Stress stress and even more stress

Chicken soup for the soul? Less stress is even better. It is not easy to quantify just how damaging stress is for the body and mind, but now even leading heart surgeons are saying that stress is a major contributor of heart disease.

If you answer yes to these questions, then you are stressed, but it does not mean you are ALWAYS stressed. It could be you are stressed now, and then shake it off quickly. It is not the stress we feel, it is how long we continue to be stressed. That is what causes the most damage to our mind and body.

1 Do you wake up with an uncomfortable feeling in your body, like a nervousness?

2 Do you constantly worry what other people think of you?

3 Do you go over conversations you have had with people, and worrying about what you might have said or not said?

4 Do you find it difficult to go to sleep, or wake up after a few hours with your heart and mind racing away?

5 Do you feel as though you have lost your spark or zest for life?

6 Do you wish that you could just stay in bed and not have to face life with all the problems you have?

7 Do you keep saying 'what if this happens, what if that happens'?

8 Do you often feel as though you have the weight of the world on your shoulders?

9 Are you a half empty glass most times?

10 Do you find yourself going over and over problems but getting nowhere?

If you have answered yes to half or more, you are experiencing long term stress. Especially if this is happening longer than a week. Most people feel stress, but it is how you deal with it. Cave men felt stressed when tackling woolly mammoths and other scary creatures, but then calmed down when the chase was over, and maybe even felt great when they won and the family had meat to eat. Our bodies are well equipped to deal with stress, and now the woolly mammoth could be the boss, a car coming towards you, but the feeling is the same. Survive and you live to fight another day.

The good news is that you don't have to put up with stress for too long. Learning how to relax, and learning how to run your mind even better are the first steps in being in control