STRESS

    Far from being some amorphous emotion, stress is a rock solid physical force that can damage virtually every system in the body. Chronic elevated stress contributes to hypertension and cardiovascular disease, to diabetes, to infection and inflammation, and to low birth weight. Stress during pregnancy affects the fetus as well as the mother, including changing how the stress coping mechanisms develop; in the process the health of the next generation is compromised.
                              We can work to eliminate some of the causes of stress, and we can protect some people from the exposure to stressful situations, but each of us needs to be able to manage the inevitable stressors in our lives. Stress can be recognized for what it is, it can be understood, and it can be managed. Such skills are not innate, but they can be taught.
                              What would our community look like if stress management techniques were taught alongside reading in every classroom, were offered as a part of every ministry in churches and synagogues, were an integral component of standard medical care?
Following are some resources to help us understand the nature of the stress-response mechanism and how to control that response for better life long health.
 

From the PNMC Conference on Managing Stress:

Speaker Powerpoint Presentations:

Its Killing Me! Stress as Life Threatening Condition

        Michael Krasner, MD, FACH

Stressed Neighbors, Stressed Neighborhoods

        Pastor George Nicholas

Pregnancy and Stress