For all Your Stress Problems.

More Stress Relief Tips.

Simple Treatment of Stress.

Below are some more stress relief tips.

Shut out Irritating Noise: Wear earplugs for instant peace any time, any place. It works well to reduce noise stress.

Learn a Meditation Technique. Two methods: Observe your thoughts as they pass through your mind. Or, repeat a word or phrase with an uplifting meaning. For stress relief there is no better treatment than meditation.

Practice progressive relaxation for 20 minutes twice a day to reduce raised blood pressure and other physiological responses to stress. Tighten and release each muscle group in turn, starting with the soles of the feet and slowly working up to the scalp. It may take some time to acquire a good meditation technique that works for you, so use progressive relaxation for quick stress relief.

Plan a weekend activity that is a change of pace. If your week is heavily scheduled, relax and enjoy non-competitive activities. If you are never able to finish anything during the week, choose a project that you can complete in a few hours on Saturday or Sunday.

Take time out for a diversion in the middle of your workday. When the pressures of completing a project are too great, your productivity can drop. Take a walk or stop for lunch. A break helps relieve stress.

Savour Life’s Little Delights. Give yourself some physical pleasure to relieve stress.

Treat yourself to a professional massage, or trade massages with a loved one.

Give yourself permission to enjoy a movie, watch a sports event, listen to music or read a book.

Savour a soothing cup of chamomile herb tea with a dollop of honey. Chamomile has long been used to relieve nervous tension.

Plan a day of beauty or fun with a friend. Do each other’s hair, paint your nails and chat or play a sporting game together.

Create a simple steam facial at home by boiling water. Remove the pan from the stove. Cover your head with a large towel so that it creates a tent over the pot. Steam your face for five or 10 minutes. Add aromatic herbs to the water for a sensual touch.

Focus completely on any of the senses – hearing, seeing, eating or body movements – for a few minutes.

All these activities drop your brainwave pattern from beta to alpha, alpha/theta or theta level. The brainwave patterns of relaxation.

Use Visualisation and Affirmation Techniques. You can arm yourself against a situation you fear by going over the event in your mind. Imagine the scene in vivid detail and picture the best possible outcome.

You can also shrink an imagined fear down to size by picturing the worst possible results. Imagine describing this worst case to your best friend the next day and the sympathy you receive. Imagine telling a group of friends the next month, who share their similar experiences. Finally, imagine joking about your unpleasant experience with a complete stranger a year later. If you carry this exercise through to the end, your stress will become something to laugh about.

Fear heighten stress. Roosevelt said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” It is our perception of what will happen that causes fear. Reduce fear and you reduce stress.

Replace negative self-talk with affirmations. The chatterbox in your mind is filled with gloom: You’re too fat. . . you’re too old. . .you’ll never amount to anything. Dispel all these negative thoughts and nourish your mind with a constant stream of “I know I can.””If someone else can do, so can I.”

Remember when you were a child. Everything was achievable. You saw it in other people’s reality. “If some one else can do it, so can I”. Why is it different for you now? Search deeply for an answer.

Emile Coue used a powerful affirmation with outstanding results. He told his patients to repeat frequently “Every day in every way I am better.” Do the same and enjoy the positive changes.

Get enough Sleep. Determine how much sleep you require for optimum performance. Sleep deprivation aggravates the body’s responses to stress. Consider setting an alarm clock to remind yourself that it is time to go to bed.

Aim to Achieve your Dreams. Plan ahead to meet your most cherished goals in life.

Great motivators emphasize the importance of writing down your important goals.

Break big projects down into a series of small steps that you can work on every day. Want to change jobs? Make one phone call contact today. Is writing a book your dream? Commit to writing one page a day.

Knowing that you are striving toward your dreams relieves frustrations that mount when you feel stuck in a rut of endless responsibilities that seem to lead nowhere.

How about making a firm commitment like this: Every day, I will take one step, be it small or large, towards achieving my goals in life.

By taking steps to gain stress relief, you can become a happier, healthier person, a more efficient worker and a better friend to others.

Keep a notebook as new ideas come to you through your reading and your own creativity. If you decide to make a note later, the chances are that you will forget.

If you focus on a problem, your subconscious mind, will bring up several ideas. Immediately make a note and if they are good, it could be that acorn that grows into a giant oak tree. Most great achievements in this world came from simple ideas.

