Ways Stress Affects Individuals
from www.drkoop.com
Date Published: 1998
 

                  The long-term effects of stress on one's health are
                  quite significant. The American Academy of Family
                  Physicians has said that two-thirds of office visits to
                  family doctors are prompted by stress-related
                  symptoms. Stress is more than just a nuisance or
                  something that occasionally makes people feel
                  nervous or anxious. Very stressful events have been
                  associated with a dramatically increased risk of a
                  heart attack. For instance, in the days following an
                  earthquake the incidence of heart attacks increases
                  significantly, presumably because of the stress of
                  the earthquake.

                  Chronic, ongoing stress, even when it is not so
                  dramatic, can affect one's health in very significant
                  ways. One common example of this is the effect of
                  a very stressful job. Several large studies have
                  demonstrated that a stressful job more than
                  doubles one's risk of a heart attack. A stressful job
                  might lead to cigarette smoking, obesity and lack of
                  exercise, all of which increase one's risk for a heart
                  attack. It is also the stress itself that directly leads
                  to an increased risk. Stress has been associated
                  with the risk of many other diseases, ranging from
                  the common cold to chronic pain to some types of
                  cancer.

                  Stress, however, is not always bad. Some stress is
                  inevitable and actually beneficial. Stress helps
                  people when they need to grow, attain difficult goals
                  and perform their best. Some degree of stress
                  enhances performance even when individuals are
                  not in immediate danger. An athlete in a race may
                  perform better because of the stress of the big
                  event. A wedding can be both very stressful and
                  very happy at the same time. It would not be
                  desirable to eliminate all stress from everyone's life.
                  The total absence of stress would leave people
                  sluggish and bored.

                  Stress can increase performance, but only to a
                  point. When one's stress exceeds a certain limit,
                  additional stress will detract from performance.
                  Stress or nervousness before a big presentation
                  sometimes helps one to perform better and/or think
                  with more clarity and precision. However, if that
                  person becomes excessively stressed and anxious,
                  he/she will have difficulty remembering what to say.
                  The physical stress of swimming in very cold water
                  helps individuals to swim harder, but only for a short
                  time. The colder the water and harder that one
                  swims, the more quickly he/she becomes
                  exhausted. Everyone's tolerance for stress is
                  different, and individuals handle various types of
                  stress differently. It is important to recognize and
                  respect one's limits. People do not learn to handle
                  stress by letting it overwhelm them and rob them of
                  their strength.

                  Ideally, people would be able to adjust the amount
                  of stress that they face so that they receive neither
                  too much nor too little. This, of course, is not
                  always possible. When one cannot eliminate
                  excessive stress, the best way to manage it is to
                  learn to maintain a balance even during a stressful
                  event. If people learn to recognize the warning signs
                  of increasing stress before they reach their limit,
                  they can cope intelligently with their stresses before
                  their resources are all spent.