Stress: What Drives YOU Crazy?

http://www.bigfoto.com/

I just read a terrific article in my most recent issue of Romance Writer's Report (which is available to all RWA members). In it, the author explains that stress is anything that causes you or your body to tighten up. Webster defines stress as a constraining force or influence (yes, I looked it up).

Which got me thinking and doing a little research. Consider the following:

• Stress is the body's response to a stimulus; a stimulus can be:
• Real or imagined; and
• Physical; psychological, cognitive, or behavioral.
• Stress manifests itself in three steps:
• Alarm is the first step, which usually causes the body to produce adrenaline and, in some cases, cortisol (aka fight-or-flight response);
• Resistance is the second step, which causes the mind and body to develop methods of coping (i.e., eating, drinking, screaming at loved ones, etc.); and
• Exhaustion is the third and final step, which causes severe biological results, such as ulcers, migraines, depression, and other medical conditions.

POSITIVE things can cause stress. Yup, your daughter's upcoming wedding, next week's date with that guy you've been ogling at the gym for months, the birth of your child (or grandchild), etc.

We all know that negative things cause stress, so I don't need to give you examples. Perhaps you need to be reminded, however, that while we can't control the positive and negative things that happen around us, we CAN control how we respond to them--both physically and mentally/emotionally.

I've experienced a number of significant changes in my life in recent months, which include relationships (both personal and business), the sale of one of my insurance businesses, and my increase in freelance writing jobs. Not to mention the darned lousy weather that continues to mess with my plans.

Having and utilizing effective plans to reduce stressors and our responses to them is an important part of achieving personal and business success--and getting done all the things we want and need to do. I've implemented a plan to reduce MY RESPONSES to the stressors in my life. I know what drives me crazy ... now I'm working on methods to avoid the crazy part.

Now I want to hear YOUR advice, suggestions, and tips.

Stress

Stress. We all talk about it. We all experience it.

Some of us dwell on it, blaming it for the things we’d like to do but can’t--or the things we don’t want to do but must. Others of us avoid it, refusing to admit it exists, steamrolling through our lives as if we didn’t have a care in the world.

Here’s a clue: neither of those options works well in the long run.

As the owner of three businesses, a person who travels out-of-town at least once a month to either speak or teach, a wife, a mother, a friend, an employer, and a writer--I’m an authority on stress. I’ve learned, however, that no matter how busy a person is, she can always manage her stress. The key is to recognize what causes it.

I can’t tell you what causes your stress; none of us has the same personality and our stress triggers are as different as we are. Sometimes it’s easier to expose our triggers by the symptoms they cause than by the triggers themselves.

Here are a few symptoms:

• insomnia,
• crankiness,
• increase/decrease in appetite,
• binge eating,
• weight gain or loss (even just 5 pounds),
• sleeping and/or napping more than usual,
• getting caught up in computer games, reading, or other hobbies that allow us to escape our normal lives and activities,
• being late for work or other appointments,
• crying easily, and
• emotional detachment.

If you notice yourself indulging in one or more of these behaviors, evaluate your situation: I’ll bet you’re stressed.

If you're handling excessive stress, find a way to relax--even if for a short time. Go for a walk. Spend a comforting hour with a friend. Visit the gym. Take a day off. Read a good book. Do something that takes you away from the cause of your stress, completely, even if for a short time.

The more stressed you are, the less effective you’ll be on the job and in your personal life. Unfortunately, stress feeds on itself. When things aren’t going the way we think they should, we demand more of ourselves and, as a result, wind up handicapping ourselves. None of us can prevent death, illness, relationship woes, job layoffs, natural disasters, or even bad hair days.

What we can prevent is allowing these situations to consume us to the point that we exhaust our energy and coping mechanisms. The American Institute of Stress (http://www.stress.org/) offers a multitude of information from Job Stress to Stress Scoops and Bulletins. If stress sometimes interferes in your life, check it out!