{"id":13974,"date":"2011-08-31T11:00:19","date_gmt":"2011-08-31T11:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/production.ou.org\/life\/other\/negative_effects_of_stress_part_ii\/"},"modified":"2017-04-27T07:49:24","modified_gmt":"2017-04-27T12:49:24","slug":"negative_effects_of_stress_part_ii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/health\/mental-health\/negative_effects_of_stress_part_ii\/","title":{"rendered":"Two Dozen Ways to De-Stress, and Why You Should Bother with Them (Part II)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>The word \u201cstress\u201d is used in many contexts. Emotionally speaking, we can be \u201cunder stress\u201d and we can \u201cstress out\u201d. Physically speaking, we can stress structures or devices to determine how they will hold up, and we can stress parts of\u00a0our body to achieve strength or flexibility. In the world of mental health, stress is defined as a normal physical response to events that make you feel\u00a0threatened or\u00a0upset your balance in some way. Our bodies carry something called a \u201cstress response\u201d – meaning, we have an involuntarily defensive reaction to a stressful event. This response helps us to remain extra alert and focused, and it can produce a sudden burst of energy. One of the most common examples of a stress response would be slamming on the brakes of the car when someone suddenly cuts in front of you in order to avoid an accident. The stress response also can sharpen your concentration and keep you on your toes, enabling you to perform more productively in a particular task.<\/p>\n

Last week<\/a> we discussed the negative effects which stress has on us, both physically and psychologically. While we concluded that some stress simply cannot be avoided, and that a small amount of stress is beneficial and can even provide the motivation for better performance on the job or in a particular situation, our main goal should be to reduce the overall amount of stress in our lives.<\/p>\n

Recent research as well as emerging science conclusively links stress to pain of all types, heart disease, digestive disorders, sleep disorders, depression, obesity, autoimmune diseases and skin conditions such as eczema. And while the secretion of the stress hormone cortisol can have a positive effect on us in small amounts – enhancing our memory, immune systems and helping to produce a greater threshold for pain, the downside is that having too much cortisol in our system impairs our cognitive functions, causes blood sugar imbalances, muscle loss and fat gain, higher blood pressure and weakens our immune system.<\/p>\n

As a means of learning to control our stress as opposed to our stress controlling us, we presented eight tips from Don R. Powell, Ph.D. of the American Institute for Preventive Medicine. For the benefit of those who missed that column<\/a>, we will reprint the first eight, and round things out with the remaining eight.<\/p>\n