Recognising Stress

For many, stress is a major health concern. Left untreated it can seriously effect performance, health, and wellbeing. However, it's also a useful ally. In fact, it's only by learning to recognise our stress that we are able to address it.

What is stress?

Stress is the body's automatic reaction to a perceived threat - physical or emotional, real or imagined - and results in the release of adrenaline and other related hormones into our blood stream. These chemicals initiate a state of arousal (metabolism, heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate and muscle tension all increase) within the body. This is known as the fight-or-flight response.

Stress can be, and often is, beneficial. At appropriate levels, stress increases both efficiency and performance. For example, before an athletic event, competitors involuntarily elicit the stress response, and this is often essential to success. As stress and/or anxiety increase, so do performance and efficiency.

However, this relationship does not continue indefinitely. When too many situations demand adjustment, or stress is maintained for too long, we begin to suffer - this stress overload contributes to diminishing performance, efficiency, and deteriorating health.

The idea then, is not to demonise stress. We don't have to eliminate it from our lives - which would be impossible anyway. In meditation we simply recognise stress when and where it occurs and take steps to negate any damaging effects.

Taking an inventory of the stress in your life is a good start. It's easy for stress to accumulate invisibly. We can easily get caught up in a spiral of 'what-ifs' and 'must-dos' and fail to see the signs until we collapse with exhaustion. When this happens stress itself begins to compound the effects of a stressful situation - stress makes symptoms worse and the increased symptoms lead to more stress.

This cycle can be difficult to interrupt, so it's best not to get caught up in the first place. Start by learning to recognise the physical signs of stress - short or rapid breathing, tight muscles, a quickening pulse, butterflies in the stomach. You'll want to learn to catch the subtle signs which are the precursors to the more damaging symptoms.

Stress warning signals differ amongst individuals but these are some of the most common.

Stress Warning Signals Checklist

Physical Symptoms
headaches indigestion stomache aches difficulty sleeping dizziness	back ache tight neck/shoulders racing heart restlessness tiredness ringing in ears
Behavioral Symptoms
excessive smoking bossiness compulsive gum chewing being critical of others	grinding teeth during sleep alcoholism compulsive eating inability to get things done
Emotional Symptoms
crying boredom meaninglessness edginess ready to explode	anger loneliness unhappy for no reason easily upset feeling powerless to change things
Cognitive Symptoms
trouble thinking clearly forgetfulness lack of creativity memory loss	indecisiveness constant worry loss of sense of humour
Spiritual Symptoms
emptiness doubt martyrdom loss of direction apathy	loss of meaning unforgiving looking for magic cynicism needing to 'prove' self
Relational Symptoms
isolation resentment lashing out loss of direction low sex drive distrust using people	intolerance loneliness hiding clamming up nagging lack of intimacy fewer contacts with friends

Do any seem familiar to you? Check the ones you experience when under stress. These are your personal stress warning signals.

Learning to recognize your early warning signals and taking steps to reduce stress may prevent you from entering the unhealthy, negative stress cycle.

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