Stress diseases. What diseases do women get due to stress and how to deal with it? Stress sick

29.01.2018, 08:08

All diseases come from nerves, says the old saying. Psychologists clarify that the cause of everything is stress. Even a common cold can be caused by anxiety, fear, and lack of attention. A tired and disliked person came down with the flu - and received the missing portion of rest and care. The child is afraid to go to school - and now fever and sore throat come to the rescue. Psychosomatic medicine sees a direct connection between the state of mind and body. How negative emotions provoke the occurrence of seasonal viral diseases and whether a good mood can scare away a cold - in our material.

Anxiety and fear damage the immune system

At the end of January - beginning of February, there is a traditional increase in the incidence of ARVI. To avoid becoming a target for viruses, it's time to think about prevention. From a psychosomatic point of view, the best option is to restore order in the soul and free yourself from accumulated suppressed emotions. The first step is to pay attention to anxiety.

— Fear and background anxiety reduce immunity because our adrenal glands produce stress hormones: adrenaline and cortisol. Both hormones are needed by the body to cope with stress more easily. They pose a health hazard during chronic stress—when they are released in large quantities,” explains medical psychologist Anna Topyuk. — If anxiety is situational, it is adequate stress. The order “fight” or “flight” appeared - the hormone was produced, the person did something to get rid of the threat that had arisen, and the level of cortisol decreased. But if a person simply suppressed stress, the hormone was produced and remained above normal. The immune system can't handle it.

A person who is constantly worried receives a powerful blow to the body. Moreover, if you do not like to drink water, this will aggravate the situation. “Hormones are removed from the body by water. If you don’t drink it, the effect of hormones will be long-lasting,” notes the specialist.

On a subconscious level, we ourselves allow ourselves to get sick in order to temporarily escape from any situation. The body says: “Stop!”

But you need to remember: stress is different from stress. If in chronic form it becomes fertile ground for disease, then a short-term shake-up, on the contrary, mobilizes and turns on the body’s defenses. “There is no life without stress, because in order for a healthy person to feel alive and fulfilled, he needs to feel the presence of problems that need to be solved as they arise,” says the psychologist. — If the level of stress has increased to a threshold when a person can no longer adapt and the tension is too high, then useful stress is transformed into dangerous. And this danger provokes not only the psyche, but also the somatics (body) to react.”

Dejection attracts a virus

Autumn despondency due to cold weather and aversion to frost - these experiences disturb the soul and become a trigger for chronic stress. As a result, the mood becomes even worse, because now the blues are accompanied by a cough, sore throat and other classic signs of ARVI.

We need to try to change the stereotypes that provoke anxiety, the psychologist suggests. “If you are convinced that summer is pleasant, but winter is not, learn to accept the unpleasant time of year as it is - with all the cold and the need to dress,” recommends Anna Topyuk.

In addition, a strong belief that you will get sick can result in a real cold. This attitude makes you constantly expect possible health problems and worry about it. As a result, stress affects the immune system, and the weakened body is unable to resist the virus.

We allow ourselves to get sick

Coming down with the flu, the body says it has reached its limits.

“A person burdens himself with worries, works seven days a week, tries to get as much done as possible, and as a result gets sick. As a rule, on a subconscious level, we ourselves allow ourselves to get sick in order to temporarily escape from an insoluble situation,” the specialist states. — The body says: “Stop! Look, winter has just arrived, you have a reason to stop.” Everything happens subconsciously - a person may even wonder why he suddenly got sick. He will believe that he caught a cold because of the open window, the cold, and will not realize that it turns out that he took care of himself, showed tenderness to himself and thus gave himself the opportunity to rest.

If you have to work at a job you don’t like or there are problems in the team, this only adds to the blues. A tendency to despondency and a lack of zest for life begin to overcome. “It’s not surprising that adults get sick in unfulfilling jobs. After all, every day is stressful. And in winter and autumn there is a legitimate opportunity to get sick with ARVI and let the body relax. A person allows himself to do this, this is the so-called secondary benefit from the disease,” explains Anna Topyuk.

The psychologist warns: if you don’t know how to express and demonstrate your needs, defend your position, this will increase the likelihood of catching a cold. If an employee is afraid to ask his boss for a vacation, but he no longer has the strength to work from dawn to dusk, the body will find its way out. A sneezing and coughing employee with a high temperature will no longer have questions about an unplanned absence from strict management.

