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Does this sound familiar? Stress is all around us. It’s an inevitable and normal part of our daily lives. But over time, its effects can be quite taxing. Stress becomes a problem when you feel overwhelmed by its challenges. And though it may be difficult to define, that doesn’t mean it’s all in your head. Researchers have found that there are significant biological changes that take place in body in times of stress. And extended periods of stress can cause destructive changes in body such as depression and a suppressed immune system, which can lead to heart disease, cancer, and stroke. So if you are feeling stressed out, its time to get some relief. Learn about stress: how to identify it, and how to find relief.

Why Do We Get Stressed? Stress is a normal physical reaction to an internal or external pressure that is placed on your system. People react to most stressful situations with “fight or flight” response. The body is flooded with stress hormones, making heart pump faster, breathing rate increase, and muscles tense up. This is body’s way of gearing up for imminent physical activity. For instance, if you are in a minor car accident, your may feel a surge of energy that allows you to escape car and help others out as well. However, sometimes stress is emotional rather than physical and body is not allowed to release physical tension created by stress hormones. If you’re stuck in a traffic jam and late for a meeting, there is little that you can safely do to release buildup of stress hormones in your body. Over time, stress can lead to back pain, headaches, raised blood pressure, indigestion, sweating, palpitations, irritability, and anxiety. It can also contribute to development of such diseases as cold sores, ulcers, and heart disease.

What Causes Our Stress? There are two types of stressors that may be causing you grief. External stressors such as traffic jams, a death in family, or a financial hardship, are often out of our direct control. Internal stressors, on other hand, develop through our own personality traits and emotions. It is our ability to handle these internal and external stressors that determines amount of stress we feel we have. Chemical substances such as alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, sugar, additives, drugs, and environmental toxins, deplete body of energy and are further sources of stress.