Articles about stress and heart disease abound since information in the media and from physicians alike have been clear that these two situations are linked. Stress kills. Stress, however, is a normal part of everyday life. The stress that kills is the unmanaged, out of control stress that leads to emotional, psychological and physical problems.
Common illnesses that can be attributed to stress are coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, and immune mediated illnesses such as lupus, arthritis and gastrointestinal disorders. However, studies can’t conclusively pinpoint exactly how stress increases the risk of heart disease, only that it does. Researchers aren’t sure if stress is the risk factor or if it is the high levels of stress that make other risk factors even worse.
But, it doesn’t matter which came first, the chicken or the egg. The real concern is that stress has been conclusively linked to heart disease. The conclusion is that is you want to prevent heart disease or if you want to improve your heart wellness then you must reduce the level of stress that your body experiences.
People respond in different ways to stressful situations. One person may let the situation ‘roll off their back’ while another will obsess over the situation and mull it over for hours. Some people react in ways that make a bad situation even worse because they have poor anger management skills. Or they become anxious or moody. Others seem to face life with ease and grace.
Things that make you feel stress are also different from person to person. Both major and minor life changes are considered risk factors. Most importantly you should try to identify the stressors in your life, or the things that make you feel tension, anger, anxiety, and frustration.
There are some common stressors that affect people at all stages of life. They can include illness that is personal or occurring to a close family member, death of a friend or loved one (including a pet), personal relational problems or work overload. Included in this list are also situational conditions such as crowds and closed in spaces. People who are starting a new job, getting married, unemployed, retiring, or pregnant are also facing life changes that are commonly considered stressful even though some are positive changes.
Your body gives you warning signals when you are experiencing enough stress to cause physical or emotional problems. The warning signs are pretty straightforward. However, there may be times when you are under chronic stress that your body just accommodates. Normally accommodation is good but under these circumstances when you accommodate stress you won’t notice the warning signs, even though the stress continues to cause problems.
These warning signs of stress include physical signs like sweaty palms, consistent tiredness, ringing ears, difficulty sleeping, racing heart or weight loss/gain. Mental signs of increased stress in your life may include constantly worrying, inability to concentrate, poor memory, forgetfulness and loss of sense of humor. When people are under stress they also find they get angry more easily, become anxious, cry, feel powerless or revert to negative thinking.
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