stress definition

Cooked, burned, whipped, beaten-we all know what it feels Like to get emotionally mangled by the boulder weight of day to- day sruggles.
Our bosses yell at us, our spouses yell at us -it feels like an endless circle where getting ahead at the office can leave us with so little energy for home that home tums into a battle ground that leaves us with no energy for work.
But is stress really a catch-22? And is mere survival all you can ask of a hassle-filled world? No. Stress, in fact, is not only something you can beat but a force you can turn to your advantage. You don't have to run from it, and you don't have to go to a special stress-management seminar to find out how to manage it.
The following doctor-tested tips show you how to combat stress-and win. For instant relief when the world has you in a headlock, read on.

Work on your attitude
the single most important point you can make about stress is that in most cases it's not what's out there that's the problem, it's how you react to it.
When you're experiencing stress, your pulse races and you start breathing very quickly. Forcing yourself to breathe slowly convinces the body that the stress is gone, whether it is or isn't.
The correct way to breathe? Abdominally-feeling the stomach expand as you inhale, collapse as you exhale.

Yell or cry.
It's not always possible in the typical office,. but in some situations-a private office or your car, for example a purely emotional outburst is perfectly acceptable.
Screaming or crying can provide a release {or the emotions generating the stress you're feeling.

Stretch.
Essentially everything we feel has a physical manifestation, . A lot of us respond to stress with muscle tension. Ideally, we'd prefer to eliminate the cause of the stress, but stretching the muscles at least reduces the sensation of stress-the muscles relax, we feel less tense. And given that we often can't do anything about the source of stress, that's important.
And for many of us, that's all we need. Massage your target muscles. Most of us have particular muscles that knot up under stress.
"lt's sort of a vicious circle: Stress produces adrenaline, which produces muscle tension, which produces more adrenaline, and so on.
A good way to break the circle is to find out what your target muscles are-the ones that get tense under -pressure, usually in the back of your neck and upper back-and massage them for a couple of minutes whenever you feel tense.

Press on your temples.
This application of acupressure- the oriental system that uses pressure points to relieve pain and treat a variety of ailments-works indirectly. Massaging nerves in your temples, , relaxes muscles elsewhere-chiefly in your neck.

Drop your jaw and roll it left to right
People under pressure have a tendency to clench their teeth, Dropping the jaw and rolling it helps make those muscles relax, and if you relax the muscles, you reduce the sensation of tension.

Relax all over.
Easier said than done? Not if you know how. A simple technique called progressive relaxation can produce immediate and dramatic reductions in your sense of stress by reducing physical tension.
Starting at top or bottom, tense one set of muscles in your body at 5 time, hold for a few seconds, then let them relax. Work your way through all major body parts-feet, legs, chest and arms, head and neck-and then enjoy the sense of release it provides.

Take a hot soak.
Hot water works by defeating the stress response. When we're tense and anxious, blood flow to our extremities is reduced. Hot water restores circulation, convincing the body it's safe and that it is okay to relax. Cold water is a no-no for the opposite reason' It mimics the stress response, driving blood away from the extremities. Result Tension increases.
An office alternative might be running hot water over your hands until you feel tension start to drain away.

Move around.
Regular exercise, of course, builds stamina that can help anyone battle stress. But even something as casual as a walk around the block can help you throw off some of the tension a rough business meeting or a family squabble leaves -you carrying around.

The Way to lnner Peace
Transcendental meditation (TM), yoga, Zen-they all work by inducing something called the relaxation response.
This phenomenon shuts off the distracting, stressful, anxiety-producing aspects of what is commonly called the flight-or-flight response,"
ln primitive situations, where dangers from wild animals might have been the order of the day, this sort of response [fight-or-flight] was quite useful.
ln our own time, however, the tight-or-f light response tends to make us more nervous. uncomfortable, and even unhealthy."
A person experiencing the relaxation response turns off all the hormones and behaviors that are making him nervous.
Basically any kind of meditation will produce it, though TM, yoga, and Zen require formal instruction and a good amount of self-discipline.
One, pick a focus word or phrase ("peace," for example) that is firmly rooted in your personal belief system. Two, sit quietly, close your eyes, and relax. And three, start repeating your focus word in time with your breathing, each time you exhale. Continue for 10 to 20 minutes.
Tips: Practice at least once a day, and don't worry about how you're doing. lf you realize that you've been distracted by thoughts, just easily return attention to your word and continue your meditation.