The quality of personal relationships is traditionally regarded as one of the main sources of stress. The relationship between partners is the key factor, followed by the parent-child relationship. Factors that contribute to successful and relatively stress free relationships include:- communication, realistic expectations, honesty with yourself and partner, quality time together, quality time apart, listening and respect for yourself and partner.

Many sources of stress, such as bereavement, financial worries and relationship breakdowns, which feature prominently in the Holmes and Rahe scale, originate within the family. Increases in stress over the last 30 years can be partly explained by changing social factors. Within the context of a large extended family and a close working and social environment, an individual benefits from contact and communication with others, receives feedback to establish realistic life goals and meaning, as well as useful information and practical help to overcome problems. The dissolution of these close social support networks makes the individual more vulnerable to stress related chronic illnesses. In the same period it has become clear that, as well as being a source of support, affection and love, the home can also be the place where individuals, especially women and children are most likely to suffer varying degrees of physical and emotional abuse.

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Stress, to put it bluntly, is bad for you. It can kill you, in fact. A study now reveals that stress causes deterioration in everything from your gums to your heart and can make you more susceptible to everything from the common cold to cancer.

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Don’t let stress rule your life! Learn to say no to stress and anxiety and begin to really enjoy your life and work once again.

Stress has a nasty way of creeping into our daily lives and playing havoc with our health and our emotions. When we’re overstressed, we suddenly have less patience for those around us. We’re irritable, and sometimes even angry. Our health begins to suffer as we catch more colds, the flu and infections. Headaches become commonplace as do tummy troubles. We’re tired and anxious. Stress can suck the health and the happiness right out of our lives.

So, how do we fight back and regain control of our health, our emotions and our stress levels? Try some of these common stress reducers.

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Work related stress can be described as a pattern of emotional, cognitive, behavioral and physiological reactions that we experience whenever we perceive ourselves to be in a situation in which we are not able to cope with the demands placed upon us. Sources of workplace stress include the workplace, home and the struggle to balance our work and home.

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Everyone feels stress. It’s a part of life. But when daily stressors become so overwhelming that they begin to manifest themselves in physical, emotional or behavioral problems, and then stress overload may be the culprit.

Stress Overload is caused when pressures at work or home become so intense, or last so long, that you begin to feel overwhelmed and out if control. This happens when the hypothalamus continually releases adrenaline and cortisol into the bloodstream, which causes the body to react by increasing blood pressure and heart rate, opening blood vessels wider to allow more blood to be pumped to major organs, and large muscle groups, and glucose to be released by the liver to increase energy and stamina due to ongoing stress in one’s life.

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Everyone gets stressed out from time to time, but how do you know when it’s hit a danger point in your life? Feeling a bit anxious, or stressed, when you’re trying to meet an important deadline at work, or when you have to stand up and give a speech at the PTA, is completely normal. But when you begin to feel overwhelmed by life’s most ordinary tasks, too much stress may be the culprit.

Experiencing chronic anxiety is never good for the body. When the body can’t stop itself from releasing the chemicals and hormones associated with the natural fight or flight mode severe stress and its often-debilitating symptoms may occur.

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Stress was created to help the human body get through life’s turbulence. When danger is sensed, the body’s natural “fight or flight” response kicks in, as a way to prepare itself for battle. The adrenal glands kick into action, flooding the bloodstream with high doses of adrenaline to give the body energy.

Heart rate quickens and blood flow increases, giving the body’s major organs and muscles more oxygen. Endorphins are released to work as natural painkillers. Breathing increases and digestion slows, all in attempt to help you better face what imminent struggle lays ahead. Nature’s way of handling something bad coming our way, stress can be good when it helps you focus and deal with an emergency.

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I have massive headache due to stress and tension and it really kills and i have tried ordinary paracetamol and they so not work at all. At the moment i am putting vicks on my forehead and taking two co – codamol. Please help

Stress is what our minds and bodies experience as we attempt to deal with the changing environment that affects our lives. We often think of pressure at work, queuing for services or rush hour traffic as stress. While these events may well be triggers, stress is actually the body’s reaction to such factors and is activated by adrenaline and other stress hormones, which stimulate a variety of physiological changes. These changes include increased heart rate, blood pressure, faster breathing, muscle tension, dilated pupils, dry mouth and an increased blood sugar level. Stress is the increased stimulation that the body needs in order to defend itself when faced with danger.

Whenever we feel tired, anxious, tense and frightened, depressed or elated, we are undergoing stress. Stress is both acceptable and avoidable but it is a part of everyday life. Contrary to established opinion stress is not an exclusively modern phenomenon; it has always been part of human existence and life without stress would be difficult to endure. Not all stress is undesirable. Physical and mental exercise, intense creativity and sex are the happy face of stress. It is only when real or perceived change overwhelms the body’s ability to cope, that stress becomes harmful, leaving us prone to unwanted physical, emotional or mental reactions and illnesses.

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Stress can be an insidious disease that robs you of peace, and even good health. Stress is meant as a response mechanism to help your body recognize danger and muster the courage to try something new. It’s what helps your body focus, face tough situations, and gives you strength, heightened alertness to danger and even stamina when you need it most.

When the human body is provoked by stressors, (anything from a simple argument with a co-worker, to waiting in line at the grocery store, to something as serious as being involved in a car crash, or even mugged), it responds by activating the nervous system. The hypothalamus then tells the adrenal glands to release more adrenaline into the bloodstream.

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