Dealing with Stress

October 1st, 2007

Everyone experiences stress during the course of their lives; it’s a normal, inescapable part of the human condition. In its most basic form stress is the body’s response to any demand or pressure and requires that the body makes physical and chemical adjustments to deal with a perceived problem. To put it simply, something happens and the body adjusts.

Stress means different things to different people; it can be something experienced in the body, the mind or the psyche and it can be generated externally or internally. It can be caused when someone gets into an accident or when they find out they’re going to have a baby, stress can be created when someone is fired or when they get a new job. Stress is everywhere but some people never learn how to cope with it effectively and safely.

Stress
Stress generally has the following effects on the human body:

- Increased blood pressure and heart rate
- Quickened breathing
- Perspiration
- Digestion slows and stops

These are the basics but there are many more. Immediately upon experiencing stress the person will begin to release stored sugars and fats and begin to use up bodily resources. The person will quickly begin to feel tired, pressured and anxious and, sometimes, they will experience other symptoms as well. Their physical resistance will quickly lower and they will become more prone to illnesses like colds or flus. In some unfortunate cases a person can become chronically stressed which creates all sorts of long-term health problems. In those cases there is no relief from the stress; it just goes on and on!

Note to Everyone!
I’d like to emphasize though that no two people ever respond to stress the same way! Everyone has their own coping strategies.

At CD Whyte Ridge
Here at CD Whyte Ridge Pharmacy we take a very proactive approach to stress. Since I have received training by the Institute for Functional Medicine I, and the rest of the pharmacists, approach the question of stress in a different way than most health care professionals. I believe that stress is an important contributing factor in everyone’s health and must be treated as such; indeed some experts estimate that stress plays a role in 70-90% of all chronic diseases. Therefore we always treat our patients by looking at their individual natures and the balance of their own external and internal factors as they apply to their own health. Then I try to help them find new and better ways to deal with stress.

Strategies
Here are some simple strategies to help you deal with stress:

1.) Eat a well-balanced diet. A good diet leads to good health and that will help reduce and control stress. This includes vitamins and other supplements as necessary.

2.) Exercise. Exercise helps reduce stress and is also important in creating a healthier lifestyle.

3.) Decisions. Stress makes it extremely difficult for many people to make decisions so here is a trick that might help. If you cannot make a decision simply think about the question before you go to sleep, in the morning there is a good chance your subconscious will have helped out. If not try it again the next night. However, do not think about the problem all night if you cannot sleep.

4.) Options. If you are faced with a problem you cannot solve due to stress write out a list
of your options and the consequences of each option. You will frequently find that the
answer will arise from this process.

5.) Procrastination. Procrastination causes more stress than anything else. If something needs
to be done then do it, make a brief (3-7 point) list of what needs to be done and then do
it. Being able to complete the list will help reduce stress.

I hope this advice helps! For more information specific to your individual case please come down and talk to me or the other staff.

To your health, Dennis Wong