From this blog post and the previous one, you will be aware that the most important key to gaining stress relief is your decision to take time for yourself, to simplify your life whenever possible and to define your goals.

Dr. Phil Hariram.

Stress and Illness.

Simple Stress Relief Tips.

Breathe deeply. Relax your muscles, expanding your stomach and chest. Exhale slowly. Repeat several times.

Follow your breath as it flows in and out. Do not try to control it. This is a good way to relax in the midst of any activity. This technique allows you to find a breathing pattern that is natural and relaxing to you.

Use this yoga technique for quick relief of stress: Inhale slowly, counting to eight. Exhale through your mouth, even more slowly, counting to sixteen. Make a sighing sound as you exhale, and feel tension dissolve. Repeat 10 times.

Exercise regularly. Aerobic exercise, such as walking and swimming, produces brain chemicals that uplift your mood and mental well-being. Exercise also improves sleep and gives you time to think and focus on other things. Although this produces good stress relief, beware of compulsive exercise.

Yoga is an age-old system for stretching and strengthening the muscles. Take a class or learn at home with a good book or video.

Neck and shoulder exercises are useful for the desk-bound and arthritis sufferers.

Neck roll: Look to the right, then roll your head forward, as if you are trying to touch your chin to your chest. Keep rolling until you are looking over your left shoulder. Repeat in the other direction.

Shoulder lift: Relieve tension in the neck by lifting the shoulders toward the ears, then dropping them as low as they will go. Repeat 10 times.

Exercise uses up the chemical twins, adrenaline and noradrenaline. This allows the bodily functions to return to normal and reducing the risk of developing other illness.

Eat healthy foods. You should never skip meals. Take time out for lunch no matter how busy you are. Carry nutritious snacks to the office, or even the shopping mall. A nutritionally balanced diet is important. For example, researchers have found that even small deficiencies of thiamin, a B-complex vitamin, can cause anxiety symptoms. Pantothenic acid, another B-complex vitamin, is critical during times of stress. Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and large amounts of sweets, which can aggravate symptoms of stress.

Don’t let others get you down. Choose positive friends who are not worriers. Friends who constantly put you down or talk gloomily about life will increase your anxiety. You need your self esteem. Low self esteem can be a cause of stress.

Ask a good friend to help you talk out a problem and get it off your chest. A long-distance call to an old pal can be great therapy.

Forgive others instead of holding grudges. Relax your standards – for yourself and others. Perfectionism is not the way to happiness. Become more flexible.

Communicate clearly with your co-workers and boss. Ask questions. Repeat instructions that you are given. Clarifying directions at the start of a project can save hours later straightening out misunderstandings.

Be truthful with others. Lies and deception lead to stress that always takes it toll.

Be optimistic. Count your blessings, especially when everything seems to go wrong. Believe that most people are doing the best that they can.

Don’t blow problems out of proportion. Live by a philosophy of life that whittles problems down to size. The maxim, “Live one day at a time,” has helped millions. Go back to your past and single out the great things that brought you joy and hold on to them.

Plan your time wisely. And realistically. For example, don’t schedule back-to-back meetings with tight travel time. Remember to leave room for unanticipated events – both negative and positive. Be flexible about rearranging your agenda. Get up 15 minutes early in the morning. Allow an extra 15 minutes to get to all appointments.

Avoid procrastination. Whatever needs doing, do it now. Schedule unpleasant tasks early, so that you won’t have to worry about them for the rest of the day. Keep an appointment book. Don’t rely on your memory. Do one thing at a time. Focus your attention on the person talking to you or the job at hand, instead of worrying about other things. This also reduces mistakes — which lead to more anxiety. Poor time management ranks very high as a cause of stress.

Be prepared to wait. Carry a book to read in case of delays. Say “no” to requests that stretch you to the limits.

Delegate. You don’t have to do it all yourself. Break a job into separate tasks and assign them to people with the appropriate skills. Then leave them alone to do their work.

Prevent problems before they occur. This takes some planning.

If you are flying to another city for an important meeting, carry your presentation materials and dress suit on board the plane. Baggage does get lost.  Buy gas for the car before the tank is empty. Get regular oil changes and checkups. Keep food staples on hand so you can fix a fast meal without going to the store. Keep food, toilet paper and toiletries on hand so you never run out. The same goes for postage stamps, paper and envelopes. Keep duplicate keys for home, car and office in secure locations.

