taking a walk, chatting through issues with friends, or having a good night’s sleep. Everyone reacts to stress differently, but there are some common effects that help us recognise it. In times of extreme stress, people may shake uncontrollably, hyperventilate (breathe faster and deeper than normal) or even vomit. Another big negative effect from stress is the way people choose to deal with it. They take serious drugs like nicotine, alcohol, prescription drugs, street drugs, eat food, etc. Stress triggers changes in our bodies and makes us more likely to get sick. It can also make problems we already have worse. There are many stress management techniques in the form of counselling, psychotherapy and hypnotherapy.

Causes of Stress

The common causes and risk factor’s of stress:

• Threats of physical violence.
• Family conflicts.
• Alcohol or drug abuse.
• Family history.
• Pressure to perform at work, at school or in sports.
• Lack of social support.

The best stress management techniques are those that are easy to use. There is no single fixed method of managing stress. The main aim should be to see how best stress relief can be obtained and what technique works best to reduce stress. Stress symptoms begin to manifest themselves when we perceive or feel that life demands are exceeding our ability to deal with them. The best way to deal with stressors is to eliminate them. For instance, if you discovered you had an allergy to wool, you would stop wearing it, and your stress would disappear. If your stress is situational, the most effective stress management techniques to use are those that you can apply on the spot when you feel your stress level rising. Exercising is a proven stress buster. Exercising regularly will help your body and mind remain fit and active and will help cope with stressful situations much better. A healthy diet is also important to help you reduce stress.

Some effective stress management techniques

• Physical exercise not only promotes overall fitness, but it helps you to manage emotional stress and tension as well. Being fit and healthy also increases your ability to deal with stress as it arises.
• Autogenic training has been used by physicians as a part of therapy for many conditions. Popular in Europe, this method is currently gaining acceptance in the United States.
• Biofeedback is one method of learning to achieve relaxation, control stress responses, or modify the body’s reactions through the use of monitoring equipment that provides information from the body which would normally not be available.
• Ranging from practices associated with specific religions or beliefs to methods focusing purely on physical relaxation, meditation is one of the most popular techniques to achieve physical and mental relaxation.
• A form of meditation popularized in the last few decades is TM, or transcendental meditation.
• There are many forms of yoga, an ancient Indian form of exercise based upon the premise that the body and breathing are connected with the mind.

Stress incontinence is an involuntary loss of urine. In most cases, stress incontinence starts gradually over time and increases, often to the point of causing women to stop doing many of their normal activities. Stress incontinence is more common in women who are obese. It is a bladder storage problem in which the strength of the muscles that help control urination is reduced. The sphincter is not able to prevent urine flow when there is increased pressure from the abdomen. Stress incontinence occurs because of dysfunction in the mechanisms that normally control release of urine from your bladder. Some people have both stress incontinence and urge incontinence. The weakness may be caused by prior injury to the urethral area, neurological injury, some medications, or after surgery of the prostate or pelvic area. It can worsen during the week before the menstrual period. At that time, lowered estrogen levels may lead to lower muscular pressure around the urethra, increasing chances of leakage.

The incidence of stress incontinence increases following menopause, similarly because of lowered estrogen levels. There are different causes of incontinence, and each cause has different treatments. Treatment depends on the severity of the symptoms and how much they interfere with the person’s everyday life. Constipation can make urinary incontinence worse, so dietary or medical treatments to help keep regular bowel habits are recommended. Stress and urge incontinence often occur together in women. Combinations of incontinence - and this combination in particular - are sometimes referred to as “mixed incontinence.” Weight loss has been shown to help decrease symptoms in those who are overweight. Surgical treatment is only recommended after the exact cause of the urinary incontinence has been determined.

Causes of Stress and Incontinence

The common causes and risk factor’s of Stress and Incontinence:

• Weakened pelvic floor muscles.
• Smoking.
• Excess consumption of caffeine or alcohol.
• Chronic coughing.
• Obesity.
• Urinary tract infection.

Symptoms of Stress and Incontinence

Some sign and symptom related to Stress and Incontinence are as follows:

• Sneezing.
• Lift something heavy.
• Laugh.
• Coughing.

Treatment of Stress and Incontinence

• Medications can reduce many types of leakage. Five main drugs are used - oxybutynin, flavoxate and tolterodine and the newer drugs, trospium chloride and propiverine.
• Biofeedback and electrical stimulation may be helpful for those who have trouble doing pelvic muscle training exercises. These two methods help a patient identify the correct muscle group to work.
• Estrogen therapy can be used to improve urinary frequency, urgency and burning in postmenopausal women, and the tone and blood supply of the urethral sphincter muscles.
• Various surgical operations may be used to treat stress incontinence. Surgery is often successful.

