One thing we can all agree on is that life can be very stressful. Experiencing stress is an unavoidable but perfectly natural part of living, which is why our body has a very effective inbuilt stress coping mechanism. This ability enables us to challenge ourselves, take risks and overcome difficult situations so that we can live a very full and satisfying life.
Stress excess
Healthy living is all about balance and, like anything in life, too much for too long is not good for our health. Stress excess can result in a wide range of physical and psychological symptoms such as chronic fatigue, depression and IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) are just a few examples so it is obviously to our advantage to keep it in check. If you experience these symptoms always seek advice from your GP. Stress is personal, we all experience it but our ability to cope is influenced by factors such as the number of stresses in our life, fitness and energy levels, diet, self-confidence, knowledge of a situation and levels of control, individual personality.
Stress overload
Excess stress can lead to a negative spiral of ill health and anxiety. It makes you feel tired, miserable and less able to cope and this in turn makes you even more tired, miserable and completely unable to cope. Fortunately stress is most responsive to positive self help and as prevention is always better than cure, the most effective way to deal with stress is to manage it when it is easy to manage, before it gets the better of you!
We often only associate stress with a major trauma or big event but it can also be associated with a build up of daily events when we are just trying to get on with life.
