Provocative Wave for Men

The Most Stressful Situations You Can Encounter

We talk about the dangers of stress often. It’s been linked to heart disease, high blood pressure, metabolism problems, colds, depression, obesity, migraines and even breast cancer. That’s why we’re going to tell you about some of the most stressful situations you can encounter. If you’re dealing with any of these, it’s important that you take extra care of yourself. We got this from the researchers at Condé Nast Publications.

• A bad job. Dr. Pamela Peeke, a professor of medicine at the University of Maryland, says when you deal with pressure at work day-in and day-out, that’s a 9 on a stress scale of 1 to 10. It’s chronic stress - which means your body is constantly flooded with cortisol and adrenaline. 80% of all the major illnesses I just mentioned are thought to be associated with chronic stress. That’s because over time, these stress hormones can weaken your immune system, so it’s harder for your body to fight diseases.
• Someone you love passes away. The death of a close friend or family member is technically temporary stress, but because it’s so intense, and getting past something this painful tends to take a long time, Dr. Peeke says that grieving often snowballs into chronic, unhealthy anxiety. Any kind of long-term stress that make you feel helpless, hopeless or defeated can veer into toxic territory.
• Money is tight. A survey from the American Psychological Association found that nearly 80% of people are more concerned about money right now than they are about their relationships, work, and even family responsibilities. Unfortunately, cash flow problems and credit card debt don’t tend to vanish overnight, so this type of stress also becomes chronic. One national poll found that 44% of people who worry about debt suffer from migraines, and one in five report serious depression. That’s in contrast to only 4% of those without major money problems. Dr. Peeke says that having a plan in place to pay down your debt will help. Feeling powerless when it comes to fixing your finances is the problem. The more control you have over the situation, the less damaging it will be to your physical and mental health.