What is stress and how to overcome it

By Mohamad Ali

Stress is the failure of humans to respond appropriately to emotional or physical threats, internally or externally generated. The threats, real or perceived, can be people, situations, events which the person accepts as the cause of the stress. When these threats overwhelm the person’s ability to cope, then the stress becomes harmful. Physical stress including injuries, sprain, strain and pain are stressful but there are physical causes for which we have the ability to control. A stressed person may lose appetite, has difficulty in sleeping, depressed and frustrated and may even indulge in unbecoming activities.

Stress starts in the mind. Once you identify a threat as a stress, the body will send a rapid signal to the adrenal glands to produce adrenalin and cortisols. Within seconds, adrenalin increases the heart rate, the blood pressure, and energy. Cortisol, meanwhile, causes an increase in blood glucose. You are placed in a state to fight or flight situation. This situation is assisted by glucose release from the muscles and the liver. The pancreas releases insulin and glycogen to regulate glucose. This is an emergency but an unnecessary situation.

The energy consumed for the stress episode is not entirely free energy. By deploying the hormones and glucose for stress combat, the body has to divert these from its main activity depot for repair and maintenance jobs. These jobs include digestion, cleansing and rejuvenation. So every time a person becomes stressful, the body organs get unduly excited and start pumping out hormones when you actually do not need them. Eventually, the body goes out of equilibrium, the muscles become tired and the organs wear out. Then your life will go downhill. This situation is akin to like that of a driver who leaves the car ignition on while he parks himself in a locked garage. The car burns fuel but the person does not go anywhere but in due time, the person will succumb to carbon monoxide poisoning.

You can overcome stress by living an active and healthy life. Surround yourself with positive people who will brighten up your life. Talk to them and when required, seek counseling. If it involves a problem with anybody, arrange to talk and together find ways to overcome the problem. Always occupy your mind with positive thoughts that can make you happy.

Go out to exercise in the park or at least walk for 15-20 minutes daily to maintain proper blood flow in your body. The green surroundings will positively affect your feelings and the exercise will greatly increase your stamina. Increase blood flow to the brain can be very helpful in releasing tension and stressful episodes. Exercise provides oxygen to the body tissues and dissipates the stress hormones, and relieves tension regardless of the cause of the stress. Eat a balance diet and always ensure you include supplements in your diet.