Among the emotional causes of respiratory infections, psychologists also name loss of joy in life, dislike of oneself, low self-esteem, and fear of the future. The cold will also attract those who want to know everything about everyone, control everyone and teach life.

Don't give SARS a chance

Showing your emotions will help you fight back against ARVI. Feeling joy and love, feeling comfortable at work and at home, adding rest and relaxation to your life (for example, a swimming pool and massage), you will help your body keep your immune system at a high level and resist viruses. Allow yourself to rest, realize that it is impossible to accomplish everything at the highest level. Don’t try to solve other people’s problems when no one asks you to, and take days off more often. “A person who accepts life as it is, treats himself and others with unconditional love, without guilt or blame, may not be afraid of viruses,” Anna Topyuk is sure. “I myself haven’t had a cold for several years now.” It happens that one day I sneeze, but the next there is nothing. Even if I take this virus, it doesn’t stay with me because it doesn’t resonate with me.”

People suffering from ARVI should think about what conflicts they carry within themselves. “You need to turn to yourself and a certain level of self-understanding to identify the causes of increased anxiety. Ask yourself: Am I satisfied with my life now? It is very important to understand whether there is internal well-being or not. Outwardly, everything may seem fine - a smile, kindness, an active lifestyle, but at the same time the cats are scratching at your soul,” the specialist describes a common situation.

A firm belief that you will get sick can result in a real illness. This attitude makes you constantly wait for possible health problems. Accumulated stress affects the immune system; as a result, the weakened body cannot resist the virus.

Two different people can react completely differently to the same problem. Some people retreat in the face of a difficult and unpleasant situation, while others constantly push themselves forward. Some, when faced with an insult, try to quickly forget about it, but others cannot calm down for a long time and thirst for revenge.

Anna Topyuk recommends changing your lifestyle through psychological work on yourself and self-analysis. It is useful to notice your true emotions and needs, learn to recognize and resolve your internal conflicts in a timely manner, so as not to trip up your immune system. Bringing order to your soul is an effective prevention not only against influenza and ARVI, but also a good protection against other diseases.

How to bring order to your soul

Ask yourself what solution to the problem you are avoiding. It often happens that a problem is not noticed and is not solved, since it may affect some area of ​​life; a person may be latently afraid of what other people will say and think. Think about the secondary benefit: perhaps it is more convenient for you to get sick than to directly state something and defend your rights.

Ask yourself what you are afraid to admit to yourself. Alcoholics experience similar feelings: they know that they drink a lot, but they cannot admit to themselves their alcohol addiction. In the case of stress that provokes colds and other diseases, it’s about the same. Sometimes just awareness and recognition of the problem can alleviate the condition. When you admit that you have a specific problem, then the disease has served its purpose and is no longer needed.

Ask yourself: is everything in life going the way I would like? Is my life going as I dreamed?

Ask yourself whether I have endured in silence for too long and whether I am so satisfied with my life.

Sore throat as a gift for a schoolchild

If a child is emotionally more comfortable at home than at school or kindergarten, he is more likely to experience the blues. In this way he expresses his reluctance to be in an environment that is not the most pleasant for him. “Children use the opportunity to get sick as a gift to avoid being in a hostile environment. For the child, this becomes a way out; he gets sick and stays at home more often,” explains the specialist. - In this way, children also receive a secondary benefit - the attention of their parents. By the way, often parents simply do not see the psychological causes of the disease and look more at the medical aspect. Although in fact the child is stressed, his body has weakened. At the same time, note that not everyone catches a cold - those who have a favorable, comfortable environment both at home and at school or kindergarten are less susceptible to viruses.”

Stress has a negative impact on a person on a physical and emotional level. Moreover, this impact is much worse than people used to think. No wonder people say that all illnesses are caused by stress, and this is not an exaggeration. Scientists have proven that 75-90% of diseases are caused by nervous tension.

Sometimes it is not noticeable that a person inside is experiencing violent emotions that are caused by constant tension. As a result, an excess of adrenaline appears in the blood, it raises blood pressure, and the heart beats faster. Excessive stress can be expressed in different ways - from a slight constant illness to the development of serious diseases .

