by very real changes in your blood chemistry, activated by the sympathetic nervous system. However, it is your mind that ultimately determines how strongly your body reacts to change or unusual circumstances. Depending on your attitudes, beliefs and general predisposition you will assess a situation as either harmless or dangerous. Some people positively thrive on challenges and are at their best when they need to deal with unforeseen situations; others will feel threatened and stressed.
The effects of the sympathetic nervous system can be very beneficial, provided they do not come into play too often or too excessively. A slight increase in body tension, together with higher energy levels and the associated faster reaction time, is of great value if you have to perform well; it is when these reactions become excessive that problems result and we are less likely to cope well.
When the sympathetic nervous system is stimulated repeatedly and over a long period of time, your body may be able to adapt for a while, but as soon as any additional demands are made on it – such as those brought about by an unhealthy diet, smoking, drinking or lack of sleep – your system gets overloaded and can break down. Being in physical overdrive can become a habit, and if there is never a chance for the parasympathetic nervous system to kick into gear and reverse the process, you wear down your inner organs. This is analogous to driving your car at high speed in a low gear all the time – eventually you have problems with the engine.
Even though both the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems are functioning on an involuntary level, we can activate the parasympathetic system by setting some time aside each day to relax properly – and this is not the same thing as putting up your feet and lighting a cigarette! Adapting your diet so that it contains more easily digestible foods also helps (here), as does working on becoming more confident (here) and developing a more positive outlook (see Chapter 17).
WARNING SIGNS
PHYSICAL STRESS SYMPTOMS
tension (in the throat, chest, stomach, shoulders, neck, jaws)
headache and migraine
backache
neck ache
irregular breathing
palpitations
breathlessness even when at rest
restlessness and fidgeting
tics (face, eyes, mouth, etc.)
dry mouth
high-pitched voice
sweating
cold hands and feet
shakiness
dizziness
exhaustion
stomach ache and ‘butterflies’ in stomach
indigestion
nausea
increased need to urinate
diarrhoea
sleeping problems
sexual problems
ulcers
increased sensitivity to noise
SUCCESSFUL STRESS MANAGEMENT
CASE HISTORY: PALPITATIONS
(All names used in this and the other case histories in this book have been changed to ensure confidentiality.) Gary (42) was running his own business and was doing well financially, but all was not well at home. He had recently married; his wife, Jenny, had two teenage children from a previous marriage. Even though Gary was fond of the children, he was not getting on with them as well as he had hoped. Arguments erupted frequently, not only between Gary and the children but also between Gary and Jenny. Gary felt that Jenny was spoiling the children by being too lenient with them, whereas Jenny accused Gary of being jealous of her affection for them.
After six months of rows and arguments Gary began to notice that every time he sat down to rest or go to sleep his heart would start racing. When these palpitations became more frequent he started to worry that there might be something wrong with his heart, but after a thorough check-up his doctor assured Gary that his heart was perfectly all right and that the symptoms were stress-related.
Gary decided that, rather than take beta blockers or sedatives, he was going to try to work through his problems with Jenny. Together they visited a marriage guidance counsellor, who helped them develop a workable, co-operative strategy for dealing with the children. Gary also took a few lessons in relaxation to bring his stress level down. After six weeks his palpitations had decreased considerably; after a further four weeks they had disappeared altogether.
(More about the methods Gary used can be found here [relaxation] and here [addressing problems].)
CHAPTER 6
MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL REACTIONS
The interdependence between body and mind, as described in the previous section, means that physical stress symptoms will affect your mental efficiency and emotional balance. Depending on how severely you experience stress, your mental and emotional symptoms will be more or less pronounced. Typical mental reactions include racing thoughts and difficulty concentrating – as if your mind has gone into overdrive and is unable to slow down. This is why it is often impossible to go to sleep when you are stressed; your overactive mind will not let you! Apart from causing insomnia, this kind of muddled thinking and lack of concentration also leads to memory problems and difficulty retaining new information. Efficient recall depends on a focused and calm mind. If your mind is frantic no information will go into your memory and nothing can be retrieved from it, as anyone who has ever suffered from exam nerves will know.
Because you have problems concentrating when you are under stress, you are more likely to make mistakes. Your judgement is impaired and you may make rash decisions, just to get a problem out of the way. Again this can cause you to make mistakes, which in turn can dent your confidence. Some people find that rather than make irrational decisions they shy away from decision-making altogether when they are under stress. They feel harassed by life and everyone around them, and want nothing more than to be left alone. Responsibilities that were once perfectly acceptable suddenly become burdensome.
The main effect of a stressed mind is that you lose your perspective. As your brain is racing ahead and you try in vain to keep up with it, you lose your balanced frame of reference. You have difficulties prioritizing sensibly, you feel unduly rushed – even when no one is rushing you – and you become disorganized. A certain symptom of stress is when you start lots of jobs but do not finish any of them.
The
