No matter who you are, where you live, or what your life path is, one thing is certain: you will meet stress face-to-face. For instance:

• All humans will, at some point, experience illness, bereavement, and death, as well as stress relating to their personal and/or professional lives.
• Despite significant improvements in road conditions and vehicle safety, most Americans will be involved in a motor vehicle accident in their lifetime that can result in long-term negative consequences.
• Up to 8 in 10 Americans say they are stressed because of money concerns (i.e. job stability, work load, ability to provide basic needs, etc.)

Stress, A Popular Subject

“In terms of science, the past few decades have seen nearly 80,000 papers published on the topic, ranging from the effects of stress on the genome and cellular functioning to its impact on physical and mental health, to the effects of stress on a social and cultural level. In a psychosocial sense, it is also ubiquitous.”

-Carolyn M. Aldwin, Culture, Coping and Resilience to Stress

Around the world, the topic of stress has been heavily researched in a variety of fields. It’s thought that stress was studied as early as the late 19^th century. By 1878, French physiologist Claude Bernard introduced a concept now known as homeostasis – in simple terms, the constancy of the internal environment.

It wasn’t until 1932 than an American physiologist, Walter B. Cannon actually used the term “homeostasis”. It was also Cannon who would first use the word “stress” in reference to the factors that were likely to upset homeostasis.

Stress Around the Globe

Stress certainly isn’t restricted to the US – the World Health Organization reports that depression is among the leading cause of disability worldwide.

The Regus Group found that stress levels in the workplace continue to soar, with 6 in 10 workers in key global economies facing heightened workplace stress. China had the greatest rise in workplace stress.

A shocking 91% of adult Australians say they’re stressed in at least one critical area of their lives. Workplace stress is also to blame for costing the Australian economy approximately $14.2 billion, according to Medibank.

Approximately 442,000 Brits who worked in 2007/2008 said they experienced workplace stress – at levels high enough to cause illness. Further, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence claims that about 13.7 million working days are lost every year in the UK due to work-related illness.

And in France, where labor protection is “robust”, workers still felt extremely insecure, according to a 2009 NY Times article focused on the media attention surrounding more than 20 suicides at France Telecom beginning in 2008. At the time, the World Health Organization said France had the highest suicide rate among large European economies, and a significantly higher rate than that of the United States.

Though many outsiders think of France as a country with outstanding job security, strong benefits, and a workweek with fewer hours, union representatives and actual workers beg to differ.

While mental health experts point out that suicide can never be attributed to a single cause, many other experts and labor officials blame work-related stressors.

A Cultural Component to Stress?

Here in the States, 75% of adults said they were facing moderate to high levels of stress in the past month, with just about half reporting that their stress amplified in the last year.

So, is there a cultural component to stress? That depends on who you ask. We all know that every single human being will experience what we call stress at some point. Cultural factors certainly do play a role in how stress is perceived – and how individuals react to it.

But many influences beyond varying cultural environments are also important to consider – what coping mechanisms an individual has, whether she has external support, and what other factors present may exacerbate the stressor.

If you need a quick overview of the stress response and what you can do to counter stress, be sure to check out this Harvard Medical School publication.

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Author M. Scott Peck began his highly acclaimed self-help book, The Road Less Traveled, with the simple statement: “Life is difficult.”

How relieving to read those three little words…to have your feelings validated by a renowned psychiatrist! Your feelings of being overwhelmed and finding it difficult to cope with ever-increasing demands are not exclusive to you…in truth, many of us feel the same way.

Bad stress – distress – affects everyone. Bad stress can affect you the way you feel, think and behave. Left unchecked, it can contribute to serious health problems such as high blood pressure and heart disease.

Just what are some signs that you’re stressed out?

Signs You’re Overwhelmed

Bad stress can affect our lives in many ways. If you’ve had a confrontation with a co-worker or you were stuck in heavy rush hour traffic, you can feel the effects at home….you may find yourself snapping at your children or nitpicking with your spouse.