The symptoms of stress are numerous, and it is difficult for the average person to associate these signs with its harmful effects. Nevertheless, unusual and unusual emotional reactions, increased appetite or loss of it, craving for alcohol and smoking, uncontrolled use of medications indicate that a person is haunted by stress.

An excess of adrenaline also affects the state of the circulatory system, increasing blood pressure and blood clotting. Prolonged exposure to stress increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. Stress increases the level of “bad” cholesterol in the blood.

The stress mechanism affects the functioning of the digestive system, slowing it down. The body sends more blood to the brain and muscles, digestion is disrupted, nausea and diarrhea appear. As a result, nutrients are absorbed more slowly and food is poorly digested, which further aggravates the situation.

Due to digestive disorders, the skin suffers, blood flows to the surface chaotically, which leads to increased dryness of the skin, redness, and peeling. Skin diseases as a reaction to stress are the most common problem. The skin condition is also negatively affected by increased testosterone levels.

This hormone is produced in large quantities during stress, causing increased activity of the sebaceous glands. The pores become clogged, the skin deteriorates, and acne appears. And it affects the condition of muscle mass, causing weakness, destruction of protein compounds, and weight loss occurs.

During times of stress in the body, the level of T-lymphocytes in the blood, which are responsible for protecting the body from infections, decreases. And the combination of high levels of cortisol and adrenaline negatively affects the state of the human nervous system, causing its exhaustion.

Various diseases caused by stress

Stress-dependent diseases can be divided into several groups, depending on which area is affected. This can be clearly seen in the table.

Many people are interested in the question of whether a sore throat can be caused by stress. It turns out that there is such a disease - pharyngeal neurosis, which is caused by disorders of the human nervous system and is triggered by stress. This condition has several forms, each of which is expressed in certain symptoms. The treatment method depends on the form of the disease and the causes of its occurrence.

It is worth mentioning separately about psychosomatic diseases as a consequence of stress. The main reason for the development of the problem is psychological stress. Classic examples of diseases caused by it: asthma, hypertension, gastrointestinal ulcers, rheumatoid arthritis and others. The same factors provoke the occurrence of diseases associated with neoplasms, including malignant ones.

It is not without reason that it is believed that peptic ulcers indicate that there are people in a person’s life whom he “cannot digest.” Throat diseases mean that an individual cannot express his complaints directly, keeping them to himself.

Diabetes mellitus develops not only as a result of poor nutrition; overeating is an act of overeating within a personal conflict. As a result, stable hypoglycemia occurs, weakening the secretory activity of the pancreas, which leads to diabetes.

Panic attacks are the scourge of modern life

Sudden attacks of an inexplicable nature are now widespread. They affect a person, causing panic and anxiety. This condition is called. It is often accompanied by phobias and somatic symptoms.

Panic attacks are caused by constant stress and difficult conditions of modern life. They affect people of a certain character who take everything to heart, often worry and worry. Often the signs of PA are similar to the symptoms of other diseases, so a person confuses them, believing that he has been struck by some serious illness.

It is worth understanding that a panic attack is a disease that should be treated. But many people mistakenly turn to other doctors and spend years treating non-existent diseases. This is the main danger of PA. If this condition occurs in a calm environment unexpectedly and without serious reasons, you should contact a professional.

The main reasons that subsequently cause the development of a state of increased anxiety are:

• Psycho-emotional stress;
• Heredity;
• Hormonal disorders;
• Character type.

In most cases, PA occurs precisely after exposure to a strong stressor that poses a threat to human health and life. But there are other factors leading to the development of the disease:

• Bad habits;
• Prolonged physical activity leading to loss of strength;
• Uncontrolled use of drugs;
• Diseases of the heart and blood vessels.

Panic attacks are accompanied by unpleasant sensations on the physical and psychological levels. A person experiences chills and nausea, a feeling of lack of air appears, the chest feels as if it is being grabbed by an iron ring, the pulse quickens. Along with this, there is a fear of losing consciousness and dying, hysteria and convulsions, confusion in thoughts and impaired coordination of movement are possible.

Attacks often occur in public places where a lot of people gather. Therefore, people suffering from this disease try to limit their visits to such places, they withdraw into themselves, and a two-faced fear appears - to be left alone and to leave the house. The duration and symptoms of PA are different, as are the timing of their occurrence. For different people, attacks last 5-30 minutes and occur once or twice a month or every day.