Some people develop depression after a stressful event in their lives. All people feel stress sometimes, but people react to stress in different ways. For example, some people might feel a lot of stress when driving, while others might find driving relaxing. Events such as the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, or the end of a relationship are often negative and traumatic and cause great stress for many people. Stress is characterized by feelings of tension, frustration, worry, sadness and withdrawal that commonly last from a few hours to a few days. Stress can also occur as the result of a more positive event such as getting married, moving to a new city, or starting a new job. Whether a stressful event itself can actually cause a person to become depressed is not fully known. In fact, sometimes people become depressed even when there is little or no stress in their lives and everything seems to be going very well. And, no single stressful event will cause depression to develop in every person. If a person is under continuous stress, a single difficult event may be more likely to induce a depressive episode.

Causes of stress and depression

• Financial stress.
• Losing another family member.
• Job loss.
• Household changes.
• Substance abuse stress.

Symptoms of stress and depression

• Loss of appetite.
• Restlessness and irritability.
• Thoughts of death or suicide.
• Losing interest in sex.
• Feeling restless, tense and anxious.
• Being irritable.
• Sleep disturbance.

Treatment of stress and depression

• Severe instances of depression should be treated with medication that acts on the brain chemistry, affecting the chemical pathways associated with mood.
• Monoamine oxidase inhibitors have been prescribed for some time.
• Exercise on a regular basis helps to burn off and use up the stress hormones and neurochemicals.
• Less severe forms of depression can be treated effectively with psychotherapy.
• When medication is not a viable option, when medications are not effective, or in cases of debilitation or high risk of suicide, electroconvulsive therapy may be used to relieve symptoms of depression.

Stress and aging are definitely connected. There are many different causes of stress that affect the aging adult. These causes can produce a variety of responses that include both physical and emotional effects. There are several risk factors that lead to stress and the elderly. Some include a past history of depressive illness, inadequate social support, and serious illnesses such as a stroke. Most people with healthy immune systems take their resistance to disease for granted, but the most common cause of a weakened immunity in healthy individuals are stress and aging. Long-term stress can affect the immune system as well. Fighting stress and aging go hand in hand. There are specific ways to reduce the negative impact of stress along with improving your quality of life. Regular exercise strengthens your body, maintains healthy weight and reduces mental tension.

Causes of Stress in the Aging adult

• A past history of depressive illness.
• Serious illnesses such as a stroke.
• Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.

Post-traumatic stress disorder is one of several conditions known as an anxiety disorder. It can occur in persons of any age, including children. Post-traumatic stress disorder may be triggered by an external factor or factors. It’s symptoms can include the following: nightmares, emotional detachment, insomnia, loss of appetite, irritability, clinical depression, and anxiety. Symptoms usually begin within 3 months of the event, although a delay of months or years may occur before symptoms appear. Post-traumatic stress disorder is thought to be primarily an anxiety disorder and should not be confused with normal grief and adjustment after traumatic events. It is occasionally called post traumatic stress reaction to emphasize that it is a result of traumatic experience rather than a manifestation of a pre-existing psychological condition. Traumatic events that may trigger post traumatic stress syndrome include violent personal assaults, natural or human-caused disasters, accidents, or military combat.

People who have been victims of previous trauma are also at greater risk. Post-traumatic stress syndrome is defined in terms of the trauma itself and the person’s response to the trauma. Trauma occurs when a person has experienced, witnessed, or been confronted with a terrible event that is an actual occurrence. Post-traumatic stress syndrome also can affect rescue workers at the site of mass casualties or other tragedies. People who have anxiety, depression or other mental disorders are more likely to develop PTSD. Both drugs and psychotherapy can be helpful. The most effective treatment approaches are called “cognitive-behavioral” because they focus both on the way traumatized persons view the trauma and on their resulting behavior.

Causes of Post traumatic stress syndrome

The common causes and risk factor’s of Post traumatic stress syndrome:

• Previous exposure to trauma.
• Having family members with post traumatic stress syndrome.
• Changes in the natural chemicals in your brain.
• Survivors of natural disasters such as hurricanes or earthquakes.
• Violent assaults such as rape.

