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WHAT IS STRESS AND HOW DOES IT AFFECT US?
100 Death of partner or someone close 80 Divorce or seperation 75 Major surgery, illness or injury to yourself 70 You've just married 80 You've been fired at work 65 You've retired from work 35 Reconciled with cohabitating partner 45 Sexual problems/difficulties 40 Pregnancy 35 Trouble with your in-laws 25 A child leaves home 38 Major financial changes 35 Arguments with partner/spouse 40 You've given up work to be a homemaker 29 Your child begins or ends school 35 Problems and changes at work 45 Buying a house 65 Moving home 35 Personal achievement accomplished 35 Change in life long habit 30 Change of friends and social life 25 Christmas or other holiday 25 Going on holiday 15 Violations of the law 10 Relatives visiting 15 You've started self development _____ Total HOW DO YOU ADD UP? When you review the above events, how do you feel about the ones you've circled? Are you happy, or are they still affecting you. If you scored less than 80 then you have had a not so stressful time of change in events within the past year. You are probably doing quite well balancing yourself on the the scales of life change. A score of 80 or above and it would be helpful to review the events themselves. You've had some major changes take place. How do you feel about them? About the way you've handled them? Take a look at what you've gained in experience from them. This will help to ease your mind. But also if there are any remaining problems around these particular areas, they may need to be dealt with effectively. If some situations are unavoidable, then you may need to review what you can control and what you cannot. Life will throw things your way from time to time. Learning effective ways to deal with life's changes will eliminate or help you to manage stress much more easil, quickly and effectively. Part of this scale was adapted from Homes and Rahe's Life Change Index, Journal of Psychosomatic Research Vol II.pp.213-218.
Stress is a fact of everyday life. It is our individual mind and body reaction to an externally or internally generated event and it is our physiological and/or psychological response to this event. There are many different definitions of stress. Here, I offer you my definition and view on it's symptoms and affects on the mind, body and spirit. There are many different kinds of stress: mental stress: worry, anxiety, intellectual prowess, intense concentration, and problem solving. I would also add memory repetition, especially of an event or situation that causes pain or distress. Physiological stress would include muscle or other body injury, surgery, extreme anxiety, nervousness, lack of proper nutrition or too much excercise. In my opinion, there is also 'Spiritual stress', which would include mental pressure like religious anxiety, guilt, or an unsettlement within your own spiritual soul. When you lack a 'holistic' awareness of how the mind, body and spirit work in conjunction with one another, you can experience what I call an 'energetic imbalance', which can cause lathargy and lack of motivation and that 'feel good' factor for overall health and well-being. Stress can stimulate us into activity and creativity and it can also add excitement and spice to our lives. The feeling a person gets right before he takes his first parachute jump is stressful, but one of exhiliration as opposed to negative fear. In opposition, a negative fear would be the feeling one gets before he has to have an injection, if he is afraid of needles. That adreniline prepares us quickly for survival by 'fight or flight'. If not managed properly, stress can have serious implications.
THE STRESS AUDIT- Self Assessment Stress and calmness are opposites but both are necessary for a full and balanced life. It is when stress is prominent that illness and disease can develop...headaches, anxiety, bad habits, ulcers, and IBS, just to name a few. It is possible to learn how to cope with stress when you: -Take note of what causes you stress -Be aware of any warning signals, both physically and mentally -Learn how to take control using breathing techniques and 'time out' methods Whatever you do, CHANGE what you are currently doing if it is not working. Try something new. Let's look at Life and how Change can bring on Stress. CHANGES IN LIFE: LIFE'S STRESSORS Begin to glance back at your life over the past 6 to 12 months. Mark them on the list below. Note that some of your life changes may not be listed. Score an extra 10 for each one not listed. Add your score and see the notes below.
LIFESTYLE: CAN THE WAY I LIVE CAUSE ME STRESS? The way in which you live can have an affect in part on how tense or relaxed you are in your everyday existence. Y/N Do you tend to work more than 5 days per week? Y/N Do you work more than 10 hours a day? Y/A Are you a smoker? Y/N Do you enjoy taking time off for liesure? Y/N Do you take exercise at least 3 days per week? Y/N Do you sleep for less than 7 hours a night? Y/N Do you relax and take time out daily? Y/N Do you talk openly with others about your life? Y/N Do you do enjoyable things for relaxation? Y/N Do you take a holiday period annually? Y/N Do you seek help in order to help you balance a healthy lifestyle (yoga, therapist, meditation class)? How did you answer the first 4 questions? If they are 'Yes', then this could be the start of making some changes to alter your daily lifestyle. We can only function for so long without proper rest and relaxation. Then we become wound up, agitated, attention deficit and drained. These are warning signs from our body, mind and spirit......'Help, I need to rest!!'. Will you take heed?
WARNING SIGNS OF STRESS: How many of these symptoms apply to you? __ Not sleeping well __ Headaches __ Muscle aches and pains __ Tearful or emotional __ Weak & tired __ Restlessness & figidity __ Impatient __ Flying off the handle __ Diarrhoea or Constipation __ Lack of concentration __ Losing interest __ Loss of appetite __ Heart palpitations __ Overeating __ Stomach upsets __ Indigestion __ Sleeping too much Any of the above are warning signs that you may be suffering from the effects of stress. If you have several symptoms, you could consider speaking with your doctor and/or seeking my help. Contact me for further details.
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