The stress problem begins in the mind in our attitude towards life and time and in the things we say to ourselves. The way we think determines our feelings and how we take on life, whether with peace and ease or hurriedness and stress.

            Stress is normal. It becomes harmful when it is continuous, unremitting and unrelieved. We can have as much around as we like as long as it is followed by a period of relaxation, of rest and recovery. The designed for activation and then recovery – the mountain and valley phenomenon. Distress occurs when we cannot get down off the mountain and the valley isn’t deep enough to allow adequuate recovery. We begin to accumulate the effects of stress.

            The most common effect of stress in our day is tension headaches. A lot of people think that they have migraine headaches, but that’s not true most people suffer from tension headaches. They result from the build up of tension in the muscles above the eyes and in the back of the head together with the build up of certain stress hormones that produce pain. High blood pressure that has no physical causes is also a consequence of the hyper arousal of the adrenal system. That is a symptom of stress. Another major symptom is disturbance of the gastric system : stomach ulcers, excessive acidity, chronic diarrhea.

            By adrenalin, the whole group of hormones that are produced by the adrenal glands to mobilize us to emergency action. These stress hormones circulating through the body prepare us to fright, flight or flight reaction.adrenalin circulating excessively is what causes a lot of our stress. It increases the clothing capacity of the blood in case the body gets out or bleeds. It increases the cholesterol that is circulating in the blood to mobilize it for action. It sends cortisol to the various joints of the body to fight inflamation.

            The stress problem has to do with our values and with what we’re chasing after life. It also has to do with our ability to forgive and to deal with hurts that come our way.

 

By: Alicia B. Reyes | Teacher III | Limay Elementary School | Limay, Bataan