Symptoms:
Depression, anxiety, irritability, chronic fatigue, low-stress tolerance, nervous exhaustion, unable to cope, insomnia, panic attacks, unable to relax, or diseases caused by immune problems.

Tightening of stomach muscles which causes nausea or digestive problems. Increases in blood pressure, sweaty palms, nervous twitches, tooth grinding, trembling when not cold. Tense muscles, especially shoulder muscles.

Poor concentration, cannot retain information, negative thoughts, loss of sense of humor, demanding attitude, critical attitude, or becoming withdrawn.

Cause:
Here are a few of the many causes: deadlines, pressures, problems at home or work, special occasions, crowds, noise, pain, traffic, temperature extremes, overwork, lack of sleep, smoking, alcohol, a worrywart attitude.

Researchers estimate that stress is significant in 80% of all major illnesses, including cancer, back problems, endocrine, cardiovascular, skin, and infectious diseases.

The adrenals especially suffer from stress. This results in a lowering of the immune system's ability to protect you from infection and cancer. It also disrupts the function of your entire endocrine system.

Everyone experiences stress from time to time, but frequent stress is more serious. And long-term stress wears out the body.

Some people can handle stress better than others. Some individuals work in the emergency room at the hospital and thoroughly enjoy the excitement and challenge of every new crisis which comes along. Others burn out and have to transfer out within a year.

Treatment:
Find out what your ongoing problems are and solve them. Problems are like a wall; you can go through them, go over them, or go around them. You go through a problem when you eliminate it. You surmount an immediate problem when you figure out a way to sidestep it and still do what is needed. You go around it when you learn to live with an ongoing situation you cannot solve. You stop worrying about it or letting it bother you, and turn your attention to other things.

Here are several basic suggestions:

• Think positive in every situation. See a good side to it, and learn to make the best of it. See it as an interesting challenge to solve difficulties. Trust in God to help you weather every crisis and carry on through to the end.

Think about something else for a time. That will help your brain to rest and your emotions to calm down. Gradually answers will come to mind.

• Counsel with a good friend. If it is a problem with your husband, counsel with a woman, not with a man. The same holds true for a man.

• The primary problems in a person's life are employment, spouse, money, children, deadlines, and guilt.

• Sometimes you need to temporarily leave a threatening situation and get away and calm down, take time to pray and rest your mind.

• Stretching your muscles can help move a circulation made sluggish by the situation, so you can think better. Massage muscles which have tensed up. Drop your jaw and move it left to right. This helps relax the jaw muscle.

• Take a hot bath; that really relaxes you, so you can start thinking constructively again.

• Go outside and walk in the open air. Hold your head up, breath deeply, and relax.

• Many times, the underlying need is to go to God and ask forgiveness, obey His Ten Commandment law, and start living a new, clean life. Make things right with those you have wronged.

• Believe that, with God's help, the situation can be dealt with. Keep trusting Him as a little child trusts his parent to lead him by the hand across a busy street.

• A change in diet is needed to help restore a sickly immune system. Fresh fruit and vegetables, especially raw vegetables. Kelp or dulse, and raw seeds or nuts. Be sure and take enough vitamin C, as well as a full range of supplementary vitamins and minerals.

• The following herbs are helpful: ginkgo, echinacea, dong quai, gotu kola, bilberry, milk thistle, catnip, chamomile, hops, skullcap, and valerian. Take them separately or mix 2-3 together, and take as a tea.