What is stress? Why do we have stress? How can we relieve stress?

    Do you ever feel like you have too much on your plate? Everyone expects something from you and you don't seem to have the time required to deliver. You notice the muscles in your neck and shoulders become tense and painful, your head hurts, you feel a bit queasy in your stomach, and your heart races. These are all signs that your body is stressed. 

    Stress is inevitable and no one can ever be stress free. The body has a built in mechanism to push us through difficult situations. When you have a lot on your plate the biological changes that occur are that your body releases two stress hormones, one is cortisol and the other adrenaline. Prolonged affects can become destructive in that these two chemicals actually suppress the immune system and can cause numerous health problems like heart disease, stroke, cancer, and depression. The stress hormones are released in the body, this is referred to as the "fight or flight" response. The adrenaline and cortisol is released to aid in a physical form，for example you are in a car accident and a loved one is pinned under the vehicle, you suddenly have the strength to pick up the vehicle to pull the loved one out. You didn't turn into the incredible Hulk although the chemicals in your body do provide an instant surge of strength that makes you feel like the big green monster! 

    Over time when you suffer from psychological or mental stress these chemicals build up in the body without an outlet to dispel them. An abundance of these stress hormones over a prolonged period of time can cause numerous health issues, depression, anxiety, and panic disorders.

    Three Tips for Relieving the Stress Hormones

    1. Exercise

    Taking time to exercise will not only improve your body and its physical appearance it will assist in releasing the stress hormones that have been building up. A daily vigorous walk, jogging, weight lifting, aerobics, swimming, bike riding, dancing or a dance class, football, basketball, etc are all great ways to relieve the chemical stress hormones. 

    2. Eating Right

    Eating a balanced diet will not only make you feel better it will relieve some of the stress and certainly won't add to it. When you eat a diet high in sugars, cholesterol, and fat, you add to the trauma in your system. Concentrate on a high protein, veggie, fruit diet and you will see remarkable improvements. Also whole grains promote production of the brain neurotransmitter serotonin for a greater sense of well-being. When you combine healthier eating with exercise your body will respond favorably and the stress levels will start to decrease. 

    3. Change Your Mindset

    If you walk around all day saying "I'm so stressed", you will be. Positive thinking is crucial to relieving the mental stress. Our minds are so powerful that we can actually increase our stress by the way we think and the things we speak. If you develop a new mindset that is positive in nature and optimistic, studies have shown this to be a reliever of stress. Meditation is a prime way to change your mindset and refocus on the positives and what is really important. Try yoga or visualization imagery to assist.

    什么是壓力？為什么我們會有壓力？如何才能減輕壓力？

    如果在你的餐盤里有很多吃的，你會喜歡嗎？每個人都想從你那里得到些什么，而你卻看上去沒有足夠的時間給他們。你注意到你脖頸處的肌肉和腰部變得緊張和疼痛起來，感覺大腦受到了內在的傷害，胃有點難受，心跳加速。這些癥狀都表示你的身體正處在壓力之中。

    壓力是不可避免的，每個人都有壓力。身體中存在一種類似機械的裝置，它促使我們克服困難。如果你的餐盤中有過多的食物時，你的身體就產生出兩種壓力激素。一種是皮質醇，另一種叫腎上腺素。這兩種物質在體內存在時間過長就會導致不良后果，因為這兩種化學激素會抑止免疫系統，導致各種健康問題的產生，例如心臟病，癌癥和抑郁癥。這些壓力激素在體內釋放，被稱為“對抗和逃跑”反應。釋放的腎上腺素或者皮質醇以一種物質的形式存在人體內。舉個例子來說，在一場汽車交通事故中，你所愛的人被壓在汽車下面。你沒有變成令人難以置信的廢物，此時，你體內會突然產生一股力量把你所愛的人從車底下拖出來。盡管你體內的化學物質提供了一種巨大的能量，但你感覺你像個巨大的藍色魔鬼。

    隨著時間的推移，當你患了生理或者精神方面的壓力時，這些化學物質不是排出你的體外，而是在你的體內產生。如果這些多余的壓力激素長期存在，會導致各種健康問題，例如抑郁，焦慮和恐慌性紊亂。

    三種減少壓力激素的建議

    1. 鍛煉身體

    鍛煉身體不僅能夠改善身體的質量和體形，而且有助于釋放已經產生的壓力激素。每天精神飽滿地步行，慢跑，舉重，體操，游泳，騎車，跳舞，足球，籃球等等，都是減少壓力激素的有效方法。

    2. 合理膳食

    均衡膳食不僅可以讓你感覺良好，而且可以緩解壓力，當然，更不會增加壓力。攝取高糖、高膽固醇和高脂肪的食物，這會增加對你機體的傷害。吃些高蛋白、素食和水果，你的身體會得到明顯的改善。同時，谷物可以促進腦神經傳遞素復合胺的產生，使機體反應靈敏。把健康飲食和鍛煉身體結合起來，你的機體將會反映良好，壓力也會開始減少。

    3. 調整心態

    你每天都說“我壓力真大”，說明你的壓力還真的不小。積極向上的心態對減少神經壓力非常重要。我們思想的力量非常強大，以至于我們實際生活中的所說和所想，都會給我們增加壓力。如果我們樹立起一種新的樂觀向上的心態，而研究顯示這些將是減少壓力的釋放劑。沉思是一種改變你心態的方法，它可以讓你關注積極向上的和真正有意義的東西。你可以試下瑜伽或者視覺想象療法。