Retreat to recharge your spirit. Schedule private time every day. You deserve it. Unplug the telephone and enjoy a quiet evening alone or with your family, or even 15 uninterrupted minutes in the shower or bathtub. You may want to spend a few minutes writing your feelings out in a journal. It can help you find a new perspective and relieve hidden conflicts.

Before you seek medical, try these simple stress relief ideas. Controlling stress by yourself is very empowering. It also lays down the ground work for long term stress control.

Dr. Phil Hariram.

Stress and Illness

Stress Treatment: Lifestyle Changes.

Breathe deeply. Relax your muscles, expanding your stomach and chest. Exhale slowly. Repeat several times.

Follow your breath as it flows in and out. Do not try to control it. This is a good way to relax in the midst of any activity. This technique allows you to find a breathing pattern that is natural and relaxing to you.

Use this yoga technique for quick relief of stress: Inhale slowly, counting to eight. Exhale through your mouth, even more slowly, counting to sixteen. Make a sighing sound as you exhale, and feel tension dissolve. Repeat 10 times.

Exercise regularly. Aerobic exercise, such as walking and swimming, produces brain chemicals that uplift your mood and mental well-being. Exercise also improves sleep and gives you time to think and focus on other things. Although this produces good stress relief, beware of compulsive exercise.

Yoga is an age-old system for stretching and strengthening the muscles. Take a class or learn at home with a good book or video.

Neck and shoulder exercises are useful for the desk-bound and arthritis sufferers.

Neck roll: Look to the right, then roll your head forward, as if you are trying to touch your chin to your chest. Keep rolling until you are looking over your left shoulder. Repeat in the other direction.

Shoulder lift: Relieve tension in the neck by lifting the shoulders toward the ears, then dropping them as low as they will go. Repeat 10 times.

Exercise uses up the chemical twins, adrenaline and noradrenaline. This allows the bodily functions to return to normal and reducing the risk of developing other illness.

Eat healthy foods. You should never skip meals. Take time out for lunch no matter how busy you are. Carry nutritious snacks to the office, or even the shopping mall. A nutritionally balanced diet is important. For example, researchers have found that even small deficiencies of thiamin, a B-complex vitamin, can cause anxiety symptoms. Pantothenic acid, another B-complex vitamin, is critical during times of stress. Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and large amounts of sweets, which can aggravate symptoms of stress.

Don’t let others get you down. Choose positive friends who are not worriers. Friends who constantly put you down or talk gloomily about life will increase your anxiety. You need your self esteem. Low self esteem can be a cause of stress.

Ask a good friend to help you talk out a problem and get it off your chest. A long-distance call to an old pal can be great therapy.

Forgive others instead of holding grudges. Relax your standards – for yourself and others. Perfectionism is not the way to happiness. Become more flexible.

Communicate clearly with your co-workers and boss. Ask questions. Repeat instructions that you are given. Clarifying directions at the start of a project can save hours later straightening out misunderstandings.

Be truthful with others. Lies and deception lead to stress that always takes it toll.

Be optimistic. Count your blessings, especially when everything seems to go wrong. Believe that most people are doing the best that they can.

Don’t blow problems out of proportion. Live by a philosophy of life that whittles problems down to size. The maxim, “Live one day at a time,” has helped millions. Go back to your past and single out the great things that brought you joy and hold on to them.

Plan your time wisely. And realistically. For example, don’t schedule back-to-back meetings with tight travel time. Remember to leave room for unanticipated events – both negative and positive. Be flexible about rearranging your agenda. Get up 15 minutes early in the morning. Allow an extra 15 minutes to get to all appointments.

Avoid procrastination. Whatever needs doing, do it now. Schedule unpleasant tasks early, so that you won’t have to worry about them for the rest of the day. Keep an appointment book. Don’t rely on your memory. Do one thing at a time. Focus your attention on the person talking to you or the job at hand, instead of worrying about other things. This also reduces mistakes — which lead to more anxiety. Poor time management ranks very high as a cause of stress.

Be prepared to wait. Carry a book to read in case of delays. Say “no” to requests that stretch you to the limits.

