STRESS  that is!  Can you handle what comes your way or do you need to seek help?  I would like to share a 5-part study of stress with you.  I hope you will benefit from this series, either for yourself or maybe for a family member or friend.   Please feel free to leave me a comment and let me know what you think and how stress has affected you.

Exactly what is stress?

That is a very hard question to answer because there are so many kinds of stress and the entire body and mind can be affected  in so many different ways.

Stress is usually considered the buildup of anxiety and pressures.  There is only so much pressure that one person can handle and stress will  occur when the person has had their fill of it.  Now if you are a believer – this is where people will say “God won’t give you any more than you can handle”.  Well, how many people really believe this when they are the one going through the stressful situation?  I am here to tell you that I have personally been in this position and know, for a fact, that this is true.  At the time I wasn’t so sure that I would get through the stressful problem but I did.

Stress is not necessarily a dangerous thing.  It is only a problem when the person who is under a great deal of it can no longer function and is letting it get the best of them. It is very important that help be received immediately whether by counseling or medications.

Many people have stress because of their job.  Some people bring their work worries and troubles home with them.  This can mean that they are having a hard time dealing with pressure.  They may start to have mood swings or be depressed a lot.  Depression is one of the major symptoms of stress and can be a danger to the person themselves as well as hurting the people who are close to them.

Some people have too many problems at home.  It may be a bad relationship with a partner or child.  This can cause a person to lose sight of what they are doing, making them think they can’t manage one more thing in their lives – these people need to take time out for themselves and relax – even if it is just going for a short walk  to get away from things.  An example is:

I have a dear, dear father living with us.  He is 86 and I have learned so many things from him in the years he has been with us.  But he has been diagnosed with scoleosis and cannot walk or stand for long periods of time.  This makes it hard for him to do even little things – without going into all the details – I just want to say this can be an added stress to daily life  and when you have so many more things on your plate, well, let’s just say it can become very stressful.  The hours in the day are gone before you know it because you have spent your day changing DVD’s, getting lunch, giving medications, etc.  Believe me when I tell you this can be very stressful.  Not that I would change things and send him to a nursing home, but I have learned to handle this stress and so can you.

It is very normal for people to have some form of stress.  It is something that we all have had to deal with and we eventually get through it.  However, there are some that cannot work past it and this can lead to more problems that may become very serious for them later down the road.  This will include a person’s emotional and physical health.

When a person has too much stress, they must find help from a source that they can trust.  This can be a professional, a spouse (if they are not the cause of the stress), or a very dear friend.  It is important to get things under control as soon as possible so that the person will have a chance for a happy and healthy lifestyle.  There are ways to control stress and to get away from those stress-related problems.  But the first thing that must be done is to recognize when you are under too much stress and then get help immediately.

I hope this has given you some insight into how challenging stress can be and if you or someone you know has a problem, maybe it will allow you to understand how important it is to manage it as soon as possible.  It usually does not just go away by itself and I really believe that there is no cure for stress, only a way of managing it.

If you have any other ideas or just want to share please comment below.  I look forward to all comments.  If you haven’t already would you please join my google friend connect so we may all stay in touch.  I will be back with Part II soon.