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Understanding
stress can help you control it
Stress
is a physical, mental or emotional strain in response to a
demand, pressure or disturbance. It can happen because of an
event (such as the loss of a loved one), daily strains (such as
raising children) or chronic strains (such as an illness). Most
people, no matter what their personality, must deal with stress
on some level. Unique biological and hormonal factors make women
particularly susceptible to stress.
Why
women are so vulnerable
During
puberty, menstrual cycles, pregnancy and menopause, a
woman's hormone levels fluctuate constantly and cause stress.
Emotional and physical changes, illnesses and environmental
factors (extreme heat, cold or altitude) may also cause stress.
And pushing your body at work or play can deplete your energy
levels and result in your becoming over-stressed.
For
a variety of reasons, women appear to be more vulnerable to
stress-induced illnesses. The results of a Duke University study
on stress in working mothers demonstrate that it may be more
stressful to be a working mother than a working woman without
children at home.1 The study suggests that there is something
about being a mother itself that may be constant source of
stress.
Stress-related
illnesses
The
impact of stress often has negative effects on a person's
overall health. Stress may be a contributing factor in
everything from backaches and insomnia to chronic fatigue
syndrome.
Stress
is often a key factor in women experiencing either the absence
of menstruation or abnormal bleeding. Hormonal imbalances caused
by stress may aggravate the symptoms of fibroid tumors and
endometriosis and may make pregnancy difficult to achieve for
couples with fertility problems.
Researchers
report that women who exhibit large increases in blood pressure
and heart rate during mental stress may develop accelerated
atherosclerosis - the disease process that obstructs blood
vessels and triggers a heart attack or stroke - in the carotid
arteries (the vessels that carry blood to the brain).
How
to cope with stress
Take
a two-pronged approach to coping with stress: First, change your
behavior to slow the emotional pace of your life. Second, change
the way you respond to stress. You may accomplish this by using
exercise and relaxation techniques. Meditation, deep breathing
techniques, progressive relaxation techniques, yoga, t'ai chi
and even general stretching exercises can go a long way in
reducing your stress levels and changing your automatic
responses to stress. Your health care provider can help you get
started with these types of stress-reducing activities.
As
far as slowing the emotional pace of your life is concerned, you
may have to change some learned behaviors. You should always
allow yourself regular leisure time, or time that you can call
your own without any outside interruptions or disturbances.
Other ways to change stressful behaviors include setting goals
for yourself, obtaining help with regular chores, learning how
to say no and locating the sources of stress in your life. By
analyzing your day, you may be able to pinpoint particular
stressors and take steps to get rid of them.
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