Stress and your health - it's all about attitude!

Stress these days is more prevalent than ever and perhaps everyone is feeling the pinch from the current economic conditions, inflation, petrol hikes and crime, to mention but a few factors that add to a feeling of being and feeling stressed. Stress does add to bad health, however being empowered by knowing the effects of stress on your body and realising that your attitude towards stress can help tremendously.

As part of the Government Employees Medical Scheme's (GEMS) ongoing effort to educate our members - and future members - on a range of healthcare topics, we would like to shed some light on some of the positive and negative aspects of stress and your health!

What is stress?

The stress syndrome was first explained clearly by Dr. Hans Sely of Montreal University who indicated that there are at least two types of stress namely Eustress which is good to have and distress which isn't good for us at all.

Eustress is the stress which we all have, this kind of stress we all need to help us get through the day and complete our tasks. Eustress keeps us bright, alert, happy, driven and able to approach life with a positive can do attitude. In a nutshell Eustress helps us swim upstream with strong optimistic strokes.

Distress is the stress which is destructive to mind, body and health. Distress consumes our energy and leaves us feeling tired, depressed and physically ill.

What are the effects of stress?

There are usual and obvious reactive behavioural responses to stress: resorting to smoking, alcohol, an unhealthy diet, irrational behaviour such as shouting at people and swearing, road rage, irritability and intolerance. However this kind of behaviour is of no benefit to anyone and almost as certainly will increase our stress levels. Our behaviour patterns towards stress increases our chances of developing illnesses that are stress related such as;

• High blood pressure
• Heart disease
• Allergies, hives and hay fever
• Asthma
• Migraines
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Eczema
• Psoriasis (a dry, scaly skin disorder)

Yet if you are displaying symptoms like a racing heart, fast racing breath, bad digestion, tense muscles, tiredness and rushing thoughts which are the body's natural reaction to stress, perhaps you can change your behaviour and save yourself from developing a chronic illness which will almost as certainly shorten your life span.

What can I do to combat stress?

But how do we change lifestyle patterns that perhaps we have been doing for years? A new attitude starts only with ourselves, if we can acknowledge that our current attitude towards stress is doing more bad than good, then it's time to develop new stress coping mechanisms that will help us physically, emotionally and mentally.

More rational methods of dealing with stress are activities like meditation, yoga, exercise, sport, dancing, martial arts, jogging, walking, reading, writing, singing, music. Taking up a favourite hobby such as painting, sculpting, flower arranging, carpentry, gardening, composing and collecting coins are excellent ways of coping with stress.

Choosing to feel good can help stress tremendously. The fast pace we live in and our desire for success and wealth can take away special moments with family and friends. If our goal is to be happy then perhaps we need to find a balance between work and play and belief in ourselves can help us achieve this.

Ways of staying healthy

Here are some ways of withstanding stress and staying physically and emotionally healthy;

• The good things in life are not "things"
  Health, love, friendship and family should never be sacrificed for the sake of a career or wealth. Your friends and family need you, and the healthier and stronger you are the more benefit they gain from you.
• Learn to say no
  Learn to say no - nicely will help give you the time you need to attend to unfinished work and still have time for yourself and your family
• Stay focused
  Get into the habit of starting each day with a "to-do" list. Learn to stick to your priorities and get them done. Keep going back to your list to make sure you are still on track.
• Take time out
  One of the integral concepts in religious thinking is the notion of a Sabbath. Whether you celebrate it on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday, a day of rest is more than just a spiritual ritual. It is a way of acknowledging that you have earned the right to rest.  Learning relaxation techniques like meditation can be done in the morning, afternoon or night. Meditation is a profound method relaxation, by learning how to meditate properly, you will learn how to sit quietly and be at peace without having to do anything.
• Laugh
  Laughter is one of the greatest stress relievers. Laughing at yourself and with others will ease of any symptoms of stress and leave you feeling good.
• Eat well
  What we eat is the fuel that keeps our bodies and minds going. If we feed ourselves too little fuel, or fuel of poor quality, we're going to splutter and cough like an old "skedonk". If you want to be well, work and play well, you have to eat healthy.
• Exercise
  Along with superior grade fuel, exercise is a basic requirement of the well-tuned, efficient body that is able to laugh off stress. Anyone who works out regularly will tell you that it really does work. You do not have to go to gym, taking your dog for a walk, gardening, yoga or callisthenics in your lounge or even fifteen minutes on your exercise bike will make all the difference.
• Get a fish tank
  Research has shown that the presence of a fish tank in one's surrounds is very relaxing, almost as good as meditation. Watching the slow movements of the fish is all conducive to mental and physical well-being.

If you know that your stress levels are starting to cause yourself and others harm it's time to try something that will not only relax you and add to your physical and mental well-being, but it may just save your life!