You Can…Get a Handle on Stress
The stress response: the good and the bad
Stress is a daily fact of life. Stress hormones jump start your brain and body into action. They make your heart race when you’re falling in love, help you escape a burning building—or meet an important deadline.
Stress can be triggered by external and internal sources. External stressors can include your crying baby, loss of a job, a job promotion, problems with an intimate relationship, and having a chronic disease. Internal stressors have to do with your attitude and your positive or negative view of the external stressor.
Good stress goes bad.
Stress is like a light that turns on when you need it. But when you can’t turn it off, you run the risk of burnout which can impact your health.
Chronic stress weakens the immune system and increases the risk for a number of illnesses including heart disease, diabetes, and depression. Most research studies about the effects of stress on MS have been inconclusive, but one recent study by Dr. David Mohr at the University of California, San Francisco, found significant increases in MS relapses following stressful life events.
The tell-tale signs of chronic stress:
- Irritability*
- Feeling hopeless, helpless, guilty, worthless*
- Feeling overwhelmed
- Persistent nervousness
- Chronic worry or anxiety
- Sad or “down” feelings*
- Sweating
- Stomach aches, constipation, diarrhea, cramps, or nausea
- Headache
- Heart palpitations
- Muscle tightnes
- Shallow breathing
- Trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep
- Loss of interest in usual activities, including sex*
- Eating too much or too little*
- Decreased energy; feeling “slowed down”*
- Distractibility and impaired memory*
- Difficulty making decisions*
- Feeling empty or “numb” *
(* also a symptom of depression)
You CAN take control of runaway stress
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