HERBAL STRESSBUSTERS

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Age-old remedies for stress.

by Dr. Sharon L. Hagemann NMD, DO

Love, Laugh, Let Go.Putting too much pressure onyourself only creates moretension. Don't judge yourselftoo harshly, or expect moreof yourself than you expectof others. Instead, acceptyourself and your faults.Research demonstrates thatthose who take things in stridehave higher self-esteem andless stress - which translatesinto better health.

Research into the physiological effects of stress has revealed a series of reactions known collectively as the General Adaptation Syndrome. Alarm reaction, the response that first occurs when you're faced with a perceived emotional or physical threat, results in a rise in blood pressure, an increased heartbeat, and a general mobilization of your body's defensive forces.

The alarm reaction stage is followed by the resistance stage, which comes when you've adapted to the threat and your symptoms - sweaty palms, clenched jaw - begin to improve or disappear. Luckily, most physical and emotional stress situations are contained within these two stages. However, a third response, known as the exhaustion stage, will set in if you regularly feel anxious over a prolonged period of time. A constant battle with stress will cause alarm reaction symptoms to reappear. If the stress continues unabated, health problems such as hypertension, chronic anxiety and even heart attack can ensue.

Mountains Out of Molehills

An obvious and daunting fact about stress is that it has less to do with external factors (your car breaking clown, your kids bickering) than with your very conscious reaction to these events. In other words, we are in charge of our own stress levels.

Different situations trigger stress in different people. For instance, your co-worker might cringe at the thought of giving a lecture in front of a large audience, while you might jump at the chance. Likewise, one person will relish an active schedule full of challenges, while another will prefer quieter, more predictable pursuits. Switch these two types of people and each would feel stressed in the other one's shoes.

Another fact we often overlook is that stress can come from good occasions as well as bad ones. Even happy events such as a wedding, a promotion or the birth of a new baby can prove stressful. The anticipation and excitement of added responsibility that comes with positive growth and change can cause just as many migraine headaches and stomach jitters as a bad event, such as a tax audit. Again, the way the situation affects your health and well-being depends largely on how you react.