Delegate. You don’t have to do it all yourself. Break a job into separate tasks and assign them to people with the appropriate skills. Then leave them alone to do their work.

Prevent problems before they occur. This takes some planning.

If you are flying to another city for an important meeting, carry your presentation materials and dress suit on board the plane. Baggage does get lost.  Buy gas for the car before the tank is empty. Get regular oil changes and checkups. Keep food staples on hand so you can fix a fast meal without going to the store. Keep food, toilet paper and toiletries on hand so you never run out. The same goes for postage stamps, paper and envelopes. Keep duplicate keys for home, car and office in secure locations.

Retreat to recharge your spirit. Schedule private time every day. You deserve it. Unplug the telephone and enjoy a quiet evening alone or with your family, or even 15 uninterrupted minutes in the shower or bathtub. You may want to spend a few minutes writing your feelings out in a journal. It can help you find a new perspective and relieve hidden conflicts.

Before you seek medical, try these simple stress relief ideas. Controlling stress by yourself is very empowering. It also lays down the ground work for long term stress control.

Dr. Phil Hariram.

Stress and Illness

Stress in the Workplace: Heat Stress.

When heat is applied to the body, it reacts by pumpimg more blood to the skin’s surface, and increasing perspiration. This results in cooling as heat is diverted to the surface of the body and sweat evaporates from the body’s surface. From the Skin surface, heat can be lost by convection and radiation..

In hot and humid conditions a person could be at risk of heat stress if doing heavy work and wearing  protective clothing.

How does this Happen?

1. Heat will be produced within the body due to the work rate and, if insufficient heat is lost, deep body temperature will rise.
2. Sweat evaporation is restricted by the type of clothing and the humidity of the environment.
3. Heart rate also increases which puts additional strain on the body.
4. As deep body temperature rises the body reacts by increasing the amount of sweat produced,which may lead to dehydration.
5. If the body is gaining more heat than it can lose the deep body temperature will continue to rise.

After a while, the body’s control mechanism begins to fail.
If the individual continues to work in this environmemt, symptoms will worsen.
How does heat Stress affect us?
Some people are more susceptible than others and the effects will vary.

Typical Heat Stress Symptoms are:

1. Unable to concentrate;
2. Heat rash;
3. Severe thirst – a late symptom of heat stress;
4. Fainting;
5. Muscle cramps;
6. Headaches,
   moist skin
7. Heat exhaustion – fatigue, giddiness, nausea,
8. Heat stroke – hot dry skin, confusion, convulsions and eventual loss of consciousness. This is the most severe effects and death can result if not picked up early.

Heat Stress occur in industry where the environment is too hot and thereby creating the problem or if  the workplace is restricted.

Areas at Risk are:

• Boiler Room
• Brick-firing and ceramics plants
• Bakeries and Catering Kitchens
• Laundries
• Glass and Rubber Manufacturing Plants
• Mines
• Compressed Air Tunnels
• Conventional and Nuclear Power Plants;
• Foundries and Smelting Operations

In addition, seasonal changes such a hot sunny day can increase air temperature and may contribute to the cause of heat stress.

How do you cope with the risk of heat stress?

The first thing to do is change behaviour. The body adapts to environmental changes but you can help by removing unnecessary clothing, take cool drinks regularly and make conscious efforts to cool down or reduce your work rate. In circumstances that make it difficult to reduce heat stress such as Asbestos removal, an accurate risk assessment must be carried out.

When carrying out a risk Assessment look at these things.

• Working climate – this includes air temperature, humidity, air movement and effects of working near a heat source.
• Work rate – the harder someone works the greater the amount of body heat generated.
• Worker’s age, build and medical factors – may affect an individual’s tolerance.
• Worker clothing and respiratory protective equipment – may impair the efficiency of sweating and other means of temperature regulation.

If you are concerned about heat stress at your workplace, talk to nurse, doctor or occupational hygienist. This way you can determine your risk and find a way around it.

