We all have stress sometimes. For some people, it happens before having to speak in public. For other people, it might be before a first date. What causes stress for you may not be stressful for someone else. Sometimes stress is helpful – it can encourage you to meet a deadline or get things done. But long-term stress can increase the risk of diseases like depression, heart disease and a variety of other problems. A stress-related illness called post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) develops after an event like war, physical or sexual assault, or a natural disaster.

If you have chronic stress, the best way to deal with it is to take care of the underlying problem. Counseling can help you find ways to relax and calm down. Medicines may also help.

Source:Medlineplus

Stress

A survey of 1,309 respondents in the age group of 25 to 65, has revealed that Kolkata tops the fatigue chart amongst seven cities covered in the survey.

Around 30 per cent of the people surveyed say that Delhiites are second when it comes to stress-related people in India. The survey also reveals that more than 25 per cent of the Indian population is tired due to alarming stress levels.

The survey on ‘prevalence of fatigue’ carried out by Glaxosmithkline Consumer Healthcare India, and Lifetime Wellness Rx International, an Apollo Hospitals  Group initiative, has pointed out that career, financial and family problems are significantly associated with fatigue.

The study reported a higher prevalence of fatigue among the three cities  Kolkata (38.10 per cent), Delhi (30 per cent), and Bangalore (32.10 per cent).

Low level of physical activity and high environmental pollution made Kolkatans the most fatigued, the survey found. In addition to it is the increased intake of fast food and rising level of stress  both parameters common to the rest of the cities.

Other cities such as Hyderabad, Bangalore, Coimbatore, Madurai and Chennai reported fatigue level of more than 20 per cent.

The study stated that women had 1.5 times higher risk of feeling fatigued. About 31.1 per cent of women surveyed were constantly tired compared to men (25.6 per cent).

According to Adrian Kennedy, managing director of Lifetime Wellness Rx, “It is all right to feel fatigued at the end of the day. But if you are feeling fatigued when you wake up in the morning, then it is alarming.”

Moreover, people who do not have fixed working hours or work at night and sleep during the day, report higher stress levels and feel more fatigued, Kennedy added.

“People have a tendency to avoid exercising because they are tired. However, if they exercised more regularly, they would feel more refreshed and would be able to have more relaxed sleep which is important to avoid feeling fatigued,” Kennedy added.

The experts found that diet played a key factor in this. low intake of protein, raw fruit, vegetables and water coupled with high consumption of junk food are a recipe for fatigue, they say. Stress, insomnia, lack of exercise, stamina, strength and flexibility contributed as physical factors.

Source: Rediffmail.com April 14, 2008 12:36 IST

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It is corporate India’s underbelly. Stress is attacking the best and the brightest. Insidiously. Hardly surprising considering the punishing deadlines, demanding bosses and long work hours. A survey by Achal Bhagat an NGO, Saarthak among 30 companies found 50 per cent of the employees had stress in some form, 20 per cent had depression and 30 per cent had problems like alcoholism, marital discord, etc. ‘‘This was more evident in companies which were start-ups or mergers.’’ says Bhagat.

Road to nowhere: Take 32-year-old Aditi Sharma*, senior vice-president of a leading Indian company. Monthly salary: Rs 1 lakh approx. Worked like a dream — met targets before time and pushed herself to 12-hour work schedules. Till one day, she crumbled. Had depression and suicidal thoughts. She’s now on anti-depressants. Umesh Kapoor*, a 34-year-old VP was in a similar boat. He couldn’t remember a thing. Had to keep a secretary to joggle his grey cells. Plus had a homebound, cribbing wife. Ended up thinking he had dementia. This is the other side of mind-boggling salaries and overseas postings. ‘‘Most are 30-35 years and have achieved the fastest growth. They usually work seven days a week,’’ says Dr Sandeep Vohra, of Apollo Hospital. Many, says Bhagat, have lost the ability to enjoy themselves.

Aditi, for example, reached home from work after 9 pm. ‘‘I wanted to achieve the maximum in the shortest possible time. My mother wanted me to marry. The pressure got to me.’’ Often, a stressful work environment can spill over into the family. For Nandita Kapoor*, an executive in an MNC, it led to alcoholism. Many are also unable to fulfil familial roles. For Sudhir Khanna*, an only son and South Asia head of an MNC, his foreign postings were stressful.

