CALMNESS In all activity, practice CALMNESS. To remain calm amidst the chaos of life requires a tremendous amount of focused ENERGY. Be calmly active and actively calm.

What is stress?

Stress:  Stress is defined as a person’s total response to environmental demands or pressures.  The word stressor has been used for the stimulus that provokes a stress response.  Description  Stress in humans results from interactions between persons and their environment that are perceived as straining or exceeding their adaptive capacities and threatening their well-being.

Causes:  Can include any event or occurrence that a person considers a threat to his or her coping strategies or resources.  A certain degree of stress is a normal part of living.  Changes in one’s physical or social environment, (positive, as well as negative events) can generate stress.

Symptoms  Stress-related diseases result from excessive and prolonged demands on one’s coping resources.  It is now believed that 80-90% of all disease is stress-related!!!

Stress related physical diseases may include:  Irritable bowel syndrome, heart attacks, arthritis, and chronic headaches, result from long-term overstimulation of a part of the nervous system that regulates the heart rate, blood pressure, and digestive system Irritable bowel syndrome

Stress related emotional illness:  Adjustment disorder : marriage, new job, move, new boss, new school, etc.  In the workplace, stress-related illness often takes the form of burnout—a loss of interest in or ability to perform one's job due to long-term high stress levels.

Stress is recognized as a factor in:  Anxiety disorder  Post-traumatic disorder  Acute stress  Abuse  Adjustment disorder

General Adaptation Syndrome: GAS  Is a term used to describe the body's short- term and long-term reactions to stress.stress  Stressors in humans include such physical stressors as starvation, being hit by a car, or suffering through severe weather. Additionally, humans can suffer such emotional or mental stressors as the loss of a loved one, the inability to solve a problem, or even having a difficult day at work.starvation

GAS Stage I: Alarm Reaction  Immediate reaction to a stressor. In the initial phase of stress, humans exhibit a "fight or flight" response, which prepares the body for physical activity. However, this initial response can also decrease the effectiveness of the immune system, making persons more susceptible to illness during this phase.

Stage I: Alarm

GAS Stage 2: Resistance or adaptation  During this phase, if the stress continues, the body adapts to the stressors it is exposed to. Changes at many levels take place in order to reduce the effect of the stressor. For example, if the stressor is starvation (possibly due to anorexia), the person might experience a reduced desire for physical activity to conserve energy, and the absorption of nutrients from food might be maximized.

GAS Stage 3: Exhaustion  At this stage, the stress has continued for some time. The body's resistance to the stress may gradually be reduced, or may collapse quickly. Generally, this means the immune system, and the body's ability to resist disease, may be almost totally eliminated. Patients who experience long-term stress may succumb to heart attacks or severe infection due to their reduced immunity. For example, a person with a stressful job may experience long-term stress that might lead to high blood pressure and an eventual heart attack.heart attack

Other symptoms of the exhaustion stage or unrelieved stress may include:  Fatigue  Irritability  Difficulty concentrating  Difficulty sleeping  Hair loss  Weight loss or gain  Dry mouth  Twitches

Can some joy cause stress?  Stress is not only an inevitable part of life but results from intense joy or pleasure as well as fear or anxiety. "Stress is not even necessarily bad for you; it is also the spice of life, for any emotion, any activity, causes stress."anxiety

GAS

Eustress:  Pleasant stress: reflects the fact that some positive experiences such as a job promotion, completing a degree or training program, marriage, travel, and many others are also stressful.

Distress:  Negative stressful situations such as:  War  9/11  Death of a loved one  Car accident  House fire  Loss of a job

Prevention:  Complete prevention of stress is neither possible nor desirable, because stress is an important stimulus of human growth and creativity, as well as an inevitable part of life. In addition, specific strategies for stress prevention vary widely from person to person, depending on the nature and number of the stressors in an individual's life, and the amount of control he or she has over these factors. In general, however, a combination of attitudinal and behavioral changes works well for most people.  The best form of prevention appears to be parental modeling of healthy attitudes and behaviors within the family.

Stress reduction strategies:  Adopting an attitude of gratitude toward life rather than seeking revenge for injuries or slights.  Acting toward others from altruistic rather than self-centered motives.  Retaining a capacity for wonder and delight in the genuinely good and beautiful things in life.  Finding a purpose for one's life and expressing one's individuality in fulfilling that purpose.  Keeping a healthy sense of modesty about one's goals or achievements.

More Stress reduction  Avoid stressors  Change your reaction to the stressor(s)  Relieve stress after the reaction to the stressor(s). Examples: exercise, listen to music, aromatherapy, and massagearomatherapy