Stress On The Job - How To Cope

Face it. Even if you are stressed beyond your limits in the
office, you can't do anything about it. After all, what job
does not involve any stress? The secret is to make sure that
you can manage on the side the job of managing your stress!

Managing your stress however can be really tricky if you are
inside the office. The work environment limits the ways that
you can manage your stress. For instance, if watching TV or
movies relieves your stress, you cannot very well do that
inside the office. Neither can you play badminton or sing
with a karaoke. The most that you can do is to play some
quick computer game, hoping that somehow it can relax you.
For some people, this is enough; but for others, it is not.

But there are ways to relieve the stress while sitting on
your office chair. Often, the trick is to not wait for the
stress levels to go up. As they say in medicine, an ounce of
prevention is more than a pound of cure. Don't wait to get
stressed, avoid it like the plague! Here's how.

1. Eat healthy. People who are basically healthy will have
more energy levels on which to work on. They are more able
to withstand late nights and are more able to keep up with
long brain activities as compared to people who are not. To
do this, you've got to eat healthy foods especially those
that are rich in vitamins, minerals and proteins. Besides,
having all the energy that you need will help you cope
better with stress when it happens.

2. Sleep. Sleeping provides the body the rest that it needs.
Brain activity and bodily functions slow down when people
are sleeping. Muscles also relax. When the body lacks sleep,
energy levels go down and the brain becomes disoriented.
This results in poorer concentration, which in the long run
can become detrimental to your job functions. Thus, one way
to avoid stress altogether is get the requisite 8 hours or
more sleep. It will do you good.

3. Exercise. Another way to combat stress and to prevent it
from happening altogether is to have a daily run or an
exercise routine. Experts say that a person must work out 30
minutes each day to successfully keep the body in shape and
healthy. Exercise strengthens our resistance and
surprisingly increases the energy levels. It helps keep the
stressors at bay as it relaxes the muscles and keeps the air
flowing freely through breathing techniques.

4. Manage time. Nothing can make you more stressful than not
managing your time well. Just ask people who are used to
cramming for exams or for work assignments. Planning your
time right and doing what you are supposed to do on time
will help keep the stressors away. Besides, by doing your
assignments and work load piece by piece allows you to relax
while doing it and gives you enough time to really work on
it should the boss decides to have it real early.

5. Smile. Being happy and optimistic is the number one stress
buster there is. Do you know that smiling can help keep the
muscles in the face relaxed? It actually uses less muscles
than when you are frowning. So laugh on the job and keep it
cool.

The Physical Symptoms Of Anxiety

The physical symptoms of an anxiety attack are immediately
recognizable to anyone who has experienced this in the past.
Among other symptoms, the person may experience difficulty
breathing, sweating, chest pain, numbness in the
extremities, and uncontrollable shaking. Any combination of
these symptoms, or even experiencing other unusual symptoms,
can accompany an anxiety attack.

Physical symptoms of an anxiety attack can mimic those of a
heart attack or even nervous breakdown. Many people wind up
in the emergency room of a hospital as a result. Although
this step is not really necessary for the panic attack,
people may still benefit from professional care. People who
suffer from severe anxiety may need other alternatives in
dealing with the anxiety.

Researchers believe that the full-blown physical symptoms of
an anxiety attack are linked to the survival 'fight or
flight' response that is an instinctive survival reaction in
most creatures, including humans. In humans, when the brain
perceives a dangerous situation, it releases stress
hormones, primarily cortisol and adrenaline. Physical
manifestations include an energy rush, increased sensitivity
to surroundings and marked aggressiveness. These changes
allow the body to react quickly to a situation and repair
itself quicker if it is injured in some way. However during
an anxiety attack, these manifestations occur for no
apparent reason and the body often absorb or defuse this
change in it's homeostasis. Hence the physical symptoms of
an anxiety attack, as described before.

Recent research suggests that recurring panic attacks are
related to an increased incidence of future stroke or heart
attack. Those who experience a single instance of the
physical symptoms of an anxiety attack without a prior
record of anxiety disorder are not necessarily prone to
cardiovascular issues or any long-term issues. But further
study is needed to determine if repeated panic attacks
actually cause heart problems or are only related to them in
some way.

Doctors speculate that medications commonly prescribed for
anxiety disorder can put the patient at risk of a
cardiovascular event. No matter what, physical symptoms of
anxiety attacks are an indication that something is not
right, and the underlying problem needs to get taken care
of.

Anxiety attacks can be difficult to deal with. Although any
physical symptoms of an anxiety attack may be treated from a
medical standpoint, people still need to address the
underlying cause of the anxiety attack. There are various
therapies available to help people discover and deal with
the stress that is causing the attacks. One effective
therapy that can help a person control their reactions to
stress through sheer willpower is cognitive behavioral
therapy.

Deep breathing, advanced relaxation techniques,
aromatherapy, acupuncture, or massage therapy can help
people address the physical symptoms of an anxiety attack.
Regardless of what others may tell you, it is not easy to
relieve an anxiety attack by simply talking yourself out of
it. Anxiety should be treated as the medical condition that
it is. With proper treatment, people can alleviate the
effects of anxiety.