Well, let's see what kind of stress level our callers have. Let's take a call from Judy in Fallbrook.
Yes, hello, thank you for taking my call. This is a great topic, you know, I have so many friends who are always complaining about being stressed out.
I just don't understand it. I just don't understand what it means to be stressed out. And it seems that I am just as busy as they are if not more so. Maybe I am really stressed and just don't realize it.
Are there certain warning signs that I can be on the lookout for that will tell me I've reached a dangerous level of stress?
That's a great question and yes, many people are at dangerous levels of stress without realizing it or they just don't want to admit it, because they are afraid that they would have to change something in their life.
Some of the most common warning signs are fatigue, listlessness, sleeping problems, either you can't fall asleep at night or you wake up throughout the night.
You may have a loss of appetite or sudden stomach disorders, and heart palpitations are quite common.
So one of the key issues is to have people realize that they are experiencing some of these problems associated with too much stress.
Well, as I said, many of my friends are aware of their situation, but it seems they never do anything about it. Are there ways that they can make their life less stressful?
Of course, there are steps that we can take to lower the amount of stress in our lives, but unfortunately many people are so caught up in the cycle of activity and stress that they don't stop to take these important steps.
The most important step is that we become aware of potentially stressful situations and avoid them.
We can also simply reduce our workload and organize the work that we do have in a better way.
Another important step is to get the proper rest and exercise. If you're under a lot of stress to begin with, very often sleep or exercise can help to release some of that stress and prepare you to take on more.
One of the worst things that can happen is to allow the stress to build up.
Finally, one of the most effective steps we can take is to find a balance between work and play.
In the U.S, it's been recently discovered that the average American is working more now than we did 20 years ago.
We have become almost obsessed with work and we have a hard time enjoying ourselves anymore.
Yeah, that's definitely true. Thank you, that information is really helpful. OK, let's talk another call from Lori in Ramona.