Stress Facts

"The straw that broke the camel's back" or "I have one nerve left - and you're on it!". You may be saying these things in jest, but there is a painful amount of truth to them. As we go about our daily lives we are faced with many stressors - both short & long-term which can include sick or elderly parents, chronic medical conditions, job dissatisfaction, rush hour traffic, unsatisfying relationships, sleeping through the alarm, kids screaming or arguing, time constraints, and deadlines.

Unfortunately, many people feel that this is "normal" or "just life" or even "that a certain amount of stress is good for me". Others just put up with it, or sometimes are even unaware that they are showing signs of stress.

Signs of Stress

irritable and on edge
fuzzy thinking
exhausted
work/life balance is suffering
some degree of road rage
medical condition that is worsened by stress (Alzheimer's, Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, Fibromyalgia, Immune Disorders, Depression, Anxiety, Obesity, Fertility & Menstrual Problems, Heart Disease)
listless
over-reactive
unproductive
repeated minor ailments, aches and pains
endlessly worrying - negative thoughts
sleep problems
poor memory
physical and mental aging
unfocused
low endurance

If this sounds familiar to you, the good news is that you can do something about it. You can learn to transform your reactions to the stressors in your life with some easy and quick-to-learn techniques that go to work immediately so that you can feel better fast.

Effects on the Body

Stress is the emotional and physiological reaction to a perceived threat, whether real or imagined, resulting in a series of adaptations by the body.

More than 1,400 known physical and chemical reactions and over 30 different hormones and neurotransmitters are involved during a stress response.
Two key physiological systems coordinate the stress response: The Autonomic Nervous System (Sympathetic and Para-Sympathetic Branches) and the Hormonal System.
Under stress, the body releases Adrenaline, which elevates the heart rate, blood pressure, tenses up the muscles, speeds the breathing all to prepare the body for the flight or fight response. (Confront the threat or run for our lives.)
Noradrenaline and cortisol are also activated.
Hours after the stress has subsided, these hormonal levels can remain high.
Cortisol has been dubbed the "stress hormone" and in balanced amounts is essential for the healthy functioning of the body.
In chronic stress situations, cortisol is being produced at a steady, constant rate. Elevated levels can impair memory and learning, destroy brain cells, increase fat accumulation around the waist and hips, inhibit skin growth and regeneration, reduce muscle mass, increase bone loss and promote osteoporosis, reduce glucose utilization, and impair immune function.
Everyday stressors accumulate in the body, lowering our threshold for what we're able to put up with. In order to deal with these situations people turn to a variety of behaviours which can include sarcasm, anger, depression, binge eating, alcohol, drugs, etc.

Stress Statistics

Some stats from the Government of Canada...

Chronic stress can lead to hypertension, depression and susceptibility to other common physical illnesses.
Workplace stress has been shown to cause backaches, migraines and substance abuse, all of which contributes to poor job performance.
More than six in ten Canadians report that they are experiencing a ‘great deal of stress’ on the job.
Canadians who say they are experiencing a great deal of stress at work are five times more likely to say they’ve been ill as a result of workplace stress.
Job stress is a major factor in the use of employee absenteeism. Statistics Canada calculates the annual cost of work time lost to stress at $12 million.
Less obvious results of workplace stress are the feelings of frustration, anger and hopelessness that affect stressed employees.
It is estimated that 40% of worker turnover is due to job stress.

“emWave® is more than a slick piece of technology; it’s part of a revolutionary
HeartMath® program that is both life-affirming and life-changing. This is a true ‘personalcommunicator’ that empowers us to really get to the ‘heart of the matter.’ I have used HeartMath’s Freeze-Framer® – and now the emWave® – not only to relieve stress in the moment, assist in decision-making under challenging circumstances, and to ‘dump all my baggage’ before going to sleep, but also as an adjunct to synchronize heart, mind, and body as part of a pre-operative preparatory program. In this era where change is the constant, and stress is either the foundation or the result of most of today’s diseases, having an effective tool to combat the effects of stress is critical. The cool part is that everyone that sees the emWave® wants to try it; this is a great ‘teaching moment’ to promote personal responsibility for one’s health using techniques and technology that are now proven to be effective.”
–Alan P. Feren, M.D., FACS, President, Feren Healthcare Insights, LLC, Former Chief
Medical Officer, Sutter Health Partners

HeartMath is a registered trademark of the Institute of HeartMath.
emWave and Personal Stress Reliever are registered trademarks of Quantum Intech, Inc.
Quick Coherence is a registered trademark of Doc Childre.
TestEdge and Heart Smarts are registered trademarks of the Institute of HeartMath.