Ours is an age where the word ‘instant’
has become the buzzword. From instant coffee to instant Internet
connection, there seems to be no provision for a break.
Pausing for two minutes for the traffic
light to wave us on is a bore; cooking wholesome food to make for
overall good health is a burden and time-consuming. In fact, taking 30
minutes off for break is unthinkable while at work. As such, we eat
while working, all in a bid to meet daily schedules — even if it is at
breakneck speed.
Experts describe these activities as stressors — that is, events, experience or activities that cause stress.
Stress has been described as a normal
physical response to events that make an individual feel threatened or
upset his balance in some way. Experts say when one senses danger —
whether it is real or imagined — the body’s defences kick into high gear
in a rapid, automatic process known as the ”fight-or-flight” reaction,
or the “stress response.”
Modern life is full of hassles,
deadlines, frustrations, and demands. And, sometimes, the level of
stress an individual experiences depends on the nature of his job and
life’s pursuit. For many people, though, stress is so commonplace that
it has become a way of life.
Psychologists say some stresses get you
going and are therefore good for you. In fact, they say, without any
stress at all, our lives would be boring and would probably feel
pointless. However, they are quick to add that when the stresses
undermine both a person’s mental and physical health, they are bad.
“When you’re constantly running in emergency mode, your mind and body
pay the price,” they warn.
The stress response, experts further
explain, is the body’s way of protecting a person. When working
properly, it helps him to stay focused, energetic, and alert. In
emergency situations, stress can save an individual’s life — giving him
extra strength to defend himself, or spurring him to apply the brakes to
avoid an accident.
According to Helpguide, a
non-profit resource that helps to understand, prevent and resolve life’s
challenges, “Stress is what keeps you on your toes during a
presentation at work, sharpens your concentration when you’re attempting
the game-winning free throw, or drives you to study for an examination
when you’d rather be watching TV.”
It explains that in general, stress is related to both external and internal factors.
“External factors include the physical
environment, including your job, your relationships with others, your
home, and all the situations, challenges, difficulties, and expectations
you’re confronted with on a daily basis. Internal factors determine
your body’s ability to respond to, and deal with, the external
stress-inducing factors. Internal factors which influence your ability
to handle stress include your nutritional status, overall health and
fitness levels, emotional well-being, and the amount of sleep and rest
you get.”
Helpguide is of the view that
beyond a certain point, stress stops being helpful and starts causing
major damage to health, mood, productivity, relationships and overall
quality of life.
An ex-Chairman, Nigerian Medical
Association, Adedamola Dada, says long-term exposure to stress can lead
to serious health problems.
“Chronic stress disrupts nearly every
system in your body,” he warns. “It can raise blood pressure, suppress
the immune system, increase the risk of heart attack and stroke,
contribute to infertility, and speed up the aging process. Long-term
stress can even rewire the brain, leaving you more vulnerable to anxiety
and depression.”
A medical author, Dr. Melissa
Conrad-Stöppler, notes that most people admit that when they are under
stress, healthy eating habits can be difficult to maintain. She
concludes that whether one is eating to fill an emotional need or
grabbing fast food simply because there’s no time to prepare something
healthy, a stressed-out lifestyle is rarely a healthy one.
Medical experts also warn that while
holding a job can give our lives structure, purpose, and satisfaction
through financial income, the workplace can also become a cause of
stress and subsequent ill-health, if not well managed.
An epidemiologist at the Finnish
Institute of Occupational Health and University College London, Dr.
Marianna Virtanen, in an 11-year study of 600 British civil servants
says, in part, that long hours may be associated with work-related
stress, which interferes with metabolic processes, as well as ”sickness
presenteeism,” whereby employees continue working when they are ill.
Virtanen and his team published their findings in the European Heart Journal.
Indeed, medical practitioners say, the
longer the hours an individual works, the more exposed he is going to be
to the problem of ill-health occasioned by work-related stress.
In his reaction to the study, a professor
of clinical pharmacology at the University of Glasgow’s Western
Infirmary, Gordon McInnes, says, “If the effect is truly causal, the
importance is much greater than commonly recognised. Overtime-induced
work stress might contribute to a substantial proportion of
cardiovascular disease.”
Dada, in his assessment of the situation,
says those prone to work stress are those who don’t rest. Localising
the situation, Dada says Nigerians, especially Lagos residents, don’t
rest. “They wake up early, go through the terrible hold-ups to and from
work, arrive home late, have little or sometimes no sleep, before
hitting the road again at the break of dawn. Such a lifestyle is
definitely stress-inducing.”
A professor of medicine and clinical
pharmacology, Abdulfatai Mabadeje, says the category of workers that are
likely to suffer work-related stress are those who have to meet certain
deadlines. These, he says, include journalists, bankers, doctors and
nurses, among others.
Asked how the symptoms of stress are
manifested, Dada says the manifestations are different among
individuals, but that medical and physical examinations will reveal an
individual’s stress level as well as the environmental factors
responsible.
He says the signs and symptoms to look
for when talking of stress overload include memory problems, inability
to concentrate, poor judgment, seeing only the negative, anxious or
racing thoughts and constant worrying. “All these fall under cognitive
symptoms,” he says.
He explains further, “Emotional stress
symptoms include moodiness, irritability or short temper, agitation,
inability to relax, feeling overwhelmed, sense of loneliness and
isolation, depression or general unhappiness
“Physical symptoms include aches and
pains, diarrhoea or constipation, nausea, dizziness, chest, pain, rapid
heartbeat, loss of sex drive and frequent colds.
“Behavioural symptoms include eating more
or less, sleeping too much or too little, isolating yourself from
others, procrastinating or neglecting responsibilities, using alcohol,
cigarettes, or drugs to relax, and nervous habits such as nail biting
and pacing.”
To burst stress, Netdoctor, an
online publication, recommends the consumption of avocado peas, dark
chocolates, broccoli, salmon, tuna, bananas, nuts, oranges, spinach,
black tea, warm oatmeal, warm milk, whole-grain breakfast cereals,
breads, and pastas, and drinking water at regular intervals. Experts
also recommend the good old exercise.
Webmd, another online publication,
says a healthy diet can counter the impact of stress, by shoring up the
immune system and lowering blood pressure. So, burst your stress by
eating aright.
SOURCE: PUNCH NIGERIA
No comments:
Post a Comment