In today's economy the extra pressure to perform well in the modern workforce may very well put more stress in our lives. I can't help but remember recent loss of friends, and related field worker's in my job industry that seems untimely. So mainly for curiosity, I have done some research on this topic with sobering results. When people refer to “stress,” they may be talking about two different things; physical stress, or emotional stress. Most of the medical literature on stress and heart disease refers to physical stress. But most people are referring to the emotional variety when they talk about stress. Physical stress is generally good for you, and is to be encouraged, as long as you have a normal heart. On the other hand, with certain kinds of heart disease, too much, or the wrong kind of physical exertion may be harmful. Emotional stress, if it is severe or chronic enough, is bad for you. Most believe this kind of stress can cause heart disease. But scientific evidence that it actually does has been hard to come by. Emotional stress is frequently unexplainable because of the way it affects our bodies through our mental state. It influences our mentality so much that our physical state could really become unresponsive the minute it manifests itself. Some people could even resort to suicide when dealing with emotional stress. Emotional stress is dangerous because it is unpredictable in terms of bodily effects and symptoms.
Consider these facts; "twenty-five percent of employees view their jobs as the number one stressor in their lives." (Northwestern National Life); "seventy-five percent of employees believe the worker has more on-the-job stress than a generation ago (Princeton Survey Research Associates). Mood, sleep disturbances, upset stomach, headache, and disturbed relationships with family and friends are examples of stress-related problems, that are quick to develop and are commonly seen in these studies. These early signs of job stress are usually easy to recognize. But the effects of job stress on chronic diseases are more difficult to see because chronic diseases take a long time to develop and can be influenced by many factors other than stress. Nonetheless, current evidence strongly suggests that stress plays an important role in several types of chronic health problems-especially cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal disorders, and psychological disorders. Do we experience any of the following?
1. Increased heavy breathing
2. Increased blood pressure
3. Increased heart rate
4. Cold sweat over body
5. Loss of color (Pallor)
6. Muscle tension
7. Blood rush to the head
At least half of all of our total stress load comes from self-created internal stress. This stress is usually a product of our opinions, generated about things over which we have little or no control.
Truth be known, most of us hard working seniors would have to agree with this statement. We let stress enter our lives due to ever changing demands of surviving in our current jobs due to advancement of technology and simply trying to keep up.
So in my little research I have come to the conclusion that some work stress is good for us but be careful not to allow excess stress to continue because "death by stress is possible."
