Stress... A Fact Of Modern Life.

Stress appears to be a disease of modern times, caused by fast moving, ever changing life styles and has been with us since time began. It affects every aspect of our daily lives. The pressures of life itself are not the main problem, rather how we react to them.

Stress can contribute to depression, anxiety, and has adverse effects on many other functions and organs of the body. Stress levels can vary widely in identical situations, and for different reasons; it is a highly personalized phenomenon. One survey showed, for example, that in a work situation that having to complete paperwork was more stressful for many police officers than the dangers associated with pursuing criminals.

There is, of course, a huge cost associated with stress. For example, absenteeism is estimated to cost American companies 602 dollars, per worker, per year….and the price tag for large employers could approach 3.5 million dollars. Stress affects all aspects of your personal life; health; work; personal relationships; smoking; alcohol and drug abuse; and obesity. Stress prevents people enjoying a healthy and happy life style balance.


Good Stress versus Bad Stress

Stress is not necessarily all bad. It can occur in response to certain welcome events. Preparing for a holiday: going on a first date: getting promotion, are many happy occasions with a large stress component. Stress can also be the vital spur that motivates us to learn, improve, and mature. We need a certain amount of stress to remain interested in life and to face challenges.

Stress can bring out the best in people; helping an actor to perform really well; helping students to maintain a high level of concentration and keeping us from becoming bored.

While most types of stress are good for us and can help improve our concentration and motivation, others can be harmful and induce fear and anxiety.  This, in turn, can make us ill and prevent us from being the best we can be.

Good stress is accompanied by a feeling of being in control: bad stress arises from a sense of being over-whelmed by difficulties you feel powerless to overcome.

Scientists and Doctors agree that stress leads to illness and that taking measures to reduce it will promote good health. The stress we have in our lives can always be attributed to something. There can be innumerable stress factors, as different individuals react differently to the same stress conditions.

Extreme stress conditions for one individual may prove to be mild for another. Just about everybody - men, women and children suffer from stress. Relationship demands, chronic health problems, pressure at work, traffic snarls, meeting deadlines or adolescent tensions can trigger stress conditions. Approximately 43% of all adults suffer adverse effects from stress. Of all doctors' visits, 75% to 90% are for stress-related ailments.

Stress and health are closely linked. It is well known that stress, whether quick or constant, can induce risky body-mind disorders. Immediate disorders such as dizzy spells, anxiety, tension, sleeplessness, nervousness and muscle cramps can all result in chronic health problems. In the long run they may also affect our immune, cardiovascular and nervous systems. It is evident that people who live in chronically stressed-out conditions are more likely to take up smoking, alcohol and substance abuse and fall into eating disorders (unhealthy food habits).


Stress and its Effects

Listed below are a few effects that stress has on our body:

1. Medically, it has been established that chronic symptoms of anxiety and stress can crumble our body's immune system.
2. New medical research has established that prenatal stress could significantly influence development of the brain and organization of behaviour in foetus.
3. Aging is a natural and gradual process, except under extreme circumstances such as stress or grief. The constant stressors or stress conditions result in a loss in neural and hormonal balance, which will cause increased oxidative damage accelerating aging in our body.
4. Chronic stress conditions can lead to ADD and ADHD. WHAT ARE THESE ACRONYMNS??????

Numerous common health problems are linked to stress:

1. The leading six causes of death in the U.S.: heart disease, cancer, lung ailments, accidents, cirrhosis of the liver and suicide. 
2. Immune response and deficiency
3. Memory loss
4. Obesity

Statistics from a recent global stress research study show that increased stress is felt worldwide, and affects women differently from men. A recent Roper Starch Worldwide survey of 300,000 people between the ages of 13 and 65 in 30 countries showed:

1. Nearly one in four mothers who work full-time and have children under 13 feel stress almost everyday.
2. Globally, 23% of women executives and professionals, and 19% of their male peers, say they feel "super-stressed".

Workplace Stress

Workplace stress continues to grow. In the U.S., experts at the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health are dedicated to studying stress. They've found: Stress is linked to physical and mental health, as well as decreased willingness to take on new and creative endeavours.

Job burnout experienced by 25% to 40% of U.S. workers is blamed on stress.
More than ever before, employee stress is being recognized as a major drain on corporate productivity and competitiveness.

Depression is predicted to be the leading occupational disease of the 21st century, responsible for more days lost than any other single factor.


$300 billion, or $7,500 per employee, is spent annually in the U.S. on stress-related compensation claims, reduced productivity, absenteeism, health insurance costs, direct medical expenses (nearly 50% higher for workers who reported stress), and employee turnover. Due to this fact, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) declared stress a hazard in the workplace.