Killer Stress - We are shortening our own lives

First and foremost I am a psychology major so I know this to be a fact that stress is the biggest issue we are dealing with today. My mom; a teacher and also psychology major; believes the next generation may have shortened life due to stress. Cancer and heart diesease are the biggest killers but what causes it is related to stress. I am not just saying this but I have research to back this up.
KillerStress

The stress response: in the beginning it saved our lives, making us run from predators and enabling us to take down prey. Today, human beings are turning on the same life-saving physical reaction to cope with 30-year mortgages, $4 a gallon gasoline, final exams, difficult bosses and even traffic jams — we can't seem to turn it off. So, we're constantly marinating in corrosive hormones triggered by the stress response

Stress is a killer

Stress can kill. Stress can make you sick. It has been found that psychological stress can cause sudden death by increasing the chances that abnormal heart rhythms occur. Stress can cause effects on nearly all of the major system in our bodies, creating a huge list of health problems. Among them are diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, allergies, and asthma.

As you can see by the above articles stress can cause all sorts of problems. It can also cause severe circumstancal depression leading to suicide. As a volunteer crisis counselor from 2007-2010; the biggest issue that caused people the most anxiety/pain was stress whether it be stress from a job or from other life situations. Post tramuatic stress disorder comes from severe tramua that is mostly pyshical but can be mental too. This disorder can lead to sucide or increased heart rate that can lead to heart problems.
Our society has mainfested stress in such a way that much of our society is either psychially sick or mentally sick. Some disorders such as fibromyalgia is believed to be manifested by stress itself. A person might wander what thes solution is. We need to simplfiy our society and gear it towars our human needs. In school we all learned of a little pryamid called Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs; if you don't remember here is a link to jog your memory:
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
If everyone is able to reach the top of the pyramid and live a self actualized life then we would see less stress and maybe less early death.
Any thoughts? Experiences with stress?
By the way is there a psychology forum on ATS?

Also most stress is caused by something external such as job, lack of money, lack of a job or homelessness etc. Wouldn't be in everyones general interest to make sure the first level of basic needs is meet so they can live an ok life? In an enlightened society everyone would have equal oppurtunity to reach self actualization.
Since stress is a huge problem why do people continue to want to work 40-60 hours per week and struggle just to make it. It is always the extremes that cause stress so why not try to live a life more in balance. This simple concept has changed my life and can change society as a whole.

A lot of thoughts about stress . The professionals that have a say in corporations really do not deal with the where it all started . More so the end result of having to piece a person back together . That is where the problems are , the root cause .

We know the effect of it , there are so many articles/studies on it . The lack of even believing that TPTB on their part no matter what the business could be causing the stress can cause stress in itself . Deny , deny , deny , placing blame on the worker . No different than a kangaroo court actually , when a worker goes on a stress leave . The co. has something to have in a persons file , whether they use the particular stress related illness against a worker or not depends on the co. as a whole .

It is easier to get rid of the worker than fix the root cause . No matter how valuable the worker is , the water cooler gossip mongers really do not make the situation easier for the returning worker . A role reversal of the worker doing what was done to them could bring light to it but realistically , not going to ever be considered . Thus depending on the reaction that may have taken place by the person under the stress in a work environment anger management may be required in certain cases .

reply to post by watchdog8110


You bring up an excellent point.Stress can be used as a weapon of sorts to keep people sick. Have you noticed how we have all these medical advances yet still a lot of sick people?
I have an antibody/immune disorder;stress aggrevates it 100%. (as well as contagious viruses). My employers almosy always worked me more hours than needed. I was given odd shifts; even spilt shifts. I told them in the begginning that I needed shorter hours and to make sure I get the needed breaks. I was one of the few who was often forgotten when it came to breaks. Everyone else got at least one break while I did not get mine until the end of the day and then they claimed it was pointless since I was going home in an hour.
I have been fired 5 times due to illness. Stress further weakens the immune system. Recently I have been in the process of moving and very stressed it seems I keep getting sick 2 times a week now.
I am going to try ways of reducing my stress level maybe that is a way to beat TPTB.

I know that stress aggravates, if not causes, mental illnesses.

I could expound more on my previous post, but I would have to disclose personal things that I don't want to right now. In my previous username incarnation, I disclosed too much. I'm impulsive that way. There are lots of insensitive immature people who come to this chatforum site. Speaking of negative stress.
Negative stress is indeed, a killer. This world has got to change, and it can't wait. any longer.

