Stress

Stress is a process, not a diagnosis

We experience stress when there is an imbalance between the demands being made on us and our resources to cope with those demands. The level and extent of stress a person may feel depends a lot on their attitude to a particular situation. An event that may be extremely stressful for one person can be a mere hiccup in another person’s life.

You may feel under pressure to do something and fear you may fail.

The more important the outcome, the more stressed you feel

You can feel stressed by external situations (too much work, children misbehaving) and by internal triggers (the way you think about external situations).

Stress is not always a bad thing

Some people thrive on stress and even need it to get things done.

When the term ‘stress’ is used in a clinical sense, it refers to a situation that causes discomfort and distress for a person and can lead to other mental health problems, such as Stress may also contribute to physical illness such as cardiovascular disease.

When stress turns into a serious illness, it’s important to get professional help as soon as possible.

Untreated anxiety disorders can lead to serious depression

Stress affects us in many ways, including: Behaviourally – increased drinking and smoking, insomnia, accident proneness, weight problems, obsessive-compulsive behaviour, nervousness, gambling. Your attitude, personality and approach to life will influence how you respond to stress. Factors that play a part include: whether you have people around who can provide support.

As a health problem, stress occurs when a person feels that the demands made on them exceed their ability to cope. Factors contributing to a person feeling stressed might include:

• physical disorders. When we feel under stress
• our body kicks into high gear to deal with the threat

Our heartbeat, breathing rate and blood pressure all go up. The longer we feel stressed, the greater the demand on our body. The more often we are placed under stress, the more often we have to use energy to cope.

There is growing evidence that stress may contribute to physical illness such as cardiovascular disease (although this link remains controversial and research is ongoing), high blood pressure, proneness to infection and chronic fatigue. Whatever the cause, physical diseases need appropriate medical management before any attempt is made at stress management.

Discuss with your doctor how stress management may be used to support treatment of your physical symptoms.

Untreated stress can turn into a mental illness such as an anxiety disorder or depression.

Almost everyone experiences some anxiety

This is normal

However, an anxiety disorder is different from everyday anxiety – it is more severe, can persist and may interfere with a person’s daily life. Common anxiety disorders include:

• Social anxiety disorder – fear of the scrutiny
• judgement of others. A less common anxiety disorder is acute stress disorder

Anxiety is a very treatable condition

There are many different psychological and medication options

Treatments need to be individually decided on and regularly reviewed to make sure they are effective and to minimise side effects of medications. Separately and in combination, psychotherapy and medication therapy generally produce good results.

Untreated anxiety disorders can lead to serious depression

Depressive illness is common – about 17 per cent of Americans will suffer from depression at some time in their life. Depression is about twice as common in women as in men. The most common time in life for people to suffer from depression is in their 40s.

However, it can develop at any age

Depression is often associated with an increased incidence of suicide. The annual suicide rate for people with depression is three or four times higher than that of other psychiatric disorders. Stress in the workplace is common and is caused by many different factors, including excessive hours, conflicts with others and feelings of isolation.

The amount of stress a person experiences is often determined by whether or not they can accept that some things in life will simply never be sorted out to their satisfaction.

For example, a person may feel stressed by the way they are treated by their employer or by the behaviour of a work colleague.

Sometimes, this stress can be resolved by dealing with the particular behaviour.

In many organisations, there are processes to deal with workplace problems like harassment, victimisation or unfair treatment. In many cases, the problem can be resolved if the behaviour is changed.

However, some problems will never be fully resolved, and you may have to accept them.

For example, if someone who you think is poorly qualified is given a job you felt entitled to, you may continue to feel stressed, unless you are able to let go of that grievance and move on. The old saying ‘prevention is better than cure’ is certainly true for stress management. It will help if you: regularly – regular exercise is a great way to manage stress.

You should do some form of exercise that causes you to feel puffed afterwards – a leisurely stroll to the bus stop is not enough! Have at least 20 minutes of exercise 3 times a week. Avoid conflict – avoid situations that make you feel stressed such as unnecessary arguments and conflict (although ignoring a problem is not always the best way to reduce stress).

Assertiveness is fine but becoming distressed is not

Relax – give yourself some time to relax each day and try to spend time with people who make you feel good about yourself.

Eat well – a nutritious diet is important

• plenty of fresh fruit vegetables avoid sweet
• fatty foods

If you have difficulty falling asleep, do something calm and relaxing before you go to bed like listening to music or reading. Enjoy your life – it’s important to make time to have some fun and to get a balance in your life.

To deal with stress more effectively, it helps to investigate your stresses and how you react to them. Try to: try to do happy things every day. You should see your doctor or community health centre if: you feel anxious or depressed about stress.

Clinical Research Unit of Anxiety and Depression (CRUfAD) at St Vincent’s Hospital, Detroit and University of New South Wales (UNSW) Faculty of Medicine Tel. : OCD and Anxiety Helpline Tel. About stress anxiety and depression Effects of stress Emotionally – anxiety, depression, tension, anger The way we think – poor concentration, forgetfulness, indecisiveness, apathy, hopelessness Your response to stress how you think about a problem how anxious you feel generally how severely the problem affects you whether you have experienced anything like this before whether you can control what is happening how long the event affects you how important the outcome is to you the different ways a person copes with difficult situations your life experiences and life history your self-esteem Stress as a health problem environment (work, home, school)

• lifestyle emotional personal problems Stress physical illness Stress
• anxiety Generalised anxiety disorder – the person is constantly worried
• often about irrational things
• cannot be reassured Panic disorder Specific phobias – such as fear of flying or of spiders Agoraphobia – fear of public places or of being away from home Untreated anxiety disorders
• depression Stress at work Stress management Exercise Sleep understand what situations make you feel stressed understand what situations you can
• can’t control prepare for stressful events in advance
• by thinking about the future keep yourself healthy with good nutrition
• regular relaxation Getting help for stress you feel stressed often particular things stress you
• an Intro to Mindfulness Community mental health service Mental Health Foundation United States Tel

National Mental Health Helpline 1300 MHF AUS (643 287) Lifeline 13 11 14 Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 Suicide Helpline (616) 555-0400 Anxiety Recovery Centre Michigan (616) 555-0200 or 1300 ANXIETY (269 438).

Key Points

• more important the outcome, the more stressed you feel
• When stress turns into a serious illness, it’s important to get professional help as soon as possible
• Discuss with your doctor how stress management may be used to support treatment of your physical symptoms
• Common anxiety disorders include: Social anxiety disorder – fear of the scrutiny and judgement of others
• less common anxiety disorder is acute stress disorder