I resolve… to turn distress into de-stress.

/in , , /by

SLOW DOWN, YOU’RE GOING INTO HYPER DRIVE

Eeek! Put on the brakes. Super stress just ahead.

What is stress exactly?  There’s the basic definition; a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances. But hearing it put so mildly is enough to make you want to scream. So, let’s get a little more real. Stress has also been defined as the confusion caused when one’s mind overrides the body’s natural desire to choke the living you-know-what out of some jerk that desperately needs it. Yeah, yeah, that’s more like it.

Stress, stressing, stressful…there are endless synonyms for them. You probably identify with more than a few:

  • Nerve-racking
  • On edge
  • Taxing
  • Tense
  • Trying
  • Annoying
  • Fatiguing
  • Aggravating
  • Disquieting
  • Disturbing
  • Exasperating
  • Irksome
  • Maddening
  • Agitated
  • Anxious
  • Beside Oneself
  • Hyper
  • Shot to piece
  • Unnerved
  • Uptight
  • Wired
  • High-strung
  • Keyed up
  • Overwrought
  • Up the wall
  • Strung out

Now that’s a list. Straight out of the Thesaurus.

WHEN YOUR TO-DO LIST BECOMES A TO-DIE LIST

All right, then. Stress stinks. But it can be a lot more serious than that. You might be somewhat alarmed to know that it can cause chest pain, back strain, asthma, ulcers, heartburn, headaches or palpitations.  It can zap your energy, wreak havoc on your sleep, make you feel cranky, forgetful and out of control. It can cause depression, weight problems, auto immune diseases, skin conditions such as eczema and even effect reproductive health. It can lower your sex drive, cause nausea, dizziness, diarrhea or constipation. It could make you cry rivers, slam out of the house, and tear into people at work. More importantly, repeated or prolonged stress can end up increasing heart rate causing hypertension which can raise blood pressure, damage artery walls and even cause heart attacks. You could get stressed out just thinking about it. But you need to think about it. Stress can be a real killer.

A MESS OF STRESS.

Oprah Winfrey wrote a best-selling book, Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff and It’s All Small. Actually, today most of us sweat it all, from our teens, (and for some, younger) until we die. Words like “peace” and “calm” are slowly hightailing it to the back of our vocabulary. According to research some of the life events that cause us the most stress are:

  • Death of a spouse
  • Divorce
  • Marital separation
  • Death of a close family member
  • Personal injury or illness
  • Marriage
  • Dismissal from work
  • Retirement
  • Change in health of a family member
  • Pregnancy
  • Sexual difficulties
  • Business readjustment
  • Change in financial status.
  • Trouble with in-laws
  • Major mortgage
  • Child leaving home
  • Change in living conditions

We’re sure your personal list goes on. We’re all different after all.

Let’s take a closer look at work stress.

Statistics have shown:

  • 40% of workers reported their job was very or extremely stressful
  • 25% view their jobs as the number one stressor in their lives
  • Three fourths of employees believe that workers have more on-the-job stress than a generation ago
  • 29% of workers felt quite a bit or extremely stressed at work
  • 26 percent of workers said they were “often or very often burned out or stressed by their work
  • 80% of workers feel stress on the job, nearly half say they need help in learning how to manage stress and 42% say their coworkers need such help
  • 14% had felt like striking a coworker in the past year, but didn’t
  • 25% have felt like screaming or shouting because of job stress
  • 10% are concerned about an individual at work they fear could become violent
  • 9% are aware of an assault or violent act in their workplace
  • 18% had experienced some sort of threat or verbal intimidation in the past year

It adds up. Job stress can do a real number. It’s is a real piece of work.

But as we’ve said, you also stress over some really subliminal small stuff. Pretty intensely, too.

  • You stress over what you’re going to make for dinner.
  • You stress over resorting to fast food.
  • You stress over your kids not picking up after themselves.
  • You stress when you order your steak medium rare and it comes back medium well.
  • You stress when your whites don’t really get white.
  • You stress when you find a white hair in your eyebrow.
  • You stress when you have a dentist appointment.
  • You stress when it rains and your hair frizzes.
  • You stress when your team loses a game.
  • You stress facing the scale.
  • You stress when your pants seem to have shrunk.
  • You stress when you watch The Victoria Secret Angels Runway Show. (Actually, that makes you unbelievable envious and envy is extremely stressful.)
  • You stress when you learn that the creators of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and Uber are uber young and making billions.
  • You stress when you have no idea what Snapchat even is.

HOW IN THE WORLD CAN WE MANAGE?

The first thing you have to learn, is stress management. Exercising, maintaining a positive attitude, not smoking, not drinking too much coffee, following a healthy diet and maintaining a healthy weight are just a few good ways to deal with stress. And they’re all attainable.

Medicines are helpful for many things, but usually not for stress. Some people take tranquilizers to calm them down immediately, but it’s far better in the long term to learn to manage your stress through relaxation or stress management techniques.

Figuring out how stress pushes your buttons is an important step in dealing with it. So pay attention. Stop and breathe slowly when you notice it coming on.

I RESOLVE TO TRY AND FIND OUT WHAT’S TURNING MY LIFE INSIDE OUT.

Just making resolutions and worrying about keeping them is a major stress in itself. But is it just stress that’s making you feel so eh, much of the time? Probably not. If your hormones are out of balance, that just might be what’s making you feel so unbalanced. Hormones call the shots in how you feel, sending messages throughout the body at will. Will anything help? Without question. Make an appointment to see Dr. Stephen A. Goldstein, M.D., F.A.C.S at Denver Hormone Health. His expertise and experience in the field are unparalleled. With a few simple tests, he can tell which hormones are having a field day in your body. With that information, he creates a treatment totally tailored to your needs.

Making you feel better is his main goal. So, call now.

And put stress to rest.