A recurring condition makes a person think that he has serious health problems. Symptoms may indicate a disorder of the thyroid gland, heart, central nervous system, or gastrointestinal tract. Testing and treatment by other specialists does not produce results, which leads to the development of hypochondria, and this further provokes attacks of PA. It turns out to be a vicious circle; you should definitely see a psychotherapist with this problem.

Certain techniques that are known all over the world help reduce stress levels. The main thing is to eliminate all possible factors that can cause tension. In the modern world, this is almost impossible to do, so you should learn to cope with stress on your own and support yourself. The following tips and recommendations will help with this. They must be adhered to constantly.

1. Proper nutrition, balanced. This is, first of all, giving up junk food. There is a proven direct link between unhealthy diets and stress. The diet must include vegetables, fruits, fish and seafood, and nuts.
2. Physical activity. Even a small amount of exercise helps overcome stress and depression, and as a result of training, your mood improves. Just 20 minutes of running or 45 minutes of walking a day is enough to protect yourself from stress and boost your immunity.
3. Relaxation. Everyone has their own favorite way to relax and relieve stress. You can meet with friends, go out into nature, do your favorite thing, hobby, listen to music.

And most importantly, a positive attitude! When a person feels that stress is overtaking him, he should definitely begin to manage his mood and emotions. To do this, you need to learn new techniques and use already familiar ones. You should not leave everything as it is until chronic stress has dealt a strong blow to the body.

Women react to stress differently than men. Although the sex hormones and neurochemical processes of the fairer sex protect to some extent from stress, women are more susceptible to its physical and emotional effects. Women do not run away from stress and do not, but experience it for a long time.

How stress affects women

The natural anti-stress hormone oxytocin is produced in women during childbirth, breastfeeding, and in both sexes during orgasm. So in this regard, the fair half of humanity wins. However, women need much more oxytocin than men to maintain their emotional health.

According to Dr. Paul Rosch, vice president emeritus of the International Stress Management Association, women are less likely to be affected by abstinence and experience more stress than men.

According to experts from the American Academy of Family Physicians, stress is an expression of the natural instinct of self-preservation. And while it may alert a woman to immediate danger, such as a fast-approaching car, long-term stress has negative effects on physical and emotional health.

Our response to stress has been carefully honed over millions of years as a defense mechanism. And this was wonderful for our ancestors, who had to run away from saber-toothed tigers. The tragedy is that today there are no tigers, but there are a lot of annoying things like traffic jams, to which our unfortunate body reacts like in the old days, earning hypertension, stroke and ulcers.

What diseases can you get due to stress?

According to the American Institute of Stress, 75–90% of initial visits to the doctor are complaints of stress-related health problems. The effects of stress can manifest in a variety of ways, from headaches to irritable bowel syndrome.

Stress comes in many forms, but if you're stressed about work, kids, neighbors, and your marriage all at the same time, it's no joke. In women, severe stress can lead to menstrual irregularities or, for example, unexpected symptoms.

Lori Heim

Here are some other body reactions to stress:

1. Eating disorders. Anorexia and bulimia are 10 times more common in women than men, and this is most likely related to stress levels. Like depression, these disorders occur due to a lack of serotonin and are often treated by increasing the production of the happy hormone.
2. Stomach ache. Stress makes you reach for unhealthy and “comfort” foods that are high in calories and easy to prepare. Another case: due to stress, you cannot eat anything at all. The main stress-related disorders are cramps, bloating, heartburn, and irritable bowel syndrome. Depending on whether you stress eat or, on the contrary, starve, you gain or lose weight.
3. Skin reactions. Stress can aggravate existing conditions and cause itchy rashes or spots.
4. Emotional disorders. Stress can lead to persistent low mood, irritability, or more serious mental problems such as depression. Women are better at hiding anger than men because they have a larger area of ​​the brain responsible for such emotions, but women are twice as likely to be affected by depression. The impact of stress on women's emotional well-being can range from postpartum depression to depression during menopause.
5. Sleep problems. Women who are stressed often have trouble falling asleep or sleep too lightly. And this is especially bad because strong helps reduce the negative effects of stress.
6. Difficulty concentrating. Stress makes it difficult to concentrate and cope effectively with work and home affairs. If stress is caused by problems at work, and then it interferes with work, then it becomes a vicious circle.
7. Heart diseases. Stress negatively affects the cardiovascular system, increases blood pressure, and leads to heart attacks and strokes.
8. Decreased immunity. One of the most complex physical responses to stress is a decrease in the body's ability to cope, whether from a cold or chronic illness.
9. Cancer. Some scientists believe there is a link between stress and breast and ovarian cancer. Thus, it was found that the risk of developing breast cancer was 62% higher in women who experienced more than one difficult event, such as divorce or the death of a spouse.

