Be Happy – Avoid Stress Creating Circumstances

Feelings of stress are caused by the body's instinct to defend it. This instinct is good in emergencies, such as getting out of the way of a speeding car. But stress can cause physical symptoms if it goes on for too long, such as in response to life's daily challenges and changes.

When this happens, it's as though your body gets ready to jump out of the way of the car, but you're sitting still. Your body is working overtime, with no place to put all the extra energy. This can make you feel anxious, afraid, worried and uptight. Continuation of the like circumstances can create a number of affects on your health. Avoid them to the best of your endeavor.

• Workplace stresses can double the rate of death from heart disease, according to a 2002 study of 812 healthy employees. High demands, low control, low job security and few career opportunities contributed to the overall stress measured in the study.
• One study found that workers who had little control over their jobs were up to 50 percent more likely to die during a period of five to 10 years than workers who had high-stress jobs but more decision-making responsibilities.
• Office workers who are exposed to low-level office noises, including quiet conversations, have higher levels of the stress hormone epinephrine than those working in silent offices.
• Clerical workers show more signs of biological stress during the workday than those in executive or more senior positions, according to a British study.
• Stress can thwart the heart-healthy aspects of a physically active job, according to a study of utility workers. Thicker arteries (a sign of atherosclerosis) were found among physically active but stressed workers. Those who were physically active but not stressed had thinner arteries.
• Low-income workers who work long hours say that family nutrition is one of the first things sacrificed to the demands of their job. The workers say that they skip meals, eat on the run, eat too much junk food and have trouble preparing healthy meals for their children.
• Work-related stress (including job insecurity) and fatigue may increase the risk of cold, flu and stomach inflammation. In one study, employees in demanding jobs developed colds 20 percent more often than those in less demanding positions.
• Men, who work in physically violent or dangerous occupations, as well as those who work in female-dominated professions, may commit more domestic violence than men in managerial positions.
• Social support seems to help New York City traffic enforcement agents keep their blood pressure down: Female agents get the most benefit from supportive supervisors, while men tend to rely on co-worker support.
• In some cases, work stress can be beneficial to health: A 2001 study found that the immune system got a boost when faced with the active stress of meeting a work deadline, while the passive stress of watching violent scenes on TV can weaken immunity.