Ways to reduce risk of heat stress:

• Control the temperature using engineering solutions, eg- change the processes, use fans or air conditioning,  use physical barriers that reduce exposure to radiant heat.
• Remove or reduce the sources of heat where possible:
• Provide mechanical aids where possible to reduce the work rate.
• Regulate the length of exposure to hot environments by:- allowing workers to enter only when the temperature is below a set level or at cooler times of the day, – issuing permits to work that specify how long your workers should work in situations where there is a risk, – providing periodic rest breaks and rest facilities in cooler conditions.
• Prevent dehydration. Working in a hot environment causes sweating which helps keep people cool but means losing vital water that must be replaced. Provide cool water in the workplace and encourage workers to drink it frequently in small amounts before, during (this is not possible in some situations eg respiratory protective equipment use or asbestos removal) and after working.
• Provide personal protective equipment-protective clothing is available which incorporates, for example, personal cooling systems or breathable fabrics. This may help protect workers in certain hot environments. Protective clothing or respiratory protective equipment is often required when there will be exposure to some other hazard at work eg asbestos. This type of equipment, while protecting from the other hazard, may increase the risk of
  heat stress.
• Provide training for your workers, especially new and young employees, telling them about the risks of heat stress associated with their work,

Strategy to Employ.

Allow workers to acclimatise to their environment and identify which workers are acclimatised/assessed as fit to work in hot conditions.

Identify employees who are more susceptible to heat stress either because of an illness/condition or medication that may encourage the early onset of heat stress, eg
pregnant women or those with heart conditions. You may need to seek help from a health professional.
Monitor the health of workers at risk. If there is a residual risk remains after implementing as many control measures as practicable, you may need to monitor the health of exposed workers. You need to all the facts when working in heat stress situations.

Stress Relief Squeez Ball

A stress ball is a malleable toy and usually not more than 7cm in diameter. You squeeze it in your hand and alter shape with your fingers.

Most are made  of polyurethane foam rubber and made by infecting the chemical ingredients into the desired mold. In the mold, the chemical reaction that results in the rubber, releases a gas, carbon dioxide and this gas produces the foam.

Some stress squeez balls contain gels of varying density within  rubber or cloth. These are frequently used by physiotherapists.

Stress squeez ball should be round but today they come in various shapes, size and colours. You can have a stress squeez ball in the form of a rugby ball, soccer ball, beach ball, tennis balls etc. There are some in the shape of pets, animals, fruit and veg, wildlife. The list is huge. It is extensively used by companies to promote their products with logo and adverts on the surface.

Some stress balls are in the form of scented dough contained in tubs. When you feel the need to use them, you open the tub, get the dough out and squeeze.  They are infused with essential oils and apparently has a dual function. Squeezing the dough helps reduce stress and by releasing essential oils during squeezing, the aromatherapy effect kicks in.

Does squeeze ball reduce stress?

There are no trials to help us evaluate any beneficial effects. There are, however, several theories. Here are some plausible ones.

By focusing the mind on the squeez stress ball, you are diverting your thoughts away from the stressful problem. It takes stress away from the forefront of your mind. This allows your body to calm down and hopefully take a different approach.

Squeezing a stress ball may be stimulating acupuncture points in hands. Some acupuncture points when stimulated release endorphins. This helps to relieve pain and possibly stress. Sensory impulses are sent to the brain and area such as the limbic system can be stimulated.

There is no clear evidence that a squeeze ball relieves stress but lets be honest. it is a toy. It is harmless. There is no side effects as you get from drugs and is it not heaps better than hurling objects across the room?

Four Tips to quickly Treat Stress.

Here are Four easy to follow tips to control short term stress.

Count to 10.

This is what some mothers tell their kids when they become angry. It is very effective.

Next time you feel stressed or recognise the early signs of it, count to ten. You can do it quietly or speak it out. It does not matter.

Sometimes this is all you need for simple stress or if you recognise it early.

A patient once burst into my consulting room, angry, stressed and about to have a heated argument with me. I told him to go back out, slowly count to ten, then come back in and perhaps we can have a meaningful conversation. Surprisingly it work a treat.

Some people prefer to count down from ten to zero. This way it feels as if you are scaling down stress and at zero, it is gone.

Take a deep breath.

Take a long slow deep breath. Breathe in slowly through your nostril and fill your lungs completely. Hold your breath to the count of four. Then slowly exhale through your mouth.

Repeat a few times and as your breathing becomes slower, you feel yourself becoming more and more relaxed. Like counting, this is a quick and easy way to reduce your stress level.