How to Reduce Stress Levels

A study presented at a recent meeting of the Western Psychological Association found that 25% of your happiness comes from how well you manage stress. And the most important strategy for managing stress was planning or anticipating what might upset you and using stress-reducing techniques. And these techniques are as old as time.

Start eating right

Avoid junk food and eat balanced meals. This way you will improve your physical condition, and then your emotional one. Here are some of our articles to help you:

Find time to exercise

Exercise is a phenomenal way to combat stress and depression. Research shows that exercise improves your mood and releases endorphins, natural chemicals that improve your emotional state.

Psychosomatics studies chronic stress and its consequences. There is a very close relationship between a person’s somatic (physical) state and his mental (spiritual and mental) well-being. It has been scientifically proven that chronic stress provokes a number of bodily ailments that have a negative impact on all areas of a person’s life.

What is stress?

In everyday life, the concept of “stress” most often refers to any unfavorable events that cause a person to worry, for example, being fired, moving, breaking up with a romantic partner. From the side of somatic reactions, any sudden changes in the situation, including favorable ones, are perceived as stress. A wedding, the birth of a child, the start of a new romantic relationship, a promotion - all this requires adaptation from the body, which means it will also be stressful. ? These are repeated situations to which the psyche cannot effectively adapt. The most common examples:

1. Codependency. In families where at least one member regularly uses alcohol or drugs, all other members constantly experience nervous tension. A person suffering from alcoholism and drug addiction is called dependent, and his immediate relatives are called codependent, since the underlying disease greatly affects them.
2. Caring for relatives. Chronic stress can be found in people whose families include seriously ill, bedridden, paralyzed, elderly people who cannot take care of themselves. Children are often the source of constant nervous tension.
3. Professional stress. Doctors, police officers, firefighters, sales managers and those in leadership positions have a high daily workload that takes a toll on their health. First of all, it is not the profession itself that matters, but the person’s attitude towards his work. Chronic stress is experienced by workaholics, hyper-responsible people and those who are financially interested in the success of their activities, that is, they work for a percentage and not for a salary.
4. Destructive relationships. Irritation, anger, resentment and other difficult experiences inevitably arise due to unhealthy communication with spouses, relatives, friends and colleagues. This cause of chronic stress is the most popular. The harm from such communication is especially quickly felt by allergy sufferers and those suffering from gastritis and ulcers. Exacerbation of existing somatic diseases can be provoked by destructive interactions.

If a person decides to take responsibility for his condition, he should find out the cause of chronic stress, activate the instinct of self-preservation and eliminate it.

Often people shift this responsibility to an irritating factor, for example, “high blood pressure has risen due to a mad boss” or “insomnia has arisen from an alcoholic husband.” But taking care of your health means creating the most calm and comfortable conditions for yourself, regardless of the wishes of other people. Exploitation always flourishes in destructive relationships, and if a person does not help himself, it is unlikely that anyone will rush to help him.

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How does chronic stress work?

The functioning of all organs and systems in the body is regulated by hormones. The hormonal system reacts sensitively to changes in the environment in order to keep a person alive and prepare his body for an immediate response to a threat. For the hormonal system, there is no difference between a real threat and an imaginary one. For example, if a husband lunges at his wife with a fly swatter, even if he does not actually intend to hit her, her body reacts as if there were real danger. If a husband does this every day, chronic stress arises. The self-preservation instinct provides a “fight or flight” response to aggression. In order to run or hit, the instant release of hormones into the blood ensures:

• blood flow to muscles and muscle tension;
• increased heart rate;
• changing the breathing rhythm to a more superficial and frequent one;
• increased blood pressure.