When a person has been observed under stress , returns to work . Fellow employees have grouped together to remove that person by mobbing tactics . Culling the herd .

Whether to gain favor with the employer to increase their opportunity for advancement or for some perverse enjoyment . The root cause may at a later date do the same to them . That is where the original person that was under the stress can take comfort of sorts that the same happened to them . Use it as a stepping stone to the healing process .

When a person can recognize / smell a set up in the process it may give a better chance of defending against it . Isolation from the group is a sign of stress also , but when your defense mechanisms are damaged . To me that is when your natural instinct kicks in for the healing process to begin .

reply to post by watchdog8110

When stuff like that happened to me at a job (I was an Aspe and didn't know it) I merely walked off the job. Just dropped what I was doing, went to my car, and rolled away. Done. Kept me in extreme straits though. And the more you do that, the harder it is to get a new job. And now, they have credit checks. This might be a good thing. I don't know what woulda become of me if all those employers didn't hire me, but it might have been a good turn in the road so-2-speak. For me and them.

reply to post by Saucerwench


Thank you for sharing your experience. You did what was best for you which is good. I have walked away from jobs myself and felt freer; less stressed. Now that I do freelance and part time jobs while I still get stressed I am not sick every single day of my life.

Depending on the company and a worker returning from a stress related illness . The person who is at the root cause of the stress should NEVER be the one that is to counsel the returning worker on their absence . As is the case with some municipal government / corporations . Biased , confrontational perhaps , and can result in the person who caused it a higher sense of power over that particular individual .

It can be noted that the stressor may provoke matters into a reaction , to justify their position ( no fault ) if they have been reported of causing it initially .

Proving that a worker is work place abused from illness leaves of employment is so very hard , it is candy coated . The worker is labeled as a rat and a trouble maker .

reply to post by watchdog8110

I used to be in these jobs where you had to remain there until your "relief" employee showed up. Many of them were 'devil-may-care' types, no good work ethic, they were not conscientous. Showed up when they d*mn well felt they were ready to. I would complain to higher ups, and the employee culture around me, would harrass me out of my job, instead of being a cr*p employee and covering for those. So many times for me, there was so much injustice. It was HORRIBLE.

Perhaps a person is singled out because they do show self confidence that others do not ? It may be taken as a threat by them that they are lacking . Whether it be on the job skills or something else . Their adapting to a situation that have been used to shuffling off to new workers to keep them in their current position . Possible .

Do we not tend to gravitate to more confident people while others see them as competition to get rid of ?

Scenario , a seasoned worker who is relied on when the times get tough . Their quality is of a high scale than some others , even though there is no real quality control to speak of . ( minimum acceptability ) The seasoned worker uses a higher pay grade of equipment . Unseasoned workers want to make the same as the seasoned worker does but is not that reliable in the bosses eyes .

The unseasoned workers continue to keep the minimal standards and less as part of their daily routine . They are still getting paid a higher rate at this job than they would at the same at a different company that does the same . The unseasoned workers have been seen doing the lesser quality work but do not get disciplined for the lack of performance but the seasoned worker does get disciplined when he or she happens to drop their performance . Since he or she sees that the rest can get away with it and still get the higher wage he or she gets tired of it and does the same as the unseasoned workers are doing .

A ring leader emerges to rally the unseasoned workers to rid the company of the seasoned worker so they all can move up the pay scale . Little do some realize is that they will still then have to deal with the ring leader later on in the same scenario . It becomes a perpetual scenario .

This has resulted from management placing divisions between the two different shifts .
Good business practice ? I think not .

Throw in nepotism in the workplace and the scenario changes for all concerned .

reply to post by dreamseeker


Nice post but I don't agree that "stress is the biggest issue we are dealing with today." I do agree that it's a killer, and would say stress and it's physiological effects make it difficult if not impossible for us to deal with the other major issues we face.

S&F

Originally posted by dreamseeker
I am going to try ways of reducing my stress level maybe that is a way to beat TPTB.

Living in the City pushed my stress levels through the roof and made me susceptible to many ailments. I don't think the stress caused the problems as such, but created conditions in which they could flourish,

Since moving to the country my health has vastly improved and I'd recommend it to anyone who is worried about themselves.

My severe back problems practically disappeared overnight and I got my strength back just from being in a peaceful environment with plenty of fresh air. I went from being unable to carry a few days' groceries home from the shop to going out into the forest and hauling great logs of wood home for the fire.

I go for long walks every day and just being out in the open and taking time to appreciate the natural surroundings is very therapeutic.

Fresh air and exercise really does work wonders