‘‘He felt he was neglecting his old parents in Delhi,’’ says Dr Bhavna Barmi, Stress Clinic, Escorts Hospital. ‘‘In the last five years, there has been an almost 30 per cent increase in the number of people seeking help.’’ Are corporates more prone to it? ‘‘Yes. The MNC culture is fast catching up in India. You either deliver or get thrown out,’’ says Dr Yogi Mehrotra, MD, Apollo Hospitals. It also means greater competition and less interpersonal relations.

Reaction of corporates: When Bhagat showed his findings to corporates, he says, there was denial. Workshops and training programmes for employees are fine as long as it is on a continuous basis, he says. ‘‘Corporates should realise that stressed out employees hit the bottom line of the company. People should listen to the problems of their employees instead of just asking them to play golf.’’ However, increasing tie-ups between corporates and hospitals could mitigate this problem.

Those part of Apollo’s master health check-ups include Lucent Technologies, American Express, Gillette, Reliance and Maruti. Some organisations have also started helplines. ‘‘We also ask HR managers to give employees work as per talent,’’ says Vohra. Umesh is now on the road to recovery. A holiday and a working wife have ‘‘made me feel a different man.’’ The baby they’ve been postponing is on its way.

Source:Times of India

Indian middle-class adolescents face a highly competitive examination system. This study examines the influence of school demands on the daily time use and subjective states of Indian young people. One hundred urban, middle-class, 8th-grade students carried alarm watches for 1 week and provided 4764 reports on their activities and subjective states at random times, following the procedures of the Experience Sampling Method. These adolescents were found to spend one third of their waking time in school-related activities, with girls spending more time than boys. Schoolwork generated negative subjective states as reflected in low affect state, below-average activation levels, lower feeling of choice, and higher social anxiety. These negative states were most frequent during homework. The trade-off faced by Indian adolescents were evident in the findings that those who spent more time doing homework experienced lower average emotional states and more internalising problems, while those who spent more time in leisure experienced more favourable states but also reported higher academic anxiety and lower scholastic achievement.

Ref:International Journal of Behavioral Development, Vol. 26, No. 6, 500-508 (2002)
DOI: 10.1080/01650250143000454
© 2002 International Society for the Study of Behavioral Development

Feeling like there are too many works to be done under tremendous time pressures ? Losing sleep worrying about tests, office meetings, child education, family management? Eating on the run because your schedule is just too busy? You’re not alone. Everyone experiences stress at times - adults, teens, and even kids. But there are things you can do to minimize stress and manage the stress that’s unavoidable.

What Is Stress?

Stress is a feeling that’s created when we react to particular events. It’s a body’s natural way of rising to a challenge and preparing to meet a tough situation.

The events that provoke stress are called stressors, and they cover a whole range of situations - everything from outright physical danger to Pschological pressures.

The human body responds to stressors by activating the nervous system and specific hormones. The hypothalamus signals the adrenal glands to produce more of the hormones adrenaline and cortisol and release them into the bloodstream. These hormones speed up heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure, and metabolism. Blood vessels open wider to let more blood flow to large muscle groups, putting our muscles on alert. Pupils dilate to improve vision. The liver releases some of its stored glucose to increase the body’s energy. And sweat is produced to cool the body. All of these physical changes prepare a person to react quickly and effectively to handle the pressure of the moment.

This natural reaction is known as the stress response. Working properly, the body’s stress response enhances a person’s ability to perform well under pressure. But the stress response can also cause problems when it overreacts or fails to turn off and reset itself properly.

Good Stress(Angel) or Bad Stress(Devil)

The stress response  is critical during emergency situations, such as when a driver has to slam on the brakes to avoid an accident. It can also be activated in a milder form at a time when the pressure’s on but there’s no actual danger - like stepping up to take the foul shot that could win the game, getting ready to go to a big dance, or sitting down for a final exam. A little of this stress can help keep you on your toes, ready to rise to a challenge. And the nervous system quickly returns to its normal state, standing by to respond again when needed.This is Eustress Condition.

But stress doesn’t always happen in response to things that are immediate or that are over quickly. Ongoing or long-term events, like coping with a divorce or moving to a new neighborhood or school, can cause stress, too. Long-term stressful situations can produce a lasting, low-level stress that’s hard on people. The nervous system senses continued pressure and may remain slightly activated and continue to pump out extra stress hormones over an extended period. This can wear out the body’s reserves, leave a person feeling depleted or overwhelmed, weaken the body’s immune system, and cause other problems.

Stress, a very commonly used word in last two decades is taking away millions of life globally.
 
Stress is an angel when managed ,but a devil if mismanaged.

Let’s Make everybody understand what STRESS is, and How, Why,When, What and Where of Stress.

This helps millions across the globe, conscious about Stress and live happily.