Stress Impacts Your Health

Health Impacts of Stress

Stress is a funny concept, try to define it - go on... I bet if all of you sent me your personal definition of what you perceive as stress, it would fill pages and you would all find that different things stress each of you differently.

For example, some of you might find driving stressful, some of you enjoy driving. However, this does not mean that driving is not stressful, at least for some of you. So what is Stress?

Stress is any situation or circumstance, which if ongoing over an extended period of time will cause your body's physiology to change.

Basically there are two forms of stress "good stress" and "bad stress" - an example of good stress is sensible exercise, which is a stress on you body's physiology which will improve your overall health.

Bad stress on the other hand is an activity that will do the reverse - for example: worrying about money, or rather the lack of it... That can keep you awake at night, create anger, resentment and usually negatively impacts your relationships with your family and friends. It can also be working a job you hate, but for reasons, known only to yourself, you can not leave the job and feel you have to put up with it.

As a student of traditional Chinese medicine, during my course on Differential diagnosis, stress was listed as a cause for just about every disease known to man; and this right across the spectrum of medicine (orthodox and traditional forms). Think about this for a second - stress has the potential to cause, or contribute to causing almost every disease known to medical science.... That's amazing!

There are lots of books and other information on how to help recognize and manage stress in your life, and I won't go into a lengthy how to manage and recognize stress session here.

This article focuses on how stress will show up and affect your skin - especially your facial skin.

Someone once said that your parents are responsible for how you look until your 30 - after that it's your responsibility... So are you smiling or frowning more often during the day...? Both produce different lines on your face - don't believe me - look in the mirror and smile, then frown - see. Which do you like better ?

Frowning causes your neck and facial muscles to tense up and this in turn reduces blood flow to the skin, which is in part responsible for causing facial lines and wrinkles prematurely.

Did you know that smiling requires a lot less effort and energy than frowning? And that it's better for you? Did you know that smiling can actually make you feel happier?

Scientists and psychologists have found that the muscles around our mouth and jaw that allow you to smile actually stimulate a specific part of our brain which is linked to our emotions. When these brain cells are stimulated, they make us feel happy. So, even if you feel sad, irritated, angry or frustrated, just by smiling, it will make you feel better. Aside from this physical benefit of smiling, a smile to others often makes them feel happier.

Picture this. If someone greets you every morning with a sullen and sulky face, it does not help you to feel any better, in fact, it will also dampen your mood. If you are met, however, with a cheerful smile and a friendly greeting, you easily catch the happy mood and you start the day with enthusiasm. This simple yet very effective technique of bonding and motivating others is an underestimated and undressed skill.

Wouldn't it be great if we could train ourselves to smile instead of frown? To have a 'permanent smile' on our faces? We'd end up with happy lines on our faces and lots of other faces smiling back at us - good idea?

Here's a very simple way that you can start changing the lines on your face and reduce the effect of stress on you body without buying anything, reading any books or spend any money.

One way you can have this 'training' start right now is by asking someone you live with or a trusted friend to make an agreement with you - each of you agrees that when the other one is seen to be frowning, they get charged a frowning fee - say $0.50 and this is put into a jar. At the end of a month, you both get to go out and do something which will bring you joy or make you happy. That's got to be worth trying, No?

Danny Siegenthaler is a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine and together with his wife Susan, a medical herbalist and Aromatherapist, they have created Natural Skin Care Products by Wildcrafted Herbal Products to share their 40 years of combined expertise with you.

Join our Natural Skin Care Newsletter ? it's fun, free and Informative and you receive a free eBook on natural skin care.

© Copyright: Wildcrafted Herbal Products, 2005

---

How To Eliminate Or Manage Stress

Are you a "worry wart?" Is that term familiar to... Read More

Stress Management: Holding On Vs. Dropping It

One of the dumbest things I have ever done is... Read More

Self-Healing Basics

* The material presented in this article is provided for... Read More

The Work of Byron Katie - Freedom From Stress is Only 4 Questions Away

All stress comes from believing a thought that argues with... Read More

The Physiology of Stress

In the body, the stress response is mediated by the... Read More

Stress and Time Management

STRESS & TIME MANAGEMENT: Stress is either the source or... Read More

Stressed? Relax Right Now with 5 Super-Simple Stress-Busters

Stressed? Relax Right Now with 5 Super-Simple Stress-BustersStressed-out? Don't know... Read More

Stress Management: How to Avoid the Ruts and Holes of Life

Have you ever noticed how we keep falling into the... Read More

The Scoop on Stress and Exercise

Stress is defined as a response by your body to... Read More

Stress & Self Esteem: Raising One by Lowering the Other

In our article about Exercise & Stress, we looked at... Read More

Entertaining Without Stress

Let's face it. If you are stressed, agitated and flitting... Read More

Overwhelm: Love It or Leave It!

Amazing thing, overwhelm!You don't usually see it coming. It just... Read More

Anger Management: Is It Finally Time To Forgive?

In order to free ourselves from the pain of anger... Read More

Stress And How To Avoid It

Everyone knows that stress isn't good - that it can... Read More

HELP! Im Working with a Baby!!

Did you know that more than half of our adult... Read More

5 Easy Ways to Pamper Yourself

Life is so busy and as mothers we spend so... Read More

Stress Management and Mastery: How to Learn from Mistakes

Q. I've been told that I need to learn from... Read More

10 Ways to Benchmark Workplace Stress

With almost 50% of workers complaining that their jobs are... Read More

Dont Let Technology Psych You Out!

We've all experienced it-computerized technology that doesn't function properly. PCs... Read More

How to Recognize Stress Before it Turns Into Anger

After a stressful day as a computer programmer, Jim pulled... Read More

The Case Of The Missing Vacation

This is the time for daydreaming about your annual vacation.... Read More

How To Put An End To Loneliness

Loneliness and separation are the real illness of our times.... Read More

Control Stress or It Will Control Your Business

When we think about stress in the workplace, we usually... Read More

From Problems to Possibilities-Get Out of Your Old Story to Get On With the New!

I love a good story and I know I'm not... Read More

The Top Seven Causes Of Workplace Stress And Fifteen Ways To Get Rid Of Them

Anyone who has ever worked knows that stress is part... Read More

5 Top Tips To Boost Your Spirits

1. Take a relaxing bath. Add music, candles and a... Read More

7 Tips to Relieve Stress At Work

Do you feel stress at work? Do you carry your... Read More

Haris Stress Inventory

Conceptualizing stress: Stress often has a negative connotation. Failure, illnesses,... Read More

Stress Symptoms

Stress relief and managementRecognizing stress symptoms can be a positive... Read More

Dealing With Stress in Our Overworked Lives

As small business owners, we often take on more than... Read More

It is Looking Up for Stress Relief

No this is not related to praying, this is how... Read More

Moving Through Breakdowns with Transformation

Success in recovery, or rather, staying in recovery, is dependent... Read More

Stress - A Modern Cause of Disease

Every day we are faced with a situation where our... Read More