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Constant exposure to stress is definitely bad for your heart.  Imagine the stress that accompanies a violent argument.   It not only gets your heart beating faster, it also quickly raises blood pressure, and in serious cases, may provoke chest pains in some individuals.  Can this be good for health?  Constant exposure to stress could also possibly spark off other health problems.

In today’s world, stress has become so widespread and prevalent.  In recent years, many businesses have started sprouting up all over the world emphasizing on stress reduction.  Many seminars and workshops dealing with various effective methods of relieving stress have surfaced.  There are even some relaxation tapes that have been produced.  Even with all these various methods of stress reduction, we seem to be constantly haunted by stress.

The Effects of Stress

Yet not even this familiarity can cushion the findings of research. The effects of stress are even more intense than imagined. Stress penetrates to the core of our being. Stress is definitely not merely superficial.  It grips us from the very core of our beings.  It is not something that will let you go with time or effort.  Stress changes us in the process.  It alters our bodies–and our brains.  It becomes inherent.

All of us face stress everyday of our lives.  By responding to this stress, be it physical, mental or emotional stress, with the same surge of biochemicals released during major threats, the body is slowly killing itself. In fact, stress is commonly termed as the ‘Silent Killer’.  This onslaught of biochemicals will, slowly but surely, chip away at the immune system.   When the immune system is lowered, this paves the way for cancer, infection, and other disease. Hormones unleashed by stress may weaken the heart, leading to strokes and heart disease.  Or they may eat at the digestive tract and lungs, promoting ulcers and asthma. Chronic stress is equivalent to being slowly poisoned.  It is a fact of modern life that almost everyone can be adversely affected by everything that can go wrong in the day and this allows stress, the devil with the horns, to start eating away at your body.

Several major studies have been able to prove that various types of chronic stress are linked to a greater risk of heart attacks or the development of heart disease in the first place.

How can stress cause heart disease?  Chronic stress can cause problems by elevating levels of adrenalin and adrenal steroid hormones.  Chronic stress can also lead to depression or disturbed sleep. Other possible consequences of stress include smoking more tobacco; self-medicating with illicit drugs or too much alcohol; overeating, which, along with decreased exercise, can lead to obesity; and failing to adhere to medical regimens.

The challenge here is that stress is a very personal matter. An administrative assistant could be under even more stress than the VP of a huge corporation.  A recent study revealed that people who experienced chronic high stress on the job had a significantly greater likelihood of suffering another heart attack than did those in less stressful jobs. This increased risk associated with stress persisted even after adjusting for such risk factors as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and cigarette smoking.

Certain major job factors may put higher levels of stress on the administrative assistant than on the VP.  Additional stressful features on the administrative assistant are an imbalance between work demands and rewards, few career opportunities and the fact that there may come a day when the job is no longer there.

Major life events such as divorce or the death of a family member, marital discord, child mixing with the wrong company and severe financial difficulties are other major causes of stress as well.  Conflict and fighting in the closest personal relationships have also been associated with an increased risk to stress levels.

Reduce the Stress in Your Life

Firstly, eliminate unnecessary stressors in your life.  Although this may seem simple, the action required may involve significant interventions for some.  Ways to reduce stress include, but are not limited to, exercise, meditation, breathing exercises, relaxation techniques, positive thinking, proper diet, sufficient rest and mixing with the right people.  If you need to develop a better social support network or get out of a destructive relationship, then make a decision to go for it if that will reduce your stress level.  Doing things the right way will help bring you stress relief.