Health for Body Mind and Soul

Stress is identified as any or everything that challenges or threatens our well-being (href=”http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/145855.php”>Medical News Today). Our response to stress may give rise to emotional or physical symptoms such as nervous tension, anxiety, mental disorders, hypertension and heart disease in addition to increasing our risks for other life-threatening diseases.




Did you know that two out of three of all office visits to a health care provider are stress related, and that one third of all patients’ primary cause of illness is identified as stress (American Academy of Family Physicians)? Factors that determine the physical and emotional impact of stress on an individual are both internal and external. One’s physical surroundings, poor interpersonal relationships, employment, dysfunctional family life, finances, unmet goals, challenges, and adverse situations are some of the external factors that can contribute to negative stress which can seriously impact your health (MedicineNet.com).

One’s nutritional status, levels of physical and mental health, spiritual well-being, together with adequate rest and sleep are some of the internal factors that determine how your body responds to stress.

Work-related stress and financial-related stress are among the many stressors that can affect your health. These kinds of stressors can double an individual’s risk of dying from heart disease and can lead to potentially fatal events and increased frequencies of colds and other infections.

Stress-related illnesses account for 15% of all occupation illnesses. Approximately $23 billion is spent on these illnesses each year in the United States. This sum can be reduced by providing employees with mental health counseling which has been shown to reduce the usage of medical insurance by 31%.

Tips for Dealing with Stress

Finding effective means of dealing with stress is vital to ones health. Remedies for dealing with stress may be as simple as choosing to develop an optimistic attitude – finding humor in situations, enjoying the beauty of nature, and being thankful. Other health promoting behaviors include getting seven to eight hours of sleep each night (Wilson, 2001), drinking five to eight glasses of water daily (Chan et al., 2002), getting 30 minutes of moderate physical activity daily (Marrett, Theis, & Fredrick, 2000), eating a nutritious diet which include lots of fruits and vegetables, low sugars, low fats and salt, avoiding alcohol (Standridge, Zylstra & Adams, 2004), caffeine (Nawrot et al., 2003, James, 2004), and tobacco products (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute [NHLBI, 2006]), and getting 20 minutes of direct exposure to sunlight daily (Arnott, 2004). These are simple choices that can improve your health, maintain your health and reduce your risks for stress-related diseases.