Stress.

We all say "I'm so stressed!" But who ever really stops to think of the effects of stress on your mind, body and spirit? Stress is a terribly heavy thing to be holding on to, and the burden of it can harm your every day life in ways that you might not even realize.

Wikipedia defines stress as "stress is the disruption of homeostasis through physical or psychological stimuli. Stressful stimuli can be mental, physiological, anatomical, or physical reactions." ... Very helpful, right? What does that MEAN? It means that stress screws up the way you normally are, and that stress can do a myriad of things to your body and psyche, just to sum it up a little bit.

So what can stress actually do to you? Well, first it kicks in your fight-or-flight response. That means that you're working in overdrive, trying to either get out of the situation or beat the living daylights out of whatever's causing your anxiety. Since you likely can't extricate yourself from the situation you've found yourself in - IE, if your grandmother dies, you can't resurrect her, and if your car is currently halfway through a telephone pole, you likely can't magic your way out of it - and most people sure as heck can't run away from their daily lives, your options narrow down to "Fight." And since lashing out at the world can only do so much... well, you get the picture: The stress builds up inside of you, causing...

Migraines, strokes, a weak immune system, blood pressure issues and problems with your heart. It can give you indigestion, heartburn, back problems, and symptoms of anxiety. And that's JUST the physical symptoms that most people have! Psychologically, stress can cause your ability to feel emotions to change - your feelings could be amplified, or you could numb out. Stress can cause lasting changes in your brain patterns, causing communication problems in your brain (i.e., something in your brain no longer targets what it's supposed to, and things kind of explode a little bit. Not literally!). It can also cause sleep problems, insomnia, and an overall feeling of being depressed, paranoid, anxious, et cetera...

Sounds lovely, doesn't it? Stress beats you down, and kicks you while you're lying there. So what can you do about it? First of all, figure out what exactly is causing you to be stressed out. Sometimes it's obvious - "I can't pay for school!" - sometimes not so much - "When I was younger, I cut my chin open running around outside, and now I feel anxious whenever I go by that place." You can pick something that you're feeling, and start examining your life, if that would be easier for you - "Does going to visit Mark make me feel scared? Does this person or this thought make my head start hurting?" Then you need to avoid which stressors you can - easier said than done - and work on de-stressing yourself. Deep breathing, yoga, exercise (if that isn't one of your stressors!), stretching, muscle relaxation, and just trying to slow down your thoughts could help you a great deal. Taking a moment to sit back and realize that you will get through this does a lot.

And if you see someone looking like they're having a mini panic attack in the middle of the mall one day, give them an encouraging smile. It just might make their day a little more bearable.