Stress
A response of the sympathetic nervous system which arises when there is an unacceptable disparity between your expectations/needs and what you actually experience. Stress activates the sympathetic leg of the nervous system and the release of stress hormones that amp-up production of adrenaline and divert blood flow to the large muscles. The body needs this power because it “thinks” it has to run away from or fight something. This is the so-called “fight or flight” response. When you are in this response mode, blood flows more to the heart and large muscles and correspondingly less to the digestive system and other vital organs that are not immediately necessary for a fight or flight. The immediate effects are dry mouth, motor agitation, sweating, heart palpitations, increased blood pressure, enlarged pupils, sleeplessness, and mental anxiety.
There is such a thing as good stress – the challenges posed in our lives have the potential to enhance our physical and mental functioning. However, if stress is chronic and excessive it eventually causes harm. Chronic stress can cause anger or rage, fear or terror, fragmented or distorted thinking, impatience, emotional lability (erratic emotional states), memory loss, anxiety, and depression. It is closely associated with hypertension, heart disease, stroke, arthritis, gastro-intestinal disorders and other health problems. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, two-thirds of office visits to family doctors are for stress-related symptoms.