The risk of illness does however increase if the stressor severely disrupt a person’s life, when they are uncomfortable, or when they are chronic, lasting at least six months. For example a blast of loud noise is not normally unhealthy but a noise that goes on day in and day out is unhealthy. Children who live or go to school near noisy airports have higher blood pressure and higher levels of stress hormones and are distractible and have more learning and attention difficulties than children who live in quieter environments.

In adults, constant loud noise contributes to cardiovascular problems, irritability, fatigue, and aggressions, probably because of overstimulation of the autonomous nervous system. The stressors that most likely will affect human health are those related to the central activities and relationships of our lives. Work related problems such as unemployment and tension on the job, bereavement and loss of loved ones, and struggles to survive in the face of poverty and discrimination.

Work Related Problems

Just about everyone has work related problems: finding a job, dealing with pressures once you get one, and recovering when you lose one. Because work is central in most people’s lives, the effects of unemployment or of a chronically stressful work environment can be severe. Work related stress can increase a person’s vulnerability to more mundane illnesses such as common cold. People who are most likely to report cold symptoms are those who are underemployed or unemployed than those going through conflicts with friends or family.

Bereavement and Loss:

One of life’s most powerful stressors is the loss of a loved one, especially through divorce or death. In the two years following bereavement, widowed people are more susceptible to illness and physical ailments and their mortality level is higher than expected. Divorce can also take a long term health toll . Divorced adults have higher rates of heart disease, pneumonia, and other diseases than married couples. Bereaved and divorced people may be vulnerable to illness because, feeling unhappy, they don’t sleep well, they stop eating properly, they smoke more and they consume more alcohol and other drugs.

Poverty and Powerlessness:

People at the lower rungs of the socioeconomic ladder have worse health and higher mortality rates for almost every disease and medical condition than those at the top. One obvious reason is that poor people cannot afford good medical care, healthy food and preventive examinations. Another reason, however, has to do with the continuous environmental stressors that low income people often live with and feel powerless to change: higher crime rates, discrimination, and fewer community services, run down housing, fewer recreational facilities and great exposure to hazards such as chemical contamination.

Read more on family issues at www.positivelytrue.com.

Your response to the demands of the world determines your stress level. Take time

to consider common stressors and how they may be affecting you.

Stress is your body’s reaction to the constant demands of the world, and stressors

are events or conditions in your surroundings which may trigger stress.

Two main types of stress that people are faced with are:

• Acute stress, is your body’s immediate reaction to a threat, challenge or

scare. The acute stress response is immediate, it’s intense, and in certain

circumstances, it can be thrilling. Examples of stressors that may cause an

acute stress response are a job interview, a fender bender or an exhilarating

ski run.

• Chronic stress results from long-term exposure to acute stress. The chronic

stress response is much more subtle than is the acute stress response, but the

effects may be longer lasting and more problematic. The stressors which

may lead to chronic stress are the nagging, day-to-day life situations that

often seem unrelenting.

Think relationship problems, work difficulties and financial woes.

Stressors can be categorized as follows:

1. Significant Life Adjustments

Any critical life changes, both pleasant and unpleasant.

2. Daily Routines

Daily routines such as fighting the rush hour traffic or meeting the deadline on an

important project zap your energy. You become accustomed to your daily activities

and easily overlook their cumulative effect on you.

3. Unrealistic Self-Expectations

While positive self-expectations motivate you to realize your goals, unrealistic

expectations can lead to setting yourself up for failure and a lowering of selfesteem.

4. Interpersonal Relationships

Both personal and professional relationships require a significant amount of effort

to maintain. Poor communication leads to conflicts that can escalate into increased

frustration and open hostility.

External exasperations

External stressors are events and situations that happen to you. While you may

have control over some of these stressors and how much you let them affect you,

there are times when they extend beyond your control.

Some examples include:

• Major life changes. These changes can be positive — a new marriage, a

planned pregnancy, a promotion or a new house. Or they can be negative —

the death of a loved one or going through a

divorce.

• Environment. These stressors could include a noise disturbance, such as a

barking dog, or light disturbance, as from a billboard across the street.

• Unpredictable events. This category could include an increase in monthly

bills, an uninvited houseguest or a pay cut.

• Family. The occasional spousal spat, a teenager who refuses to cooperate or

a nagging mother-in-law can all contribute to stress.

• Workplace. Perhaps an overwhelming workload or an impossible boss.

• Social. For example, a blind date or making a speech to a room full of coworkers.

Internal irritations

Not all stress stems from things that happen to you, some of the stress response can

be self-induced. Those feelings and thoughts that pop into your head and cause you

unrest are known as internal stressors. Examples include:

• Fears. These can be things such as the fear of flying or heights, or more

subtle apprehensions like speaking to a group of strangers at a party.

• Uncertainty. Stemming perhaps from a looming restructuring at the office

or waiting for medical test results.

