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The word Stress has many definitions dependent upon which discipline one works under, i.e. Physicist, Psychologist, Engineer. Not so long ago the word Stress was predominantly used as an engineering term, for looking at the affects of strain on metals, concrete and other building materials. In this day and age Stress is increasingly being linked to the affects on people who are mentally tired or overworked.

For the purpose of this article, we are only going to look at Stress from the angle of everyday living, stress caused by work and or domestic problems, not the sort of stress or depression caused by past childhood traumas, or Post Traumatic Stress, caused by a traumatic incident. These problems need deeper psychological treatment.

The Department of Health considers stress to be a mental health issue, and according to a survey from the Health and Safety executive, stress is the cause of 6.5 million days being taken as sick leave every year, and it is increasing. One in five consider themselves to be "very" or "extremely" stressed, and at any one time there is an estimated 500,000 people suffering from work-related stress or depression, and up to 150,000 workers have taken a month or more off work for stress related illnesses. The 35-44 age group are the worst hit by stress. All this costs UK business approximately £370m per year. This does not even begin to take into account the personal financial and emotional costs to individuals and their families. Stress is also becoming a common reason for work place litigation. To date UK courts have made awards in excess of £250,000. Owing to European directives on health and safety, there is likely to be an increase in stress related litigation.

Just as a matter of interest, the UK Government in its wisdom through the Taxman has brought in another window tax; companies who wish to pay for stress management treatment for an employee may only claim the tax back on the portion of stress caused by work. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that work related stress is about to increase, and domestic stress is going to decrease.

Stress can and does come in many guises, and can be caused by many different things. It can manifest itself in many different ways. Stress can and does affect men and women from all walks of life, young and old, rich and poor, no matter what your job, or even if you have no job. Stress and its effects have no respect for your status or position in life.

When you are put under excessive physical or psychological pressure, at times of crisis, or even perceived crisis, the body undergoes a rapid chemical change; the adrenal glands, which are located above the kidneys, release the hormones Adrenaline, Noradrenaline and Cortisol. These powerful hormones are stimulating chemicals, which affect almost every organ in the body, including the intestines, the eyes, the bladder and the bowels, and can give rise to feelings of panic, fear and anxiety. The hormones also switch off most of the body's metabolic activities, such as the digestive and the reproductive systems.

When we talk about stress we generally only look at the negative aspects. What a lot of people don't understand is that without stress we would not survive for very long. In times of danger we need stress, stress is the body's way of giving us extra energy.

The release of stimulating hormones such as Adrenaline into the bloodstream is essential to us, to give us the energy required to run away from, or to stand and fight the danger - this is known as the fight or flight response. As you can see up to now stress has been working for us. Unfortunately, in the modern world we generally have nowhere to run to, nor do we have the opportunity to fight the danger, even if we could see or understand what it is that is threatening us. Because of this, we have generated a new response to danger: we freeze, both mentally and physically. Now we have Fight, Flight or Freeze, or, to you and me, STRESS.

This is now the point where stress can become a Danger to our well-being, because when we go into 'Freeze mode' our bodies find it difficult to dissipate the excessive build up of Adrenaline, and, if we do not dissipate it, and the other hormones and their effects from our systems, our ability to produce the vital defence substances known as 'Interferons' is drastically reduced. When the body is under attack by viruses, the infected cells release Interferons to provide protection for other cells that may be open to attack from the invading viruses, or any other organism that tries to invade the body. So, if we experience prolonged or excessive Stress, not only is the body under direct attack from within, it is also far less able to defend itself from even simple, external infections such as the common cold. It then becomes harder for the body to cope with a wide range of illnesses; the body and the mind become more vulnerable to further Stress, general health declines, and we can enter a vicious, downward spiral.

Stress can and does kill, it is important to monitor your stress levels. Most of us don't always appreciate how and why our stress levels have become so out of balance. Stress levels can rise rapidly, without you noticing that it is happening, until your physical and mental health have deteriorated to such a point that recovery is far harder.

At times of over-stress it can be extremely hard to put your finger on the precise nature of the problem. Everything, work, life, just living, can become harder and harder to cope with, until you feel that there is not much that you can do about it.

On the other hand, you may be fully aware of the reasons why you are feeling so stressed, or apathetic, yet the feeling of being trapped by the causes of your difficulties can be so strong that you become more stressed, making it appear difficult to do much about it. But there is something that you can do about it, and that is to learn to control the negative effects of Stress on your mind and body.

The last thing that most people who are suffering from excessive stress will admit to is the fact that they are suffering from the effects of stress, or that they cannot handle that stress. They tend to view it as some sort of weakness to even admit to having excessive stress in their lives. It can seem like a weakness to admit to family and work colleagues that they are under too much pressure. They can be afraid that their boss will see it as a sign of weakness, and / or a sign that they cannot do their job properly. This puts extra worry and stress on the nervous system, making an already poor situation appear to be even more intolerable.

People are more and more turning to professional Stress Management consultants for help in controlling their stress levels. Many of these Stress Consultants have a background in Hypnotherapy.

How Can Hypnosis Help?

Let us assume that you have evaluated that the client presenting stress symptoms does not need analysis or any other form of deep psychological treatment. You can now practice Stress Management. The quickest and simplest form of treatment is to relax and calm the client using hypnosis; this helps to lower the adrenalin level thus increasing the interferon and endorphin levels, which helps to relieve some of the effects of stress.

When it comes to Stress Management, you as a Hypnotherapist have a head start over most other forms of therapy, "you already know how to calm and relax people". Whilst this knowledge gives you an advantage, you still need to gain a greater understanding of Stress and its affects on people before you can call yourself a Stress Management Consultant.

Remember always practice safe stress.

How many of these signs of Stress do you recognise in yourself?

• Breathing becomes shallow and more rapid
• Heart rate goes up, and sometimes races.
• Raised blood pressure.
• Increased Blood sugar levels.
• Unable to perform work or tasks as well as you used to, clouded judgement.
• Concentration is impaired.
• A loss of confidence, and a loss of enthusiasm.
• An increasingly cynical outlook on life.
• Sleeplessness, and especially, early waking.
• Sex drive is lower, or you can feel sexually unsatisfied.
• Starting to have a greater dependency on alcohol, caffeine, nicotine or drugs.
• Aches and pains are increasing, especially in the neck, head, jaw, lower back and shoulders. (caused by too much Cortisol).
• Incidences of minor illnesses such as colds and flu have increased. (each one seems to take longer to shake off)
• Appetite has altered to either a desire to go on a binge, especially on sweet, sugary foods, or a loss of all appetite has occurred.
• With extreme stress, bowels may loosen.
• Excessive perspiration.

You may at times feel

• Short-tempered, anger over the slightest thing.
• Very irritable, agitated, for no apparent reason. (Caused by too much Adrenaline)
• Detached from the world, on a high (caused by too much Noradrenaline)
• Unusual clumsiness.
• Chest pains.
• Depressed, tearful, for no apparent reason.
• All over tension.
• Fatigued, even after a night's sleep. (caused by too much Adrenaline)
• Panic. (caused by too much Adrenaline)

Take the Mindtech Associates free online stress test.

David Reeves, works as a Hypnoanalyst and Stress Management consultant in Swindon and Harley Street London, and the USA. He has trained in Battle Field Stress Disorders, and is a member of the International Stress Management Association (UK), The International Association of Hypnoanalysts (UK), and The International Society for Professional Hypnosis (USA, Incorporated under the laws of State of New York), The National Guild of Hypnotists, (USA) The European Therapy Studies Institute, and The Hypnothink Foundation.

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