In this column:
Stop for a minute. Think about how you are feeling right now. Do you feel worried, frazzled, overworked, exhausted, frustrated, tense, irritable, anxious or perpetually hassled?
Then you may be suffering from chronic stress.
There are two kinds of stress, acute and chronic. Acute stress occurs when, for example, you swerve the steering wheel quickly to avoid running over a dog in the road. Acute stress leaves you feeling worn out, but does not pose any long term risks to your mental and physical health.
Chronic stress changes your body's natural chemistry. All of us are programmed for the "fight or flight" response to stress. When we are threatened, our adrenaline levels explode. We feel jazzed up and strong, as if we can lift a VW Beetle or run up a Himalayan mountain. High levels of circulating noradrenaline make your arteries and veins constrict. To counteract this constriction, your blood pressure goes up. Your heart must then work harder to force blood through your narrowed arteries. Blood cholesterol levels rise during prolonged periods of stress. The more cholesterol you have circulating in your body, the more likely it is that your arteries will become clogged with cholesterol. Blood sugar levels increase during prolonged periods of stress, making you more susceptible to diabetes. And studies indicate that when stressful situations last longer than a month, you are 2 1/2 times more likely to catch a cold. Chronic stress can lead to depression, nervous breakdowns and mental illness. Too much adrenaline, secreted day after day, is harmful. For more info:
Chronic stress is the kind of stress most professionals, working moms and business managers experience. Chronic stress is prolonged, with no end in sight. And it's harmful to your mental and physical well-being.Fight Or Run Away
Why is chronic stress so harmful? What happens to your body when you feel anxious and aggravated day after day, month after month, year after year?Chronic Stress Causes Adrenaline-Overdose
A rush of adrenaline, in short bursts, is a normal stress response. But when adrenaline and noradrenaline are secreted frequently, due to chronic stress, the body suffers.How To Cope
The coping techniques listed below will not solve the problems that cause you to feel stressed. But they may help you to feel not quite so anxious, irritable or depressed.
If you are a constant worrier or a chronic complainer, remember it is just as easy to smile as it is to frown. Turn your frown upside down because too much frowning will harm you.
--Jacqueline Tresl, RN, has worked as a coronary intensive care nurse and nursing supervisor for over 20 years. For the past three years, she has written about health and happiness for numerous magazines and newspapers. Her first book, "Whoever Heard of a Horse In The House?" is scheduled for release in March 2000. 
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