You feel irritable, mad at the world – and mad at yourself. You forget things easily. It can feel like you’re in a general fog, second-guessing yourself on nearly everything.

You can’t fall asleep. And if you can catch a few hours of fitful sleep, you awake tired. Then you take one look in the mirror and…gasp. Oh, no. Mount St. Helen’s has just erupted on your chin. Your self-esteem plummets as you remember that you have a crucial office meeting today and have to address your co-workers with an unsightly acne breakout. Ugh.

The short temper…foggy state of mind…and even the hormonal changes that can cause skin disruptions can all be attributed to bad stress. Bad stress can also exacerbate psoriasis and can cause hives and other rashes. It can even cause brittle nails and hair loss.

All that stress is thought to be behind a host of other maladies that we’re experiencing at ever-increasing levels worldwide – some very serious, like diabetes, heart disease, and autoimmune disorders.

The (Endless!) List of Stress Symptoms

The American Institute of Stress lists 50 common signs of stress. These can include trouble making decisions, nervous habits, overreaction, dry mouth, and difficulty in breathing, among a host of other symptoms.

The first three symptoms on the l-o-n-g list are:

• reoccurring headaches, clenching of the jaw, or jaw pain
• gritting or grinding teeth
• stuttering or stammering

The Huffington Post lists some astonishing ways you may be experiencing stress. The top three startling ways bad stress can be letting you know it’s insidiously affecting you are:

• strange or reoccurring dreams
• muscles become tight
• twitching

Who knew?! Tooth problems along with changes in menstrual cycles are but a few additional signs your body is trying to tell you that bad stress is affecting you and something is not right.

Much like when your alarm clock goes off to let you know it’s time to get out of bed, your body provides you with many warning signs that you need to pay attention to. Left ignored, your body’s warnings can turn into major illnesses.

Women & Stress

Because stress is so common, many people believe it’s not harmful. But over time and left unchecked, it can have damaging effects on the body.

Nancy Molitor, Ph.D., psychiatry professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine says one of the biggest problems she sees in her practice is women coming in with multiple signs of stress. According to Molitor, emotional stress alerts the body to produce chemicals like cortisol. If produced continually due to ongoing stress, it can break down the neurological, musculoskeletal, immune and gastrointestinal systems.

It’s no surprise then that a new study found that stress and negative emotions were linked to poor physical health. Women can be particularly prone to negative effects of stress, since many of us are juggling our careers with motherhood, school and continuing education, personal relationships, and lots more. We’re travelling more than we used to, we’re working hard to climb the corporate ladder, and we’re taking care of aging parents and ailing family members…trying to keep it all together – not an easy task.

Need a quick weekly burst of inspiration that will inspire you to kick stress to the curb – and have some fun in the process? Don’t miss out on my BOLD Move of the Week. Just click here to get instant access.

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For most of us, stress is like a four letter word…that extra “s” seems like it was added as if to emphasize the “s” in stress.

It worked.

Stress can be sapping, straining, and severely strenuous – and we’re all familiar with its detrimental effects. But we need to know it for what it really is – bad stress.

Stress. Does it Help…or Hurt?

Believe it or not, there is good stress.

It’s called eustress. And we all need that in life. It motivates us to be productive and happy. It’s learning how to balance the bad stress with the good stress that determines how successful, healthy and satisfying our lives will be.

“Stress is like spice – in the right proportion it enhances the flavor of a dish. Too little produces a bland, dull meal; too much may choke you.”
~Donald Tubesing

Good stress can be a huge motivator, driving us to achieve what we want in life. Of course, it has positive effects. Job promotions, successfully accomplishing goals, looking forward to and planning a vacation, or starting your own business are all stressful, but it’s good stress.

Eustress can even strengthen your immune system. It can actually release beneficial chemicals into the bloodstream. Pretty interesting, huh?

