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More often than not, we describe ourselves as 'stressed'. But what exactly is stress? Stress can be your friend or your foe. When stress fuels the spark of personal achievement, it can work to your benefit by making you more perceptive and productive - acting as a motivator and even making you more creative. But when stress spirals out of control - as it often does for most of us in our 21st-century world - it can take a terrible toll on your physical and emotional health, as well as your relationships. While stress is not considered an illness, it can cause specific medical symptoms, often serious enough to send women to Casualty or their doctor's surgery. In today's fast-paced world, women are experiencing more stress at every stage of their lives than ever before. Juggling professional life, education needs, family schedules, money issues, career advancement and child- and elderly-care concerns are only a few of the common stressors confronting women. Working mothers, regardless of whether they are married or single, face higher stress levels - both in the workplace as well as at home. Stress at work
Research commissioned by International Stress Management Association UK (ISMAUK) and Royal & SunAlliance found that stress levels continue to rise in today's workforce, with one in two workers saying that they had experienced stress at work during the last 12 months and one in four needing time off work as a result. Too much work is the most common cause of stress with almost three quarters citing this as the main reason. Other catalysts include deadline pressures (62%), an unsupportive work environment (40%) and problems with maintaining an acceptable work/life balance (also 40%). Stress in the workplace affects people throughout their lives. The research showed that over half of stressed workers feel that it is damaging their health; reducing their job satisfaction (65%); and lowering their productivity (41%). Other major areas of life that stress at work affects included deterioration in social life (49%) and problems with relationships - with their partner (38%) and their children (23%). One in five suffering from stress consult professional help. The situation is likely to get worse, with two out of three people expecting it to remain unchanged or even deteriorate. How stress figures - 53% of people have experienced stress at work during the last 12 months
- 57% of these say that stress has increased over the last 12 months
- 52% of these feel that it is damaging their health
- 72% of these people get stressed from too much work
- 41% of these people say it is reducing their productivity
- 20% of people experiencing problems due to stress at work have sought medical or other professional help
- 63% of people experiencing problems due to stress at work expect the situation to remain unchanged or get worse in the coming year
- Yorkshire is the most stressful place to work in the UK
Stress can cause a variety of physical ailments, from headache to symptoms that mimic a heart attack. In addition, stress can cause the same symptoms as those caused by depression and anxiety. In either case, you should discuss your symptoms with your GP. A thorough assessment by your doctor will help determine the cause of these symptoms. You may find that stress has triggered an illness, such as high blood pressure.
Stress and your body
Stress puts you into a 'fight or flight' mode. First, stress hormones including adrenaline and cortisol flood the body, causing: - Your body's need for oxygen to increase
- Your heart rate and blood pressure to go up
- The blood vessels in your skin to constrict
- Your muscles to tense
- Your blood sugar level to increase
- Your blood to have an increased tendency to clot
- Your body's cells to pour stored fat into the bloodstream
Serious illnesses
All of these can strain your heart and artery linings, so much so that if you already have coronary heart disease, stress might make you feel chest pain, called angina. The increased tendency for the blood to clot may predispose some people to develop a clot in their coronary arteries, causing a heart attack. The tendency for your bowel and intestinal muscles to constrict, also due to a sudden release of adrenaline, can lead to stomach problems. In addition, it can precipitate a number of mental illnesses like depression and anxiety. Stress doesn't cause these mental illnesses, but it can activate these brain disorders in people who may already be prone to them. Toxic weight
Stress can cause 'toxic weight'. Cortisol is a powerful appetite 'trigger'. That's no surprise if you've found that you eat more - and less-than-healthy food - when you're under a lot of stress. Those extra calories are converted to fat deposits that gravitate to your waistline. Fat deposits around the abdomen - the 'apple-shaped' figure versus the 'pear-shaped figure' - are associated with life-threatening illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke and cancer. Chronically high levels of cortisol actually stimulate the fat cells inside the abdomen to fill with more fat. As you age, your expanding waistline can be life threatening. Other problems
Too much stress can also affect your immune system, weakening it and making you more susceptible to colds, coughs and infections. Some physical symptoms of stress include feeling anxious, depressed or irritable, muscular tension, headaches and gastrointestinal illnesses. Stress triggers
Stress can be caused by both external and internal factors, some you can control and others you can't, for example: Changes in your life
Diagnosing stress If you are suffering from stress, you may be experiencing a variety of symptoms that feel severe enough to prompt you to see a health care professional. If you experience any symptoms that concern you, discuss them with your GP - don't wait until they get worse. Stress-related symptoms can include: - Headaches
- Frequent upset stomach, indigestion, gas pain, diarrhoea or appetite changes
- Feeling as though you could cry
- Muscular tension
- Tightness in your chest and a feeling as though you can't catch your breath
- Feeling nervous or sad
- Irritability and anger
- Having problems at work or in your normal relationships
- Sleep disturbance
- Apathy - lack of interest, motivation or energy
- Mental or physical fatigue
- Frequent illness
- Hives or skin rashes
- Grinding your teeth
- Feeling faint or dizzy
- Ringing in the ears
There isn't a specific test to diagnose stress. Typically, your GP will conduct a variety of tests (which may include a personal and family health history, blood and urine tests and other assessments) to rule out certain conditions. If stress is identified as the culprit for your symptoms, you may want to ask your health care professional for stress management strategies and consider ways yourself for controlling the stressors in your life - before your health is at risk. Stress or depression?
Because your symptoms may be similar to those of depression, a health care professional should also evaluate your mental state to determine if you may be suffering from a depressive disorder. Depression is diagnosed based on specific criteria and symptoms associated with depression must be present for two weeks or longer. In fact, the differences between symptoms caused by stress and symptoms associated with stress are their severity and duration. Symptoms associated with stress, anxiety and sleeplessness, for example, will subside when the stress triggering them subsides. When these same symptoms are caused by depression or another mood disorder, anxiety and sleeplessness don't subside without some sort of intervention.
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