Most people think stress is the same thing as worry. However, stress is not just all in the mind. In fact, you can suffer from stress without even knowing it. If your body is affected by disease or injury you may suffer from signs of stress. Similarly if you are under mental pressure, your body can suffer. That's because the brain and the body are in constant communication with each other. Nerve signals and chemical signals keep them connected. Changes in the body or the brain can lead to stress and stress can affect both.

What causes stress?
Stress is caused by stimulation overload. Your ability to work is a good indicator of stress. With too little stimulation you are likely to perform badly. With the right amount you will be at your peak. But when your workload or events in your life become overbearing, your ability to cope will deteriorate.

Life events are an obvious cause of stress. A death in the family is at the top of the list of bad events that can cause stress. Yet even good events can cause stress. Moving to a new house, gaining promotion at work or even retirement could be welcome events but they all involve change and that can cause stress.

Even imagined events can cause stress. These really are worries: you might lose your job, you might be ill, you might not be able to pay the rent.

Events such as these take their toll. A death is usually the most burdensome event to affect our lives but other events, even happy ones, can add to the total stress level.

Stress causes chemical changes in both the brain and the body. One of the most common effects is seen in the nervous system, in particular the autonomic nervous system. This is the system that controls the workings of your body without you having to think about it. Your heart rate, the movement of food through your digestive tract and many other processes that seem to take care of themselves are in fact affected by the nerves of the autonomic nervous system. The autonomic system reacts to sudden change. A loud noise will quickly make your heart beat faster, the blood vessels in your skin and digestive system will become narrow and you will sweat. A hormone called adrenaline will be released from your adrenal glands and this will affect your whole body so that you are best prepared for immense physical effort.

When something like a loud noise occurs (or a hungry lion runs towards you) your body prepares to fight or run. Everything that happens to your body is designed to help you concentrate on one thing and use your muscles in a superhuman effort to survive. However, in modern life we respond in a similar way to an important phone call or an exam result, even though there is nothing to fight or from which to run away. Furthermore, this state of tension can persist and our survival mechanism can actually do us harm. Exercise can restore the balance of many of the physiological changes of the fight response. Furthermore, exercise has beneficial effects in combating stress. It also triggers the release of chemicals in the brain that help make you feel better.

Stress and the digestive system
The digestive system is very sensitive to stress. There are so many phrases that describe the problem: "butterflies in the stomach", "sick as a parrot", "uptight" and several others connected with the inner workings of the body. There is a great deal of evidence to support the fact that the way you feel is connected with the way your digestive system behaves.

One of the "gut reactions" to stress affects the stomach and related parts of the digestive system. The lining of the stomach is starved
of blood supply and it may become very sensitive to the actions of stomach acid.
More acid may be produced than usual. As a result the lining of the stomach, the gullet (oesophagus) and the duodenum may be at risk.

Stress can also make the muscles of the digestive system behave badly. Diarrhoea, vomiting, regurgitation, gut spasm, constipation and bloatedness may all be a consequence of stress. The condition known as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is strongly associated with stress. Not only does stress make the symptoms of IBS worse (diarrhoea, constipation and painful spasms), but the symptoms also add to the stress.

People who are severely injured can develop stress-related ulcers or stress gastritis. In the hospital, these people are often unconscious, but the stress has such a severe effect on the stomach that there is a risk of bleeding. For this reason, one of the most important treatments for head injury is to administer drugs that switch off the production of acid in the stomach.

To an engineering student, one of the first lessons in stress is to load weights on a beam. A heavy load creates a lot of stress and too much will cause the beam to break. Similarly, a burden of events can lead to stress that causes a nervous breakdown: the straw that broke the camel's back: the last straw.

Some people will try to use stimulants and relaxants to cope with stress. Coffee might keep you going when your body really wants to rest. Alcohol may block out some of thought processes that make you worry. But these attempts are likely to make matters worse as well as damage your health. If you need help with anxiety or panic attacks it is best to talk to someone. The best person to consult is your doctor.

Treatment for stress
In certain circumstances, your doctor may prescribe medical treatment to treat anxiety and/or depression. Some drugs are designed to change the way you feel mentally. Others are designed to treat the physical effects of stress. Treating physical manifestations such as a high heart rate or gut spasms can actually make you feel more at ease mentally. However, drugs cannot change the events in your life or teach you how to reduce stress and/or the effects of stress.
It is important to take care of yourself during periods of high stress. Make time to look after yourself:

Relax
Relaxation is almost the opposite of stress and it is a good goal if stress is becoming a problem. All those healthy advice tips will reduce stress, even if you do not believe them. A healthy diet, regular exercise and a good night's sleep without the use of drugs or alcohol will be good for you.

Acupuncture
Relaxation tapes
Biofeedback (machines allow you to sense “alpha” waves in the brain that occur only
if you are relaxed)
Breathing techniques
Hypnosis (by a qualified practitioner)
Massage
Meditation
Floatation (tanks of salt water lets you rest weightlessly)
Gentle exercises (Tai Chi, Yoga etc.)
Psychotherapy (Behavioural therapy helps you look at your life in a different way and make positive changes)
Also: positive thinking; visualization and imagery; writing therapy or drama therapy

There are many people offering routes to stress management, some may be able to help you, others may not. If you are in any doubt about where to find qualified practitioners, the staff at your general practice may be able to advise you.

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