Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary defines Stress as a physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension and may be a factor in disease causation; a state of bodily or mental tension resulting from factors that tend to alter an existent equilibrium. Stress is something that everyone experiences at some time or another. Be it on the job, sitting in traffic, or just having an argument with one’s significant other, some stress is unavoidable. However, if stress is allowed to affect your life on an ongoing basis, it can become a chronic condition that can lead to many health problems - even death.

The long-term effects of chronic stress can be physical, behavioral and even psychological. Physical symptoms experienced when encountering too much stress are hair falling out, headaches, upset stomach, tension in the neck, back or other body parts. For example, let’s say you work on a job that is constantly understaffed. There are always unreasonable deadlines. Your boss constantly threatens you with these deadlines and tells you that if the work is not completed by such and such a date, they will have to let you go. You have a car payment, house payment and 2.5 kids. What will you do if you lose your job? You replay that over and over again in your head. You get a headache. Your neck tightens. Shortly after, your stomach begins to ache. Does this sound familiar?

I once worked in a department where I was lied on and talked about. Everyone was afraid to confront the person spreading the discord within the department. It was a highly stressful situation. I was bringing my anxiety home with me and dreading coming to work the next day. I finally decided that enough was enough and I was going to look for another job. This stress was not worth it. Rather than have it control me. I was taking control of the situation and removing myself from it. Well, thank God that during my process of searching for another job, the sower of discord was let go from the company.

Some behavorial symptoms of stress are an increase in irritability, a decrease in work productivity and even impulsive behavior (Can someone say Shopping as a form of therapy?)

Psychological symptoms of stress can be depression and anxiety. For example, let’s revisit the understaffed job that always has you on unreasonable time constraints. You feel undervalued and begin to feel, "What’s the point?" Depression sets in. You don’t even feel like going to work anymore. Maybe you should run away? All sorts of thoughts flood your mind.

While the example in this writing may appear extreme, there are many people experiencing this sort of constant stress every day. I don’t have the time or space to list other avenues of where stress can potentially generate (ex: Sexual harassment on a job, teen on drugs). However, stress should never be taken for granted. To reiterate, while some stress is normal, chronic, unresolved stress can be a serious health problem that can lead to conditions that can even cause death. Prolonged exposure to stress can result in high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke.

There are various methods of dealing with stress. You can ignore it (this is not really dealing with it all). You can enroll in a stress management program. You can purchase stress relief products to help promote relaxation (visit http://stressreliefbyrv.com for some very effective stress relief items). You can choose to cast all of your cares on God because He cares for you 1 Peter 5:7. KJV

Rather you choose one or all of the above, do whatever you need to do to relieve the stress in your life. Don’t ignore it. Handle it. Manage it. Eliminate the source of it.

Care for You because there’s Only One You!