If such preparatory activities occur regularly, a number of violations arise from:

• of cardio-vascular system;
• respiratory system;
• digestive system;
• nervous system;
• immune system;
• endocrine system;
• reproductive system.

Chronic stress negatively affects the musculoskeletal system, since certain muscle groups are constantly tense as a result of stressful situations.

In children, an unfavorable environment causes poor posture and spinal curvature as they retract their heads and slouch their backs to shield themselves from the threat. In adults, the muscles of the back and neck suffer, which leads to pain and muscle tension. The entire body as a whole suffers very significant damage from repeated stressful situations.

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What diseases does stress lead to?

The list of diseases caused by stress is very, very extensive. To date, the most studied disorders have been the following:

1. Diseases of the heart and blood vessels. This category includes hypertension, vegetative-vascular dystonia, coronary heart disease and arterial hypertension. Severe headaches, dizziness and weakness can occur due to stress.
2. Diseases of the digestive system: irritable bowel syndrome, stomach and duodenal ulcers, ulcerative colitis, gastritis and others. Regular emotional stress leads to intestinal dysfunction, causing constipation, diarrhea, nausea and heartburn.
3. Bronchial asthma and other allergic reactions. The nature of allergies is still not well understood, but clinical experience confirms that there is a very close connection between a person's environment and diseases such as atopic dermatitis, food intolerance and asthma.
4. Diabetes mellitus, hormonal disorders, excess weight, hyperthyroidism, infertility. Excessive stimulation of the endocrine system, which is provoked by stress, causes disturbances in the functioning of all glands, including the genitals.

For stress, there are also specific disorders of the nervous system and psyche. These include:

• insomnia, nightmares, somnambulism;
• fatigue, difficulty concentrating;
• obsessive thoughts;
• lack of sexual desire;
• feelings of anxiety, fear, uncertainty;
• depression;
• panic attacks, psychosis, loss of control over one’s behavior.

Chronic stress requires not just symptomatic treatment, but the elimination of its cause. The consequences faced by the victim significantly worsen his well-being and shorten his life.

Stress is the body's reaction to unplanned events in life. Some people take things so seriously that they start to get very sick.

What is stress

The concept of “stress” was introduced into the lexicon relatively recently – in 1936. Initially, the concept of “stress” meant the body’s reaction to any change in the environment. In other words, stress was considered an adaptation moment to any changes in order to maintain the normal functioning of body systems.

The concept of “stress” can cover a whole spectrum of events, and their polarity is absolutely not important in this definition. Both great grief and great joy can be safely considered a stressful event. Stress has accompanied humanity since its inception. Its sources vary depending on the level of civilization: from fear of predators to worries about exams or an interview with an employer.

Strong emotions caused by stress affect the functioning of the body, exacerbating inflammatory processes, causing exacerbation of chronic diseases and disruptions in the normal functioning of organs.

Doctors consider stress to be the cause of a number of serious and dangerous diseases:

• heart diseases;
• obesity;
• diabetes;
• gastrointestinal problems;
• asthma;

Physiological reactions occur in response to stress. These are the moments when the brain is not able to fully control the situation.

The destructive effects of stress on the body have been proven repeatedly. The mutual influence of somatics and psyche is so great that no one will dispute the fact that stress is the cause of somatic diseases.

The mechanism of stress is as follows: stress causes the release of cortisol and adrenaline. The latter increases the heart rate. In the absence of an outside threat, the person’s condition softens, as the level of adrenaline in the blood decreases. Frequent stress causes a constant presence of adrenaline in the blood, which is dangerous for the body.

Cortisol performs several functions in the body, from regulating sugar levels to influencing metabolic processes. Cortisol can delay pain, weaken libido, and be involved in the development of some serious diseases.

Stress can cause serious physical illnesses.

The Profound Effects of Stress

Some effects of stress are not immediately noticeable, but their manifestations are still associated with constant stress:

1. Premature aging. Stress-induced changes in the body accelerate its aging. A person not only looks older, but also becomes susceptible to disease.
2. Early death. People in stressful situations die quite early. At the same time, at least a quarter of the population can be considered at risk. The higher the stress exposure, the greater the risk of early death.

Stress has a profound effect on the body. It is almost impossible to protect yourself from stressful situations. However, you can learn techniques to reduce the effects of stress on the body.