• Attitude. Having a negative view of the world in and of itself can be

stressful, since you create an unpleasant environment in which to live.

• Unrealistic expectations. A perfectionist or controlling personality may

lead to unnecessarily high stress levels. Overscheduling and not planning

ahead can lead to a world of worries.

• Music

• Prayer

• Candles

• Meditation

• Reading a passage out of the Bible

Playing music low creates a relaxing environment. If the music is too high it can cause headaches, moodiness and added stress. Also pick something that is somewhat up beat but not too crazy because, music can be a great motivator as well. Prayer before and during the event can relive any stress that is created while putting the final touches on things.

Having candles lit while prepping for things creates a good smelling, inviting, and relaxing environment for everyone that is helping out as well. While to a lot of people it may sound sill or a waste of time meditation can be a big help . Meditation takes you to a place outside all of the stress . A lot of the time people tend to think of their favorite spot on earth and imagine being there .

When things get really bad the best thing to do is to read a passage out of the Bible . Reading a passage out of the Bible tends to make things easier for people to deal with the task at hand. The Bible tells of ways to handle things in your life. One of the best verses to thing of while you are dealing with stressful situations “ I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” or “He does not give us more than we can handle”

The effects of stress include depression, anxiety, aggression, low self-esteem, substance abuse, physiological effects (elevated blood pressure and elevated cholesterol), and diseases (cardiovascular disease, pregnancy-induced hypertension, and preterm delivery). Studies of the relationships between job stress and health have only begun to integrate the notion that women have different types of work experiences than men and that the stressors they experience may differ or may be responded to in different ways. For women, the highest level of job control is found in gender-integrated occupations. The top stressor reported among women is interpersonal conflict, while men in the same occupation report the top stressor to be wasted work or time.

Evidence continues to accumulate that the psychosocial aspects of work differ for women and for men. However, how these differences relate to risk of distress, mental disorders, and cardiovascular diseases have not been well described among women. Social support appears to buffer the adverse effects of some occupational exposures among women. Pregnancy outcomes in relation to job stress have been shown to be better for working women in the presence of support from others. Other illnesses may benefit as well, but less work has been done assessing potential protective effects.

One area where the interaction between work and home can be demonstrated is that of workplace violence. Homicide is the leading cause of occupational traumatic death among women, comprising 42% of all traumatic injury deaths. While robbery was the primary motive of job-related homicides, domestic disputes accounted for one sixth of the workplace homicides among women workers. Almost half of the homicide victims work in retail, including grocery stores and eating and drinking establishments, common workplaces for women. The fact that domestic disputes do enter the workplace for women but not for men is an important issue when developing workplace violence prevention programs. If programs address only coworkers and clients, family violence will not be addressed.

One area that has not received a great deal of attention is the experience of women related to sexual harassment. The most extreme example would be rape and there is little written about rape in the workplace. The stress of working in an environment where harassment is accepted has not been extensively addressed in medical literature. Perhaps these issues have been viewed as legal issues, not medical ones, but clearly they are likely to have profound long-term medical consequences that are worthy of attention by occupational health professionals.

 Type A personality was described by Friedman and Rosenman as aggressive and ambitious with a competitive drive and a chronic sense of urgency. It was proposed that these characteristics would lead to raised blood pressure and raised levels of hormones, both of which could be linked to ill health. It was also proposed that there was a type B personality which was an individual who lack these characteristics. To test this, Freidman Rosenman examined 3000 men ages 35 to 59 for signs of CVD. Their personalities were assessed using a structured interview. It was found that after 8.5 years, twice as many Type A participants had died of cardiovascular problems, and Type A’s had, in general, higher blood pressure and higher cholesterol. It was also found that Type A’s were more likely to smoke and have a family history of CVD. Because of this, is may mean that the CVD was not to do with their personality, but was more genetic, especially as it was found that they were more likely to have a family history of CV problems. Also, as all of the participants in this study were middle-aged men, we are unable to generalise the study. This leaves us with a biased sample, as it does not show any results for the effects of this personality type on a woman. Also, as the participants were asked to fill out a questionnaire, they may have filled it in untruthfully or incorrectly to make themselves be seen in a more positive light.

  Type C personality has been described as one which suppresses emotions, particularly negative ones, and are likeable people who rarely get into arguments and are generally helpful to others. Temoshok suggested that individuals such as these cope with stress in a way that ignores their own needs, including their physical needs. Type C is associated with cancer, and Temshok suggested that this was because some stressors activate the ANS and endocrine system, and this is related to CVD. More chronic stressors affect the immune system and increase the individual’s risk of cancer.

  Type D people have been described as gloomy, socially inept and worriers. Denollet studied 300 men and women who suffered heart attacks, and asked them to fill in a personality questionnaire at the time of their first heart attack. It was found that 10 years later, those who suppressed negative emotions were four times more likely to have a heart attack. This personality type has been associated with depression and social alienation.

