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s t d o m .c o m Ask "Learning how to manage chronic stress so it does not have such a deleterious eect on our health is a must." " Bill has a master's degree in counseling psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi and has been a licensed professional counselor since 1987. He has 23 years of individual and relational counseling experience and serves as an adjunct instructor in counseling psychology at Mississippi College. He has been a reserve deputy for 10 years with the Madison County Sheriff's Office and is a ruling elder at Grace Chapel Evangelical Presbyterian Church. He adores his wife of 31 years and their two grown children. STRESS: ALARM SIGNALS THAT HURT Stress is with us every day and comes in a vast variety of forms. Your body's built-in system for coping with short-term (acute) stress is the fight-flight response, which is controlled by the autonomic nervous system. This process is innate and requires no thought or conscious initiation. A chemical message sent from the hypothalamus and pituitary gland to the adrenal glands helps you ward off any real or perceived threat with the release of adrenaline, for quick action, and cortisol, known as the stress hormone, for sustained action. When the threat is gone, the body returns to normal function. SO WHAT'S THE PROBLEM? Long-term (chronic) stress keeps our body in a sustained "alarm" mode in which chronically high levels of cortisol use amino acids intended for bone and muscle development to make glucose. At the same time, this causes an imbalance in insulin levels. The result can be reduced muscle mass, osteoporosis, diabetes, elevated cholesterol, increased fat stores and more. High levels of cortisol have also been shown to destroy neural cells in the areas of the brain responsible for memory, and they can interfere with the production of a protein molecule called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is responsible for the generation, maintenance and repair of nerve cells in the brain. If cortisol is high, BDNF is low, and vice versa. HOW DO WE MANAGE STRESS? Learning how to manage chronic stress so it does not have such a deleterious effect on our health is a must. There are several stress management options. • Exercise increases BDNF and burns off residual glucose produced by high cortisol that would eventually turn into fat, particularly around the face, neck and waistline. Exercise keeps your body prepared to cope with stress more efficiently and reduces the damage caused by chronic stress. • Relaxation training techniques have shown similar results. Deep breathing and guided imagery can be performed almost anywhere. • Deep muscle relaxation requires a more controlled environment, but it is a great way to relax at home. Other useful techniques are meditation, spiritual connectedness, reading, listening to music, use of pleasant aromas, developing a hobby, talking to close friends and helping others. A combination of the above is even better. Chemical relaxation through alcohol, drugs and tobacco only gives you a false sense of well-being and may cause more problems. Manage your stress and you will feel better. 14 LOCAL