Symptoms of Post traumatic stress syndrome

Some sign and symptom related to Post traumatic stress syndrome are as follows:

• Poor relationships.
• Headaches.
• Being easily startled or frightened.
• Trouble sleeping.
• Occupational instability.
• Memory disturbances.
• Self-destructive behavior, such as drinking too much.

Treatment of Post traumatic stress syndrome

• Several forms of therapy may be used to treat both children and adults with post-traumatic stress disorder. Which form is best for you depends on your symptoms and situation.
• Exposure therapy is a form of cognitive behavioral therapy used to treat post-traumatic stress syndrome.
• Anti-depressants, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors such as fluoxetine have been found to be effective in treating post traumatic stress syndrome.
• Anti-anxiety medicines may be useful, but some types, such as benzodiazepines, can be addictive.
• Two medications, sertraline and paroxetine, have been approved for the treatment of post-traumatic stress.

Music can affect the body in many health-promoting ways, which is the basis for a growing field known as music therapy. Music offers us relief from stress in many ways. It helps us to open ourselves emotionally and let loose with feelings that may be causing disease. Classical music is a good choice for stress. Try listening to mozart while you’re working, for focus and calm or choose slow, soft music to fill you with a sense of peace & mental quiet. Playing music as you drift off is one way to counteract the effects of stress by taking your mind off of what’s stressing you, slowing down your breathing, and soothing your mind. Music can also be used to assist one in improving his or her self-esteem and furthering an individual’s personal growth and development or transformation.

Music is a powerful catalyst for healing because it touches the very core of humanity our souls. The baroque music has been found to increase the alpha waves in your left and right sides of your brain which help improve your learning ability, creativity and calmness. Patients recovering from heart attacks and strokes respond much more quickly to treatment when soothing music is played in their rooms. Kids with learning disabilities show remarkable improvement in mathematics, reading and reasoning skills when they are exposed to appropriate music. People suffering from back pain, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and pain from injuries; all benefit from using music. Physical therapy is much more effective when combined with music.

Job stress is a chronic disease. Job stress comes in many different forms and affects the body in various ways. In some cases, job stress can be disabling. It is caused by conditions in the workplace that negatively affect an individual’s performance and overall well-being of his body and mind. Professional stress or job stress poses a threat to physical health. Work related stress in the life of organized workers, consequently, affects the health of organizations. Major stress comes from having too much work, not having enough work, doing work that is unfulfilling, fearing a job layoff, or not getting along with your boss. The signs of job stress vary from person to person, depending on the particular situation, how long the individual has been subjected to the stressors, and the intensity of the stress itself.

Causes of Job stress

The common causes and risk factor’s of Job stress:

• Overwork: working late, taking work home, not taking vacation.
• Being in the wrong career.
• Work conditions that pose risk to health and safety.
• Unpleasant physical conditions such as crowding, noise, air pollution; ergonomic problems.
• Prejudice or harassment.

Symptoms of Job stress

Some sign and symptom related to Job stress are as follows:

• Upset stomach.
• Headache.
• Increased use of drugs or alcohol.
• Sleep disturbances.
• Loss of mental concentration.
• Back problems.
• Low morale.

Treatment of Job stress

• Psychotherapy may provide you with a means to help you identify the causes of your stress and help you develop a plan to incorporate into your daily life.
• Elimination of drug use and no more than moderate alcohol use are key to the successful management of stress.
• Exercise on a regular basis helps to burn off and use up the stress hormones and neurochemicals.

Stress is a sign that we need to look more closely at our lives. Stress that continues without relief can lead to a condition called distress — a negative stress reaction. Emotional problems can also result from distress. These problems include depression, panic attacks, or other forms of anxiety and worry. Like pain, stress should also be viewed as a warning. One of the more debilitating symptoms of stress is panic attacks, which can be really frightening, and take over your life if you don’t learn how to deal with them. Different types of stress can greatly vary modes of thinking, and more severe forms of stress can encourage pessimistic thought, so it is crucial to consistently believe that stress can be conquered. For those people who have more trouble handling stress, and see it as an un-ending tide, a balanced and reorganized life schedule can be refreshing.

Tips to control Stress

• Learn and practice relaxation techniques; try meditation, yoga, or tai-chi.
• Don’t be afraid to ask questions, solicit solutions, and share your problems with others.
• Set realistic goals and priorities and identify those things you must do first.
• Make a list of stressful situations in your life.
• Eat healthy, well-balanced meals.
• Seek out social support. Spend enough time with those you love.