Sometimes due to difficult life circumstances our bodies are forced to go through strenuous processes in an order to maintain balance. All of this will lead to stress; a little bit of which can be good for the health and too much of which can be harmful. In this article, we look at the definition of stress, the impact of stress, stress related illnesses and possible ways of dealing with stress.

What is Stress?

In everyday language, people will use stress to mean the condition in which they feel they are overloaded or overburdened by certain happenings. In this sense, stress refers to negative effects on the person. However, stress can be caused by positive as well as negative events.

Impact of stress

Stress can very detrimental to a person especially if it is not handled in time. Stress can cause people to become very tired and even fall into depression. As the chemicals of fight or flight are released, people may tend to behave irrationally all in an effort to release the strain on themselves. These can lead to very angry personalities and people who are very impatient with others

Symptoms of stress

Many people are under stress today but most will not realize it or ignore it and ‘push on’. To detect if you or someone you know is under some form of stress, check out for some of these symptoms

• Eating too much or too little
• Loss of interest in intimacy
• Anxiety and anger
• Indulging in drinking or smoking
• Always sad
• Sleeping a lot or not at all

Stress related diseases

Stress can have negative effects on the health of the person. Due to conditions that cause a lot of stress inducing chemicals to be released into the blood stream, the immune system is negatively affected. Stress induced illness include

• Obesity
• Heart problems
• Diabetes
• Anxiety disorders

Dealing with stress

Of all the methods of releasing stress that has been suggested, the practice of being mindfully present is one method that has gained in popularity. Self-awareness helps people to focus on the present moment and dwell less on past things or future things that are causing anxiety. When you dwell in the present, you mentally let go of all other things including your worries.

One of the greatest ways to learn how to focus on being mindfully present and self aware is the study of Arakan Martial Art.

This unique type of martial arts teaches students to use almost every part of their body in fluid motions for self defence. This art uses swift movements that require the student’s total attention if they are to succeed.

For someone suffering from stress this is a good art to get involved in. You will not only be able to release the stress they you been going through, you will also build resilience and self confidence which helps you have a higher tolerance for stressful situations in future so you are less likely to be affected.