Managing Stress-Part 1

Attitude Adjustment Affection

"My father-in-law, who lived to be 102, was firm in his conviction that the secret to long lasting relationships was affection. Often the best way of showig that we care is through small acts of affection. The little things that brighten up a day for someone and that say I care about you. Here are some ideas to show affection: a smile, a word of apprciation, a heart sticker, an unexpected note, a flower, a homemade cookie, a pat on the shoulder, a hug. Never, never underestimate the power of a hug!" --Dr. Pal Cayman

Stress isn't al bad. Studies show that short bursts of stress actually help our immune systems. That's why health professionals favor stress management over stress elimination.

Stress plays a role in 2/3 of doctor's visits, says the American Academy of Family Physicians, and in more than 1/2 the deaths to Americans younger than 65, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The goal of stress management is to feel enough stress that we're able to get out of bed every morning but not so much that we fall over dead.

The body reacts to stress by swaming us with adrenaline other hormones that help us overcome danger. Our hearts race, our eyes widen, our blood diverts from the digestive organs and towards our muscles. Our livers unleash sugars ad our abdomens release fat cells to feed our muscles for quick energy. All of this is quite useful when we need to adapt to physical stress or threat but emotional stresses are far more common thanhe physical stresses for which our bodies prepare us.

In emotional stress, the sugars and fats pumped out to muscles that don't need them wind up scarring the walls of our blood vessel.

The Bottom Line:

Today, we look at stress in order to understand more about it. Next week we will examine strategies to turn distress (bad) into eustress (good). And, justor today...HUG someone!