Deciphering Stress – Stress Facts

Some eye opener stress facts which may look surprising to you but unfortunately are true:

Statistics shows that more than 50{f19aa3268e0de58f68955454d58a1a58d35e804fdb04b2f57dd6dc7aad4ec259} of the deaths in US are due to stressful lifestyle, and many other social and behavioral factors.
In the age group of 18+years, 42.6{f19aa3268e0de58f68955454d58a1a58d35e804fdb04b2f57dd6dc7aad4ec259} of U.S. adults are prone to suffer from health issues due to stress however 30{f19aa3268e0de58f68955454d58a1a58d35e804fdb04b2f57dd6dc7aad4ec259} of them remain to be stressful causing severe impact on their personal as well as professional life.
65{f19aa3268e0de58f68955454d58a1a58d35e804fdb04b2f57dd6dc7aad4ec259} of people accept that they feel pressurized at least once or more times per week that is why each year 10 million Americans see a psychiatrist.
According to the World Health Organization, depressive disorders are considered to be the world’s fourth greatest public health issue for depression had affected 340 million people across the globe whereas anxiety had affected an estimated 183 million people across the globe, the majority of who are women.
Due to stress it may happen that your real age may rise 32 years more than your calendar age
Every year more than $800 million are spent on “anti-anxiety pills” worldwide. Out of which 33{f19aa3268e0de58f68955454d58a1a58d35e804fdb04b2f57dd6dc7aad4ec259} of the pill is consumed in U.S. only which accounts for 5{f19aa3268e0de58f68955454d58a1a58d35e804fdb04b2f57dd6dc7aad4ec259} of the total world’s population. This is why on the eve of New Year, 1/3 of the U.S. population makes resolution to begin with a healthy stress management program.
Clinical depression or depressive orders is observed in 3{f19aa3268e0de58f68955454d58a1a58d35e804fdb04b2f57dd6dc7aad4ec259} of the general population, 20{f19aa3268e0de58f68955454d58a1a58d35e804fdb04b2f57dd6dc7aad4ec259} of terminally ill patients, and 60{f19aa3268e0de58f68955454d58a1a58d35e804fdb04b2f57dd6dc7aad4ec259} of people requesting assisted suicide.

The above stress facts should be enough to raise an alarm for you. But do not panic, stress though a major ill effect of our urban lifestyle is manageable if dealt properly. Further we are discussing some more stress facts to understand the science behind stress, its causes, symptoms and ways to reduce stress from your life.

Getting into a little bit of science behind stress, stress a very trendy dialect is actually a word in psychology and biology which was first employed by the endocrinologist Hans Selye in the 1930s. Stress (a condition) is a consequence of the failure of the body of an organism which reacts aptly to a physical or an emotional stressor (the stimulus causing stress either real or imagined). These stressors are further classified as acute stressors (affects in the short term) and chronic stressors (affects over the longer term) which can be either negative or positive stressors.

Stress Warning Signs & Symptoms

It is very important to realize whether your stress levels are in/ out of control. The symptoms of stress can be cognitive, emotional, physical or behavioral.

Cognitive Symptoms

Issues in recalling anything
Helplessness to concentrate
Poor decision
Always looking at the negative aspects
Anxious thoughts
Constant nerve-racking

Emotional Symptoms

Glumness
Short temperament
Agitation, inability to relax
Feeling overwhelmed
Feeling of loneliness (isolation)
Depression

Physical Symptoms

Aches and pains
Diarrhea or constipation
Nausea, dizziness
Chest pain, rapid heartbeat
Loss of sex drive
Frequent colds

Behavioral Symptoms

Eating more or less
Sleeping too much or too little i.e. difficulty getting to sleep or early morning waking
Isolating yourself from others
Neglecting responsibilities
Using alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs to relax
Signs of tension like nail biting, pacing etc.

*** Thesesigns and symptoms can also be caused by other psychological and medical problems.

Causes of Stress:

Stress being self-destructed can be caused due to many internal or external factors like:

Internal causes of stress

Major life changes
Work
Relationship difficulties
Financial problems
Being too busy
Children and family

External causes of stress

Inability to accept uncertainty
Pessimism
Negative self-talk
Unrealistic expectations
Perfectionism
Lack of assertiveness

Stress Management

If stress remains unchecked then it can be definitely damaging and there are lot to do in order to reduce it and its impact such as:

Your strong and supportive network of friends and relatives is your greatest protection against life’s pressures. The lonelier you are, higher is your susceptibility to stress.
If you are confident enough to take any challenges coming in your way then it is quite easy to take stress in stride.
An optimistic attitude coupled with a good sense of humor and self-belief is enough to accept changes in your life.
A perfect balance of your calmness and softness enables you to fight with your annoyed or gloomy feeling thus keeps stress away from you.
Only a perfect knowledgeable, well prepared and stress-hardy person is able to cope with stress.

Besides all stress facts discussed above, stress cannot be always a synonym for suffering as it is a subjective sensation whose warning sign may vary from different individuals. To a certain point, increase in the level of stress means increase in the productivity after which things are associated to rapidly deteriorate. So, the need is to utilize and transform that right amount of stress to become more productive and less self-destructive. A positive, little stress may keep you on your toes and thus helps you to tighten your belt and get ready to rise to a challenge.