In our last blog post our guest student blog poster talked
about stress. Most people think about stress as being a bad thing that occurs
when negative things happen. That is only partially true. Stress can also
happen when very good things happen like weddings, new jobs, the birth of our
children, and vacation. A list of life events that may cause stress included in
the Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale includes marriage, pregnancy, retirement,
marital reconciliation, gaining a new family member, change in finances,
getting a mortgage, and changes in normal activity.
Stress can even be a good thing. Stress can motivate us to
do things. It can help us to prepare for a test or a sporting event. It can
help us ensure we are ready for a child to arrive. Stress helps us to meet the
demands and accomplish things in our lives. Stress can also signal to us that
we are in danger and need to get out of it. Stress might happen if you were
being chased by a bear and the reaction that your body has to the stress in
that case would help you to get away.
Stress becomes a bad thing when there is too much of it in
our lives. Long term consequences from too much stress can include heart
disease, weight gain, and depression and anxiety. The best thing you can do is
monitor yourself to determine if stress is becoming too much. Signs of this can
include:
·
Difficulty concentrating
·
Getting ill more often
·
Headaches
·
Irritability
·
Difficulty with sleep
·
Changes in appetite
If you experience any of these you may want to consider
consulting with a mental health professional about how to more effectively
manage the stress in your life.
Holmes TH, Rahe RH (1967). "The Social Readjustment
Rating Scale". Journal of Psychosomatic Research 11 (2): 213–8
