Hello and welcome to HealthiNation, I’m Dr. Keri Peterson. We all know being “stressed out” is unhealthy. But what about just being stressed? It’s not always a bad thing. Surprisingly, it can be good for you. Stress is a natural body reaction and can help us flee a dangerous situation, or hit that homer in the company softball game. It all depends on the source of the stress and how you choose to deal with it. Stress is a word used to describe how a person, or even an animal, reacts to different experiences and environments around them. It usually causes tight muscles, mental tension and other symptoms in the body like that adrenaline rush we all know. During a stressful time, the brain signals certain glands to produce adrenaline and cortisol. These two hormones increase your heart rate, blood pressure, breathing and your metabolism. Your blood vessels open up to allow more blood to flow into the muscles and brain, and the liver releases stored energy –putting your body at the ready for a fight-or-flight response. On top of all that the body starts to sweat, keeping it cool. And, the pupils in your eyes dilate, or open up, improving your vision. Some people react to these changes by using them to their advantage. A baseball player who feels a little stressed my have better hand-eye coordination because of the open pupils and immediate energy in the muscles. But an office worker under intense deadline pressure may feel a pounding heart, a sour stomach and a rise in body temperature. Not ideal conditions to get work done. The short term effects of stress are usually harmless, but long-term stress can actually hurts the body. Unmanaged stress can contribute to chronic high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, depression and for some people, substance abuse and eating disorders – among other problems. So, how can you tell if you’re stressed? Here are some of the symptom nxiety or panic attacks Irritability, moodiness and anger Physical symptoms, such as stomach problems, headaches, or even chest pain Sadness or depression Insomnia High blood pressure Stiff neck Constipation Diarrhea Stress can even make some conditions, like eczema or asthma worse. So, keep an eye on those too. While it’s important to recognize when you’re stressed, it’s also important to figure out why you’re stressed. These factors are called stressors – and there are two types. Those you can control, and those you can’t. Some examples of the stressors you can control ar personal schedules -your interactions with people -your career Some examples of the stressors that are out of your control ar 46-Chronic illness -traffic -weather Once you know what your stressors are, you can take steps to ease the effects of stress on your mind and body. In cases where you control the stressor you can make changes, and in cases you can’t control the stressor – it helps to have mastered some stress reducing strategies. Watch our stress reducer videos for more on those techniques.