  One factor that must be taken into account with this study is the fact that the participants may not have wanted to tell the truth in the questionnaires that they were filling in, meaning that the results of the study would have been inaccurate. This is the social desirability bias, in which the participants try to make themselves be seen in a more positive light to those conducting the study.

  Also, with all of the above personality types, it is hard to generalise, as some people may show traits from all of the above. Because of this, it is hard to label people as one specific personality, and care must be taken when drawing conclusions from these studies.

One factor that needs to be taken into consideration is work overload. Johansson et al investigated this, and found that people with stressful, repetitive jobs are more likely to experience stress. In this study, Johansson studied sawyers in a Swedish sawmill, whose jobs were highly repetitive. This group were expected to work with an unrelented pace, and they had a sense of responsibility for the whole company, as the company as a whole could slow down if they got behind with their work. This group were found to have a higher illness rate and also higher adrenaline levels in their urine than a low risk group. This supports the fact that work overload has an effect on stress in the workplace, however it does not take into account what the workers may already be experiencing at home. For instance, if they are having marital difficulties, they may actually be less stressed at work than they would be at home, which would give inaccurate results to the researchers. Also, if they are under a lot of stress, the stress levels that are being reported by the researchers may be unrelated to the job and may actually have more to do with their day to day lives. Because of this, care must be taken when drawing conclusions from this study.

Another factor that must be considered when drawing conclusions from this study is the fact that the results could be biased. Because the study was carried out with just one profession being studied, the results may not be highly accurate of the way in which people from other professions may react to a similar situation.

Another factor that can act as a stressor is lack of control. It has been said by many psychologists that a lack of control can cause stress because the person in question is not directly responsible for what they do at work, and may therefore feel overwhelmed or pressured. Opposing this view however, Schaubroek found that some workers respond differently to lack of control, in that they are less stressed when they have no control or responsibility. In this study, Schaubroek measured saliva, in which the immune system functioning could be assessed directly. He found that although some people were more stressed when they had a lack of control, some people were less stressed. For the employees who felt less stressed when they had a lack of control, they could become stressed if they were given any control, and this could worsen the unhealthy effects of stress.

 In this study, a clear factor that must be considered is individual differences. Everybody has different ways of coping with stress; some being more effective than others, and this means that everybody will show different levels of stress to different situations. Because of this, we cannot generalise the results of this study, because the results cannot be applied to everyone.

Sometimes it is a good idea to slow down and listen more to what the logical thoughts you have are telling you. Sometimes it’s better to just trust your heart. Depending who you are, you may lead your life focusing more on one mode of responding than the other, it is my belief that a good balance between the two must be achieved.

How do you achieve such a balance when your emotions or your heart are pulling you powerfully in one direction? How do you keep your emotions in check with the practical side of life? It takes practice, but with time you can learn to manage both your heart and mind and keep them in balance to keep yourself steadily following the path, vision, and dreams you have set in your mind for the ideal life you envision.

Some things I do to slow down and give myself the time I need to really think through important decisions in my life is to make goals and stick to them. I also take time to really consult other things that can help make me feel as secure about my decisions as possible. For example, if I am thinking about moving to another place, I will take much time to read the reviews from that area. I will talk to people I know who have lived there and get their opinions. I will do my own research about the location; read up on statistics in the area, crime rate, educational resources, etc.

While you don’t want to spend too long researching to where you are also not in tune with your emotions and heart, you want to spend enough time to where you feel completely comfortable about any decision you make. In life there will always be variables that we cannot predict or those that will come up in isolated incidences, but when we take the time to really think through all the possibilities we can before we act on a decision, we are doing ourselves a service. We are basically setting ourselves up for the best chance of success.

Using this same sort of logic, this is why, for example, if you purchase a plot of land you will want to take time to really think and then draw up the architectural plans for building that home. Then, once construction begins, it happens in stages. The floor needs to be laid and given the time to dry and solidify. Then the structures that keep the entire house from falling must be installed. Every beam, nail, and bolt that needs to be added must be carefully paid attention to. This is crucial because if a house is made carelessly it can all crumble down when it has been completed and a storm comes through.

Any important decision in your life is a process. It is not something you want to rush, but it is something you want to act on. If you feel strongly enough about something follow your heart, but just remember to keep your structures and plans solid and free of emotional distractions. You need to have a clear, concise “drawing” or vision of your “home” or new venture so that you build it to last for many years to come.

Joie Schmidt © Copyright 2007 All Rights Reserved.

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Dreams of the Heart – volume I by Joie Schmidt is available:

  * Volume I: Amazon Kindle, Adobe Reader, iTunes, iPod, iPhone, iPad and iBooks

Dreams of the Heart – volume II is available:

  * Volume II: Amazon Kindle, Adobe Reader

———> Stay tuned . . . vol. II will soon be available on iTunes, iPod, iPhone, iPad and iBooks!

(*In memoriam of the tragedy in Japan all proceeds from – volume I – sales will go to the relief efforts until 3/11/12)

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