My jaw hurts. Big deal, right? It starts with a looming deadline or a squabble with my spouse, but tension becomes clenching and then pain. Soon I can't eat crunchy sandwiches, my blood sugar drops and a headache is inevitable. I might cancel plans to exercise or see a friend, so my mood is going south at record speed. A good night's sleep is impossible. I'll toss and turn instead and clench some more, then start it all over again tomorrow.
Stress IS a big deal. Even the littlest seed of stress can quickly snowball to make you sick. Not anxious or irritable or depressed (though it can certainly do that too). I mean physically ill in the whole body-from dead stem cells causing prematurely gray hairs on your head down to reduced blood flow in your toes (seriously, "foot tingling" is common before and after a panic attack). If you need a reason to take a walk or a meditation break, here's a reminder of how stress manifests itself in every part of your body.
Your Brain
"I think, therefore I stress." Of course, stress starts out in the brain. Let's start out by defining the term: "Stress is a state of worry caused by an external trigger," says Krystal Lewis, a clinical psychologist at the National Institute of Mental Health. Stress can be short term and acute (like speeding out the door to get to work on time) or long term and chronic (like a busy career, full stop).
Ideally, your stress is acute and you bounce back immediately. In reality, like three-quarters of Americans who report that stress has negatively affected their lives, at least some of your stress is likely chronic.
Denne historien er fra February 2024-utgaven av Reader's Digest US.
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Denne historien er fra February 2024-utgaven av Reader's Digest US.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Do You Kiss Your Dog? - Find out how gross your questionable habits really are, according to health experts
I admit it, when it comes to food, I have some eeew-inducing practices, like skimming mold off old cheddar and feeding the rest to my unsuspecting family. We're still alive, so how bad can it be? Because our gross human habits fall somewhere along the spectrum from mildly cringeworthy to full-on repulsive, I reached out to experts to find out where some common behaviors land on the gross-o-meter.
What's Ailing Our Doctors? - Today's physicians are burned out and battered by spreadsheets. We patients suffer too.
Today’s physicians are burned out and battered by spreadsheets. We patients suffer too. America's doctors are in crisis. Six in 10 physicians say they're burned out, with burnout rates for some specialties, such as primary care, reaching 70%. When polled by the American Medical Association, 40% of doctors said they were considering leaving their practices in the next two years. Another study, conducted by health-care industry publisher Elsevier, revealed concerns about mental health and burnout: 63% of med students in the United States reported that they had no intention of practicing clinical medicine after graduation and will instead work as lab researchers or academics. This is despite a predicted shortage of 124,000 physicians over the next 10 years.
Now Hear This
Losing your hearing suddenly, even if there is no pain, is always urgent
Go for the Gumbo
The soulful stew synonymous with Louisiana is delicious anywhere you eat it
BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE
Pinned by a giant boulder, a hiker had two choices: panic or gut it out. He did both.
Fathers of the Bride
A young woman finds a unique way to honor the many men who helped her survive her childhood
MY SMART PET
These clever critters are some smart C-O-O-K-I-E-S
How Hobbies Help Us
Far from a waste of time, pastimes are good for body, brain and spirit
1+1 = MORE (or LESS)
A math whiz encourages you to play with your numbers
That Kind of Time
A dressing-room encounter made me get real about aging