In addition, if as you breathe in and hold your breath, you visualise all the stress in your body slowly diffusing into your lungs and as you exhale, you are slowly expelling the stress for a calmer and more relaxed you, you will notice the difference.

Get up and walk about.

This is a good way to gain stress relief quickly.

If what you are doing is becoming very stressful, get up and walk away from it. I do not mean walk away from it for good. It gives your mind a break. It gives it time to calm down and come to grips with the situation.

You may want to do something else during this break. This takes the stressful problem away from the forefront of your mind and allow your Subconscious Mind to find solution options. The eponymous Morgan Stanley, when he could not find a solution to a problem, would stop what he was doing and play solitaire. After a while several ideas come forwards in his mind.

You can go for a walk especially in the park. There is something relaxing when you are near to nature. You tend to synchronise with the earth’s frequency. Your brainwave drops to this frequency for peace and tranquillity. You feel calm and relaxed. You can get the vacuum cleaner out and clean the house. Put the problem out of your mind. You will be surprised how different you feel about your task in front of your.

Talk to someone or write a journal.

This is a good stress buster. Talking to someone is in a way sharing your problem. You may get good tips especially if that someone has experience in your field. It opens your mind to a wider approach to your problem. It may make you aware that you are not alone. You have shared your problem and will not feel isolated.

There is no better stress buster than a simple thought or idea in your mind that will lead to the solution to your problem. You become focussed and energised because you can visualise the successful outcome. Your stress will change to the desired stress that produces maximum efficiency.

Writing a journal is also a good stress buster. It highlights the specific items that stresses you. Putting it down on paper transfers it into words that you can either keep or discard. This is an outlet for stress. So if you are alone, or there is no one to talk to when things are going wrong, put it in your stress journal. Ink on paper is the next best thing.

Dr. Phil Hariram.

Causes of Stress.

Top Ten Stressful Life Events.

1. Spouse’s death

2. Divorce

3. Marriage separation

4. Jail term

5. Death of a close relative

6. Injury or illness

7. Marriage

8. Fired from job

9. Marriage reconciliation

10. Retirement

Daily causes of stress include:

• Environmental stressors – Your physical surroundings can set off the stress response. Examples of environmental stressors include an unsafe neighbourhood, pollution, noise (sirens keeping you up at night, a barking dog next door), and uncomfortable living conditions. For people living in crime-ridden areas or war-torn regions, the stress may be unrelenting.

• Family and relationship stressors – Problems with friends, romantic partners, and family members are common daily stressors. Marital disagreements, dysfunctional relationships, rebellious teens, or caring for a chronically-ill family member or a child with special needs can all send stress levels skyrocketing.

• Work stressors – In our career-driven society, work can be an ever-present source of stress. Work stress is caused by things such as job dissatisfaction, an exhausting workload, insufficient pay, office politics, and conflicts with your boss or co-workers.

• Social stressors – Your social situation can cause stress. For example, poverty, financial pressures, racial and sexual discrimination or harassment, unemployment, isolation, and a lack of social support all take a toll on daily quality of life.

Internal Causes of Stress

Not all stress is caused by external pressures and demands. Your stress can also be self-generated. Internal causes of stress include:

Uncertainty or worries Pessimistic attitude Self-criticism Unrealistic expectations or beliefs

Perfectionism Low self-esteem Excessive or unexpressed anger Lack of assertiveness

What is Stress?

I surfed the Internet to check out the various definition of stress.

Here are some.

Stress is the emotional and physical strain caused by our response to pressure from the outside world.

Stress is a feeling people have when it all seems too much, when they are overloaded and don’t feel that they are able to meet all the demands placed on them.

HSE’s formal definition of work related stress: The adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demand placed on them at work.

We have stress when everything seems too much. We are overloaded and wonder whether we really can cope with pressures placed upon us.

Stress is a feeling that’s created when we react to particular events.

Stress is the state into which an individual may unwittingly enter when he or she is subjected to undue emotional, physical or mental strain.

Stress refers to the response you have when facing circumstances that force you to act, or adjust in some way to maintain your footing, or to keep things balanced.

Stress is basically a biological reaction. We are pre-programmed to survive, so actually, it’s a great survival mechanism.

All these definitions are great and explains in one way or other what stress is.

