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SoYou're Finally Coping
With
by
Robert C. Boraker
You can never avoid all stress. But you can learn dangerous stress signals.
And discover how to overcome t he bad effects of distress.
T
HIS IS
an
age
of
stress and
anxiety.
S t ress is not
new to human ex–
perience. But we
live today in an
especially fast-
moving
world
where
rapid
changes are taking
place in every fa–
cet of society.
T he strains and
pressures of daily
living in the 20th
century are steadily
building up. T hose
who can't cope t ry
escaping through
the use of alcohol or
tranquilizers. Sorne
end it all in suicide.
Stress affects
everyone.
lt
is a
problem that concerns us all. We
need to know what it is. How it
affects our minds and bodies.
How we can cope to survive.
What l s St ress?
Not all stress is bad.
Think for a moment. Whenev–
er the body is forced to respond
to a demand exerted upon it,
there is a corresponding reaction
of strain and pressure. This stress
cannot be avoided and is vitally
August, 1981
necessary throughout our lives.
Athletes use tension at the start
of a race. l nventors and artists
have attained their greatest
achievements during periods of
stress. Mountain climbers have
reached the highest summits by
straining their bodies to the peak
of endurance.
But when stress is not managed
and used properly, it has a harm–
ful effect on the body. Too much
stress can damage the body. This
unpleasant and de–
s tructive stress is
actually
distress.
Disturbed by dis–
tress, the body will
suffer in sorne way.
The list of conse–
quent mental and
physical ailments
aggravated by s tress
is already long and
increasing. They in–
elude: gastric or
peptic ulcers , hy–
pertension , high
blood
pressure ,
heart d isease, men–
tal breakdown, mi–
graine headaches,
diabetes, allergies,
colitis and tempo–
rary diarrhea.
t
Stress can lead to
~
heart attacks, ner–
~
vous breakdowns
~
and suicide. That's
iílíílllllll~
why it has been
called the "twen–
tieth century killer." Stress may
even be linked with certain forros
of cancer, according to recent evi–
dence.
The link between mental strain
and physical health is well docu–
mented in medica! journals.
Uncurbed emotional stress in–
creases muscle tension and bio–
chemical changes in the body to
the point that its defenses against
disease are damaged. Researchers
now believe stress creates condi-
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