So what’s wrong with a little stress? When tension mounts and we see our circumstance as being unmanageable with no clear way out, good stress turns bad. Fast.

How Do You Know You’re in Distress?

The World Health Organization in 1992 cited stress as a 20^th century epidemic. In 1996, they called it a “worldwide epidemic”. According to attorney David J. Abeshouse, insurance claims for stress, depression, and job burnout are the fastest-growing disability category in the country.

A National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health study found that approximately 40% of workers feel pressured and stressed – so much so that they feel anxious and depressed. That leads to time off work and lost revenue. Not surprisingly, the American Institute of Stress cites 60% of visits to the doctor’s office were from stress-related complaints.

Harvard Associate Professor of Medicine Herbert Benson, founder of the Mind/Body Medical Institute in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, has been studying stress for over 35 years. His work has shown that as stress increases, efficiency increases – but only up to a point. After that, performance drops off substantially.

Each person handles stress differently. Physical symptoms that can show distress are an increase in blood pressure and shallow breathing. People can exhibit loss of appetite, or even, an increase in eating, smoking and drinking. Behaviorally, arguments with spouses and children erupt more frequently. Patience is lost over trivial things.

Let’s face it. You know when you’re stressed out. You can feel it. And it’s when you feel as if life is out of control that you can be sure distress has set in.

Need a quick weekly burst of inspiration that will inspire you to get rid of stress – and have some fun in the process? Don’t miss out on my BOLD Move of the Week. Just click here to get instant access.

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Drained. Worn out. Overwhelmed. Exhausted. Fatigued.

Sound familiar? We all encounter stress in our lives – it’s a challenge each one of us will meet, guaranteed. We experience stress ourselves, we witness it affecting our loved ones, we see it taking a toll in the office. As if that weren’t enough, we can observe stress anytime, anywhere, at just about any public place.

We’re not just imagining all this stress – research has demonstrated that stress soared 18% for women and 24% for men from 1983 to 2009.

The Dizzying Consequences of Overwhelm

It’s no myth that when we’re under stress for long periods of time, we start to look physically worn. Stress is often considered to be a cause of premature aging, as well as countless ailments from everyday maladies like gastrointestinal upsets and headaches to serious disorders like heart disease and diabetes.

In fact, The American Institute of Stress presents a dizzying list of 50 common signs and symptoms of stress. Stress affects every key body system we have:

Nervous System: The “fight or flight” response leads to increased heartbeat, a rise in blood pressure, and changes to the digestive process.

Musculoskeletal Systems: Remember the last time you felt “tense”? That’s because stress causes our muscles to contract, potentially leading to headaches and other conditions.

Respiratory System: When we’re stressed, we start to breathe rapidly – this can quickly lead to hyperventilation and even trigger a panic attack.

Cardiovascular System: Is one stressful episode cause for concern? Not necessarily – but over time, instances of acute stress lead to inflammation in the coronary arteries. This may eventually lead to other, far more serious conditions.

Endocrine System: Stress affects our adrenal glands and liver as well. When we’re under stress, we produce cortisol and epinephrine, which are aptly dubbed “stress hormones”.

Gastrointestinal (GI) System: When we’re overwhelmed, we may consume more (or less) food than normal. We sometimes turn to unhealthy foods or even alcohol, drugs, or tobacco, which only add to the negativity we’re already experiencing.

Reproductive System: Stress is a real downer for the reproductive system, causing women to experience irregular, infrequent, or otherwise dysfunctional menstrual cycles. And, both men and women can experience lowered sexual desire when stressed.

When Secondhand Stress Strikes

So far, I’ve explained the profound effects stress and overwhelm can have on you. But, did you realize that “secondhand stress” can directly impact you, too? It makes sense – just think of how you felt when you witnessed someone close to you going through an extremely challenging time.

