Posted by: Uticopa in stroke, stress, mental health on
Jul 20, 2009
Strokes are one of the most common killers in Britain, affecting an estimated 150,000 people each year, of which more than 67,000 die.
But, stroke is such a variable disease, its severity and symptoms varying so much depending on the precise spot in the brain that the blood clot occurred. Some sufferers are only mildly affected and can hope to try to regain any lost faculties by plenty of professional medical help.
However, what causes it in the first place?
Posted by: Uticopa in stress on
Mar 25, 2009
There is no doubt that well-organised and managed work helps to maintain and promote individual health and well-being. But not enough attention to good organisation and methods could result in work-related stress.
Recent statistics confirm that work-related stress is widespread in the U.K working population and is not confined to particular sectors or high risk jobs or industries. That is why a population-wide approach is necessary to tackle it.
If you believe you are suffering from work-related stress, it is important to take action and review your lifestyle to identify any contributing factors, such as the following:
Posted by: Uticopa in stress, children on
Mar 20, 2009
What is stress?
Stress is a feeling that's created when we react to particular events - called stressors. It's the body's way of rising to a challenge and preparing to meet a difficult situation. The hypothalamus in the brain signals the adrenal glands to produce more of the hormones adrenaline and cortisol and release them into the bloodstream. These hormones speed up heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure and metabolism. Blood vessels open wider to let more blood flow to large muscle groups, putting our muscles on alert. Pupils dilate to improve vision. The liver releases some of its stored glucose to increase the body's energy, and sweat is produced to cool the body. All of these physical changes prepare us to react quickly and effectively to handle the pressure of the moment.
Stress, or ‘the fight or flight response', is critical during emergency situations, but it can also be activated in a milder form at a time when the pressure is on but there's no actual danger - like that school exam or job interview. Of course, a little of this stress can help us rise to life's challenges. Also, the nervous system can quickly return to its normal state, standing by to respond again when needed. But, it's the abnormal levels that cause concern, and it seems that this is often set way back in early childhood.
How to solve the stressful equations of life?
Rather like a stack of dominoes, once the bankers of Wall Street unleashed their economic ills onto an uncertain world, piece by piece, the world's economy started to collapse. Eventually, the unstoppable force reached the common man. But there were considerable knock-on effects on individuals, resulting in mounting stress levels.
Living in such unpredictable times evokes feelings of anxiety or even fear. There is a solution within each of us, but none of us knows what we're capable of until a crisis hits.
Of all the tools to combat depression and negativity, humour is by far the best medicine - for both patient and doctor! Television and radio are both under-rated as purveyors of exactly this kind of medicine, no data ever being collected on the numbers of sick people made to feel appreciably better by switching-on at home and laughing uncontrollably at the comic of the day. From the comedians of yesteryear like Laurel and Hardy or Jack Benny, to Tommy Cooper or that special brand of comedian today like Jackie Mason who use ethnicity to make us laugh - we all have our favourites. By watching other people's mishaps, we laugh and feel instantly better.
But, is there a scientific reason for this? Here are a few examples:
Humour combats fear
Work on your Confidence and Self Esteem
Having good self-esteem provides a robust support system that enables you to deal well with day-to-day problems that can otherwise have a negative and in some cases detrimental effect on your emotional and physical health. Confidence and self esteem is something that you can work on and there are number of therapy and life coaching techniques that can help with that.
Make sure your expectations are realistic
Your expectations and judgement of a situation are very important when trying to create a healthy outlook and perception of any given situation. In psychology it is called ‘appraisals'. Situations such as ‘long queue at the Post Office' or a ‘traffic jam' aren't a problem unless you perceive them as such. When your appraisals are realistic, then you will be able to respond to daily challenges better and keep a sense of perspective.
Irrational Belief Systems
The ‘appraisals' you make come from your long formed belief system. If you have rigid and unrealistic belief system, then your judgement might not be suitable for the given situation. An indicator of the rigid belief system is when you often use ‘musts' and ‘shoulds' or ‘have tos', stressing importance of perfection, which is often difficult or impossible to accomplish (especially if your idea of perfection is distorted). 'I must be looking immaculate all the time' or ‘I always have to be liked by people around me'.
