Peace in the battle field of the mind

You are having a long day, too much work, something is going wrong or going the opposite way of how it was planned, and then something triggers it and you all of the sudden feel uncomfortable, out of air, like the world is revolving the wrong way… you are feeling stressed. With the modern life this could be understandable as it is full of hassles, deadlines, frustrations, and demands. In fact for many people, stress is such a commonplace that it has become a way of life.

Nobody wants to feel stressed, because even if it’s manageable it bothers you enough to badly want to get rid of it. But did you know stress isn’t always bad. In small doses, it can help you perform under pressure and motivate you to do your best.

Stress is a normal physical response to events that make you feel threatened or upset your balance in some way. When you sense danger, whether it’s real or imagined, the body’s defenses kick into high gear in a rapid called the stress response.

The stress response is the body’s way of protecting you. When working properly, it helps you stay focused, energetic, and alert. In emergency situations, stress can save your life: either giving you extra strength to defend yourself, or urging to run from something or stop something that might change your life for good.

The stress response also helps you rise to meet challenges. Stress is what keeps you on your toes during a presentation at work, sharpens your concentration when you are right at the spot of doing the most significant game-winning free throw of your carrier, or drives you to study for an exam when you’d rather be watching TV.

But when you’re constantly running in emergency mode, your mind and body might end up paying the price. Beyond a certain point, stress stops being helpful and starts causing major damage to your health, your mood, your output, your relationships, and your quality of life. It becomes dangerous when it interferes with your ability to live a normal life over an extended period. You may feel tired, unable to concentrate or irritable. Stress can also damage your physical health. Stress is not something that just grips us and, with time or effort, then lets us go. It changes us in the process. It alters our bodies and our brains.

The brain plays a critical role in the body’s perception of and response to stress. However, pinpointing exactly which regions of the brain are responsible for particular aspects of a stress response is difficult and often unclear. Understanding that the brain works in more of a network-like fashion” carrying information about a stressful situation across regions of the brain, can help explain how stress and its negative consequences are heavily rooted in neural communication dysfunction.

For the sake of your physical and mental health it’s important to learn how to recognize when your stress levels are out of control. The most dangerous thing about stress is how easily it can creep up on you. You get used to it. It starts to feel familiar or even normal. You don’t notice how much it’s affecting you, even as it takes a heavy toll.

The signs and symptoms of stress overload can be almost anything. Although everyone experiences stress differently you should identify the affects that daily occur and alter your mind, your body, and your behavior in many ways. You can protect yourself by taking steps to reduce its harmful effects. Like a long relaxing vacation.