Stress is something that everybody experiences whether it is because of problems at work or at home. It is not something that should be taken lightly because the body, depending on the person, handles it differently.

1. Stress
How it relates to you
Stress is something that everybody experiences whether it is because of problems at work or at home.
It is not something that should be taken lightly because the body, depending on the person, handles it
differently.
You could get headaches, be exhausted all the time, get depressed, have chest pains, have trouble
breathing, and/or have panic attacks. In some cases (such as mine) you could even end up in the
hospital.
Being stressed can and will interfere with your job. You would miss work from having time off and this
would affect your paycheck. It would also interfere with your home life by taking away the time that you
have with your family and friends.
You also wouldn’t be able to do things that you normally do because, let’s just face it, you wouldn’t
want to.
Stress creates havoc in everything that you do.
Now, let’s go over the symptoms listed above and see how they can be dealt with.
Symptoms and how to deal with them:
Headache
Headaches caused by stress, otherwise known as tension headaches, are caused by the tightening
of the muscles in the neck, head, and/or jaw. This happens when you know you don’t want to do
something or go somewhere and your body reacts by tightening up the muscles. This usually
happens unconsciously and before you know it you have a headache.
Here are a couple of things that you can do to help prevent/get rid of these headaches:
1. Take aspirin:
Aspirin thins out the blood and helps to loosen up the muscles. Aspirin that contains
caffeine might work a little faster because caffeine is a drug that helps with the pain by
stimulating the central nervous system and can be found in some medicines and coffee, as

2. well as other things. Be careful though, if you have too much caffeine in your system
already it probably won’t work.
2. Get a massage:
Some people say that a massage helps them because the masseuse rubs out the key points
in your muscles, helping them to relax. This also costs a little bit of money depending on
where you go. But, I have to say I always feel better after I have a massage. I am much
more relaxed.
Exhaustion
Exhaustion happens when the body can’t relax enough to rest. Whether it’s from not getting a
good night’s sleep or having your muscles so tight that you can’t just relax while at work or
home.
Here are a few things that you can try:
1. Before you go to bed at night, tense up your muscles, then relax them one a time,
starting at the top of your head all the way down to your toes.
2. Take a nice hot shower.
3. If your start time at work changes frequently, choose the earliest time you get up, and
get up at that time every day (except when you can sleep in). Your body will
regulate itself and you won’t feel so exhausted at the end of the day.
4. Have a cup of tea. The best one for relaxing is chamomile tea because it is a natural
muscle relaxer and will help the body relax
Depression
Depression can be caused by stress because you are too frustrated and can’t think straight. You
get to the point that you don’t want to do anything anymore and you give up trying.
Here are some things that can be done to deal with this:
1. You can drink tea: Chamomile is still a good type of tea to drink. You can also find
at the store other teas that will help with depression. Read the labels to find the right
one that will work for you.
2. You can take a natural anti-depressant called St. John’s Wart. This you will find with
the vitamins at the store.
3. Get plenty of sleep.
4. See your doctor if your depression is really bad and get a prescription for an anti-
depressant from him/her. I would do this as a last resort because I don’t like going to
the doctor’s.
Chest pains/Trouble breathing
Unfortunately, being stressed can lead to your heart becoming weak. This is because when you
are stressed the muscles in your body tense up, adrenaline is released into the body and causes
your heart rate goes up, and you start to hyperventilate. This is usually the body’s “fight or
flight” response. And this can lead to heart problems. Going to the doctor would be your best bet
here.

3. I can suggest here is, if this concerns your job, you should find something that isn’t stressful. It
should be something that you enjoy doing without the same problems that you have or had at
your previous place of employment.
If the stress comes from your home life I would suggest that you find something outside the home
that has nothing to do with it. Whether it’s going for a walk, a run, or just going to a friend’s
house to just hang out.
Panic Attacks
Panic attacks don’t always happen to people who are stressed, but because I have had them when
I was too stressed I can give a couple of suggestions that you can do to help keep them from
happening again.
Here are a few things that you can do.
1. Take St. John’s Wart. This is a natural body relaxer.
2. Have some tea. Chamomile is still the best to drink here.
3. When you feel an attack coming, tell yourself to go ahead and have it. It’s like using
reverse psychology on your own brain by telling it to go ahead and have an attack.
This, for me, worked.
Conclusion
I am not a doctor, so what I have told you about stress are just suggestions and my own personal
things that I have done to help me deal with it. I still get stressed out at work and even though I
no longer have panic attacks, I still do get chest pains and shortness of breath that do put me into
the hospital.
I do recommend talking with a doctor or medical professional should you show any symptoms of
being stressed or you are stressed.
What you decide to do with the information that I have shared is totally up to you. I just want
you to know that if you do suffer from any of the same symptoms that I do, I understand and
empathize with you, and maybe what I have done to ease some of my stress will help you.