What is stress? Meriam-webster dictionary defines stress as a physical,  chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension and may be a factor in disease causation. Meaning, stress is anything that causes physical or mental tension that may also be the cause of diseases.

Stress in itself isn’t really harmful. Stress has physical and emotional effects that can create positive or negative emotions. On the positive level, stress can help compel us to action. Everyone needs challenges in life and things that motivate them to do something better. However, too much of stress can become harmful. It can result in feelings of distrust, rejection, anger, and depression, which may cause certain health problems like headaches, upset stomach , rashes, insomnia, ulcers, etc. At times, it can even lead to depression, high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke, which are more serious physical conditions.

Stressful experiences are usually those when someone close or important passes away , heartbreaks , separation, family problems, work problems, financial problems, and so forth and so on. Long-term illnesses and diseases may also be causes of stress. Preparation for events such as weddings and parties, work deadlines, moving house also cause stress. 

So how can one determine his/her stress condition? There’s a little stress test which I took myself to determine my condition of stress. You can take this test from Stress Test to determine your own condition of stress.

Stress Management , on the other hand, teaches us the following tips that may help us to manage our stress better:

1. Become aware of your stressors and your emotional and physical reactions – Determine what events distress you, and how your body responds to stress.

2. Recognize what you can change – change your stressors by avoiding or eliminating them completely, reduce their intensity (manage them over a period of time instead of on a daily or weekly basis), shorten your exposure to stress (take a break, leave the physical premises), devote the time and energy necessary to making a change (goal setting, time management techniques, and delayed gratification strategies may be helpful here)

3. Reduce the intensity of your emotional reactions to stress – the stress reaction is triggered by your perception of danger…physical danger and/or emotional danger. Work at adopting more moderate views; try to see the stress as something you can cope with rather than something that overpowers you.

4. Learn to moderate your physical reactions to stress – Slow, deep breathing will bring your heart rate and respiration back to normal, relaxation techniques can reduce muscle tension, medications, when prescribed by a physician, can help in the short term in moderating your physical reactions. Learning to moderate these reactions on your own is a preferable long-term solution.

5. Build your physical reserves – Exercise, eat well-balanced, nutritious meals and maintain your ideal weight. Avoid nicotine, excessive caffeine, and other stimulants. Mix leisure with work. Take breaks and get away when you can. Get enough sleep and be as consistent with your sleep schedule as possible.

6. Maintain your emotional reserves – Develop some mutually supportive friendships/relationships. Expect some frustrations, failures, and sorrows. Always be kind and gentle with yourself — be a friend to yourself.

We all go through stress at a certain point in our lives. This is the reason why we all need to learn how to cope with stress. With proper stress management, we learn to balance various aspects in our life, our work, our relationships and our day-to-day activities. If we are all able to effectively manage our stress, life would probably be more of a challenge rather than a series of irritation, health problems, and misery. There’s nothing better than having control of our own lives, even in the face of setbacks!

Our life is like a rollercoaster. So many things happen every moment of our lives. Things and events that keep our minds busy all day long. Sometimes they’re good, sometimes they’re bad. Sometimes they make us happy and other times they are things that make us upset. Little do we realize that we rarely get the chance to stop and think about the people who are always there for us throughout all these events… people who truly care for us. People who seem to become invisible to us… to become just a part of everything around us, and almost always would walk in and out of our daily lives unnoticed.

Today, I am taking this opportunity to thank these special people who truly care about us, about how we are, how we’re doing, how things are coming along in our lives. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to them who are always around, near or far, even when we don’t notice, they are always there for us. This thread is just for you. I would like you all to know that even when we are busy with all the activities each day of our lives, we never forget all that you do for us. We are truly grateful and we want you to know that we truly care for you, too. We wish for the best for all of you… and pray for you everyday of our lives!

 Gayle & David Sr.

Thank You for always listening, always hearing my prayers…

Thank You for always giving me the answers…

Thank You for always being around!

Thank You for being in our lives!

 Prayer to the Holy Spirit

“You who made me see everything and showed me the way to reach my ideals. You who gave me the divine gift to forgive and forget the wrong that is done to me, and You who are in all instances of my life with me, I thank You for everything and confirm once more that I never want to be separated from You, no matter how great the material desires may be. I want to be with You and my loved ones in Your perpetual glory. Thank You for Your love towards me and my loved ones. Amen.”