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When someone is face to face with a ferocious animal, the fight-or-flight response is totally appropriate. This reaction served the cave man confronted by a saber-toothed tiger: whether he chose to fight it or to run away, he would have increased energy in his muscles and lungs due to his bodily changes. He would be both faster and stronger than normal. Yet for modern people, this same response can be elicited by getting stuck in a traffic jam or giving a presentation to a group of colleagues. In fact, any perceived stress can put a person into this fight-or-flight state.

This incredibly important, life-preserving stress reaction is hardwired into our system. The reality is, in today’s modern society, we are required to deal with very few grizzly bears or life-threatening stresses. The problem is that our bodies do not know the difference between a grizzly bear and a traffic jam, and they react in the same way to each.

When the stressor is a tiger or a grizzly bear, this stress response has an outlet: the body uses its enhanced energy to get away or fight off the enemy. In a traffic jam, however, the stress response has no outlet, and the extra energy runs around the body like a caged animal. Over time, this type of stress energy is detrimental to our health.

In today’s modern jungle, public speaking, a disgruntled spouse, dealing with a difficult client, having a demanding deadline, and raising children are all stressful situations, but they are not life-threatening. Yet these situations release the same bombardment of stress hormones into the body as a truly life-threatening moment. In these cases, your body isn’t just reacting; it’s overreacting. Repeatedly triggering this fight-or-flight response wears down the body and mind. It was designed to work best in short-term situations—not the prolonged stresses that we deal with on a routine basis.

Every bodily system is affected when our stress chemicals linger in the body. The statistics are striking: 112 million people take some form of medication for stress-related symptoms. One reason this figure is so high is that stress seeps into all aspects of our lives and can even exacerbate previous health symptoms, both physical and psychological.

From muscle tension to headaches, from irritable bowel syndrome to acid indigestion, from heart disease to cancer, the steady rise in stress-related illness reflects our inability to cope with our lifestyle. This gives birth to a billion-dollar health care industry that tends to mask the deeper roots of stress.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF STRESS IN THE BODY

Tight muscles and body aches

Fatigue, lethargy

Shallow, short breathing

Chest tightness, rapid pulse

Heartburn, indigestion, diarrhea, constipation

Dry mouth and throat

Excessive sweating, clammy hands, cold hands/feet

Skin irritations, eczema

Nail biting, fidgeting, hair twirling

Lowered libido

Overeating or loss of appetite

Insomnia, excessive dreaming

Increased use of alcohol and drugs

PSYCHOLOGICAL SIGNS OF STRESS

Frustration, irritability, anger

Impatience

Worry and anxiety

Sadness, depression

Insecurity, fear

Panic attacks

Moodiness, emotional instability

Intrusive and racing thoughts

Memory lapses, difficulty concentrating

Indecision

Loss of a sense of humor

Stress can take many forms, including work pressure, financial concerns, health issues, relationship challenges, being single, a new baby, a new mortgage, or having too little time for oneself. Unfortunately, stress robs people of many of life’s pleasures and deprives them of many of life’s satisfactions—including laughter.

The following facts begin to reveal the problems so many of us face:

Eighty-nine percent of adults describe experiencing “high levels of stress.”

Seventy-five to ninety percent of adult visits to primary care physicians are for stress-related problems.

One million employees are absent on an average workday because of stress-related problems.

More people have heart attacks on Monday