Stress

Introduction

Definition of stress

Any factor (including emotional, physical, social, economic, etc) that requires a mental or physical adaptive response.  These factors or demands can be real or imagined. They can be outside the body or within.

List the 7 greatest sources of stress in your life

Costs of stress

3 out of 4 employees are overly stressed at their jobs.  Stress accounts for ¾ of all visits to physicians’ offices. A USA Today report states that 550 million days of work are lost annually, 60-80% of which are due to stress related illness.

The physical consequences of job stress are staggering – estimated to cost more than $200 billion annually.  That’s more than the after-tax profits of all of the Fortune 500 companies combined!

Sources of stress

Finances

Business partners, colleagues or customers

Isolation – home design, office, computers

Media – violence, sarcasm, anger,  poor relationship role models

Home maintenance

Family or personal illness

World, national or local affairs

Information overload

Neighbors

Children

Relatives

Work

Physical effects of stress

Decreases immune system function

Increases risk of premature death

Increases rate of mental hospitalization

Increases risk of complication in pregnant women

Increases risk of clinical depression

Twice as likely to develop illness

Releases cortisol which results in fat deposits around midsection

Memory and attention problems

Increases blood pressure and risk for heart disease

Increases anger

Behavioral effects of stress

Isolation

Increases arguing

Appetite changes

Overeating/obesity

Increases smoking, drinking, drug use

Impulse behavior

List 7 most important things in your life

Compare your ‘stress’ list to your ‘most important’ list

Rank your ‘important’ list in order of priority

When you don’t live according to you internal priority list (realized or not), you will experience internal conflict and stress leading to stress.

‘Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony’ Mohatma Gandhi

Sample lists

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