The definition I like most and will use as the benchmark for this Blog is the one from Richard S Lazarus.

Stress is a condition or feeling experienced when a person perceives that demands exceed the personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilise.

In other words, if you genuinely believe the task ahead is more that you can cope with, you become stressed. This definition may not apply to all stress but I think it covers most forms of stress.

I like the word “perceives” in the definition. It is information in the mind of the individual that creates the stress.

If for instances an individual, confronted by a task beyond his capabilities, is focussed and motivated, his or her perception is different. This person will find a solution. He or she may well ask someone who has successfully completed this task or a similar one, or go on a course. This person will explore every avenue. It is not long before belief and expectation change in such individual.

Yes I can do it and I can do it well.

Attitude is important. Someone said your attitude determines your altitude.

Stay Focussed.

Dr. Phil Hariram.

Stress and The Fight or Fright Reaction.

Lets look at three different scenarios.

A sales rep. is having a difficult time during the recession. The last three months sales were disastrous. He is about to meet an important, big new client who could be his saviour. Success will decide whether he still has a job or not.

A man is desperately and madly in love with this attractive and popular woman. He cannot see a future without her but there are other men trying to attract her attention. He has a ring, the red roses lie by the door and table carefully set for two. She is due any minute and he will propose to her and he does not know whether she will say yes or no.

A woman walking home alone late at night. The streets are poorly lit. Suddenly she hears footsteps ahead of her. She can see a group of people wearing hoodies walking towards her. Behind her she now hear more footsteps. She turns around to see a group of youths walking towards her.

In all three situations a person becomes very alert and focussed even though potential danger is only in one of these scenarios. The body goes into the fight and fright reaction.

This is a reaction in humans and animals that developed a long time ago to protect us from life threatening dangers. In this reaction, the brain triggers the release of the hormones adrenaline and cortisone. These hormones cause a remarkable change in the body.

The heart rate speeds up, the breathing become faster and deeper, the mouth becomes dry, the pupils dilate, skin becomes cold and clammy and hairs on the back of the neck stand up.

You may even want to vomit, open your bowels or urinate. This is the brain trying to lighten the load to move faster during ‘flight’.

These changes are preparing the body for action. You are in a state of heightened awareness. Your senses are very sharp. Your sense of smell, sight and hearing are all sharpened. Your body is now functioning at it optimum.

Your heart, beating faster, pumps more blood to the brain and the muscles. By breathing faster and deeper, more oxygen is transported by the blood to the muscles and brain. In addition blood is shunted away temporarily from other vital organs such as the gut, the kidneys and the immune system to enable more blood supply to the muscles.

Although the fight and fright reaction is primeval and developed when early humans had to confront huge and dangerous reptiles and mammals, it is still present today. The only problem, however, is that the brain cannot differentiate between real and perceived dangers or threats. The reaction remains the same.

In all three scenarios above, the fight or fright reaction is triggered.

Panic attacks are in reality fight or fright reactions and, during an attack, to the individual the threat or danger is very real. Rational thoughts go out the window and there is nothing to fight and no where to run to.

In stress, the fight or flight reaction is triggered even thought there is no threat to our lives and can be harmful to the body. If persistent, it can cause diseases.

Understanding how the fight or fright reaction is triggered in stress will help you make some sense of the symptoms you experience with stress and may enable you to find a way to control them.

This blog will help you find a system that help you for a better and stress free life.

Dr. Phil Hariram

Stress is a Killer.

There is no doubt that Stress is a killer. Dr. Lipton says that stress is responsible for up to 90% of diseases. When you consider what stress does to your body, it makes sense.

Not only is it an underlying cause of heart disease but by triggering the basic fight or fright reaction, it can produce disease in the important organs of the body.

This blog will explain what is stress, the causes of stress, signs and symptoms of stress, and most importantly, the treatment of stress.

I will look at all the treatment of stress from medication to alternative medicine and the effect of the body mind connection in stress.

I am at present writing an eBook that I will make  available everyone and  my Audio recordings will help change your belief, perception and expectation to make your tomorrow a life free of stress.

You will be shown coping mechanisms and given tools to control stress.

Remember The Legend of Bagger Vance: “You are not alone.”

If you suffer from stress, come back regularly.

I will show you the way forward.

Dr. Phil Hariram.

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