A recent HBR article tackled the issue of secondhand stress, presenting an array of stats that might surprise you… Even observing someone who is stressed – whether they’re giving off verbal or non-verbal cues – can instantly affect our own nervous systems. Bankers on trading floors that are separated by glass walls can still sense the stress of someone across the room working in a separate market, simply by picking up on nonverbal signals.

HBR authors Shawn Achor and Michelle Gielan assert, “As the research has become more sophisticated, we see that the negativity we “catch” from others can also impact every single business and educational outcome we can track, and most recently has been shown to impact us down to a cellular level, shortening our lifespan.”

Wondering when secondhand stress is most “contagious”? If you guessed from a romantic partner, you would be correct…researchers found that secondhand stress is more contagious from a romantic partner than from a stranger.

As the late Hans Selye, a pioneering Austrian-Canadian endocrinologist once said, “It’s not stress that kills us, it is our reaction to it.” We know this is true, but living it – changing our reaction to stress – is another story.

Need a quick weekly burst of inspiration that will inspire you to kick stress to the curb – and have some fun in the process? Don’t miss out on my BOLD Move of the Week. Just click here to get instant access.

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Last week was incredibly busy around here – we had our biggest online training event yet! And Women Entrepreneur’s Guide: Success Secrets of Women Entrepreneurs was, well…wildly successful! Women around the world tuned in to hear 15 successful women leaders share their secrets of success.

Below I’ve listed a recap of the wonderful women who were part of this memorable, 3-day event. If you missed this info-packed training, no worries! At the bottom of this post I have a very special, limited time offer just for you.

Success Secrets kicked off 9/15, and we heard from:

Maribel Jimenez, dishing on how she helps entrepreneurs tap into their brilliance and share it with the world through powerful dream launches.

Sean Carroll, online marketing whiz by day and musical theater actor by night (how cool is that?!), shared how he enables clients to spend more time doing what they do best and less time on all the other “stuff”.

The always-inspiring Rosetta Thurman, who brought her empowering message of freedom and independence, showing women how to start building their ideal lives today.

Suzi Petrozzi, talking about power, fulfilment, and peace – and how women can reconnect to it!

Dorothy Kuhn, with a very special story on why life reclaimed is twice as sweet.

And, Dr. Michele Gunderson, explaining how she guides entrepreneurs to tap into the secret power of story to catapult both their businesses and their lives to success.

We were just getting started! On 9/16, these successful women joined us:

Relationship Expert Extraordinaire Eva Love pulled back the curtain on the challenges of being a powerful woman.

Bestselling author and high performance consultant Loren Fogelman talked about shifting gears – from ordinary to extraordinary.

Dr. Maria Nemeth dished on discovering your own capacity and abilities so you can make your unique contribution to the world.

Nadine Haupt had a special message for all the ambitious women listening in on busting through barriers and accelerating your impact AND income.

The Queen of Accountability Kimberley Borgens spilled the beans on unleashing your CEO power to create massive results in your life.

And Cristi Cooke, creator of the Pillars of Genius™ method, shared why you need to stop being “everything to everyone”.

On 9/17, we went out with a bang, listening to…

Globally recognized thought leader Liana Chaouli on how your wardrobe can have transformative effects on your life.

Raquel Vasallo, with a powerful message for spiritual women entrepreneurs on manifesting prosperity and purpose with ease.

Eleanor Beaton, on what you need to know about massively up-leveling your impact – while loving the whole process.

Business coach, entrepreneur, and mentor Angelina Campos, talking about all that she’s learned in more than 20 years guiding entrepreneurs to success.

Visibility expert Jenny Kovacs on getting you – and your business – seen and heard. Who doesn’t want that?!

If you couldn’t make it to this amazing event, I have great news for you! We’ve put together the VIP Claim Kit, giving you unlimited access to download all interviews, plus many exclusive bonus offers.

The best part? You get to make each and every one of these interviews (and bonus offers!) a permanent part of your success library! Grab your VIP Claim Kit before they’re gone forever – just click here.

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