How to Reduce Stress and Save time

Live fast, die young and leave a handsome corpse: it's mantra of the stress maniac. And it's also very true. Every minute that you think you save by hurrying can lead to one more minute taken off the end of your life. Every minute you relax might be one more to savor in the sunset years.

What is Stress? Stress is the result of an experience that causes upset, anger, frustration, or repulsion. It is anything that creates tension and uncertainty, such as worrying about what else you need to do right now, or what your work colleagues will think if you don't get the promotion, or everything that you didn't do today that you need to do tomorrow. Everyone has pressure in their life that makes them feel stressed out, ranging from screaming bosses and howling babies to overtaxed bank accounts and clueless co-workers. If your enjoyment of life is hampered by stress, your body may be sending you warning signals that you're under too much duress.

Warning Symptoms.

Here are some early warning signs of harmful stress. Heed them; ignoring them can make them worse. Difficulty falling asleep, Inability to concentrate, Lapse of concentration, Reduced interest in sex, Eating when not hungry, Smoking more, Drinking more alcohol, Recurrent headaches, Increasing irritability, impatience, loss of temper and constantly feeling lethargic.

Fight or flight?

Programmed into everyone is the fight-or-flight response. When the brain thinks a crisis is approaching, it sends out an alarm signals in the form of chemical messengers known as neurotransmitters. These trigger the production of hormones, the purpose to which is to put the body on red alert. Here's what happens: Your heart rate increases and your blood vessels dilate, your blood pressure rises, your muscles become tense, your digestive systems shuts down, you start to sweat more, your breathing becomes faster. The brain is preparing the body to either fight the perceived threat or flee from it.This served people in early ages well. When confronted by a saber-toothed tiger or some warring men from the neighboring tribe, for instance, the fight-or-flight response gave our ancestors a good chance of survival.These days, it's still essential for surviving life-threatening situations. Say, for instance, you're in rush hour traffic and somebody swerves in front of you. Stress will heighten your reactions and swiftly kick your self-protective instincts into gear, making your response sharper and quicker than it would be normally. The fight-or flight response comes in handy when dealing with work challenges such as crucial business meetings or imminent deadlines.Our body's natural reaction to stress, however, is far less appropriate for dealing with the day-to-day stresses and strains of contemporary urban life. For example, there's no physical outlet for the stress and tension that builds up when your train is 20 minutes late or you're stuck in a traffic jam. The physical pressure builds up and finds no release, leading in some cases to illness.

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