Stress Has Become A Global Epidemic
By Janette Lynott

Stress is adrenaline, motivation, inspiration and emotion in and of itself. Stress can result in a triumph or a failure or it can result in a nervous breakdown along the way. If you really think about it, what kind of success would you have if there were not any stress there to build up to it?

Then again, stress can also make the failure all the worse as well. This is why I think you should bring stress into your life at the appropriate times and let it leave when you don’t need it. This statement alone is so much harder than it sounds and I cannot believe it is coming from a worrywart like me. This is why stress managements techniques came about.

Stress is literally killing people! According to a study done by the Foundation of Integrated Research in Mental Health in 2007 http://content.nhiondemand.com/psv/HC2.asp?objID=100248&cType=hc ; more than three out of five doctor visits [globally] are for “stress related problems”.

Stress has turned into a global epidemic. Yet, it is treatable. When I was a child, I was diagnosed with the most annoying skin allergy in the world. It is called eczema. It is not serious but it is highly nerve sensitive. Not only was I cursed with the irritating hives but it was also triggered by stress. Any time I became nervous or stressed (which was often), I broke out into huge hives that caused an itch deep into my skin. As an adult, I still have this problem but I have learned a little bit of how to handle it with stress management.

As a child, the way I handled this was counting. If I were put in a situation I could not control I would think of how long it would be until I got out of it. Once I had my estimation, I started counting backwards. If I got to one and I was still there I found myself so calm from just counting that it made the situation easier to be in. As an adult woman I still do this.

When I am in the subway and in a rush, I count from 60. When waiting for a highly anticipated call back from work I will usually take a two-minute break and count back from 120. Pacing works pretty well too. Of course, these exercises are completely circumstantial and depend on the level of stress and the person. However, they are incredibly important because stress related sicknesses and deaths are probably in the top three list of most preventative. Don’t be another statistic!

Stress in the moment however is a huge boost to your mood. It causes great adrenaline, which in itself can bring unlimited potential. Learn to control your stress. It is good for you, your health, and the people around you. Nothing can go a hundred miles an hour 24-hours a day seven days a week. Including you.