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Have you ever noticed how aches and pains seem to fade when your adrenaline is really pumping? Or have you ever felt pain deep in your gut after a tragedy? If so, you've already discovered that pain -- like so many other things in life -- is deeply sensitive to stress. When you're under stress -- brief or lingering, mild or severe -- your body releases chemicals that change the way your brain sen...

No one would consider being an accountant as dangerous an occupation as, say, race-car driving or coal-mining. But Alan Franciscus, a former accountant at a software company in San Francisco, says the profession has its own set of hazards. He suffered anxiety attacks from work-related stress, eye strain from staring at numbers on a computer monitor, and body aches from sitting at a desk all day. ...

Her scrunched-up shoulders and urge to weep when she got to work told Christine Zook all she needed to know about her future as a bus driver. Zook used to drive a bus for an urban transit district in Northern California. There was much about the job that she loved, especially the economic rewards -- decent pay, good family medical benefits, and a great pension. But after 10 years behind the wheel...

As a freelance cameraman for domestic and international news outlets for 16 years, David Lee has witnessed disaster on an epic scale. His work has taken him far and wide in search of some of the most vivid images of the last quarter century. In 1986, he landed in Mexico City after one of the country's most devastating earthquakes. Then, during the Los Angeles race riots in 1992 that followed the a...

Just days before the school principal called her in on a parent's complaint in fall 1999, it occurred to teacher Ellen Hayward that she had been crossing the line in the classroom for some time. "I didn't have the same patience with the kids," recalls the 56-year-old Hayward. "I was getting more volatile and losing my temper. I don't know how I kept working." The teacher's apparent personality ch...

Scott Opperman, 38, had been at his new job in Connecticut for only a month when it happened. He was doing exactly the kind of work he'd done for the past 16 years, but early one winter afternoon, the journeyman carpenter went hurtling through an open second-story window. He'd been standing on a stepladder and drilling into a window frame when the drill slipped, and he lost his balance. Falling 14...

For a full year following my parents' deaths -- five weeks apart, in a nursing home 1,200 miles away -- I fell prey to clinical depression. Although I did everything I could to give them the best possible care, I never budgeted time for myself. I didn't realize that by ignoring my physical and mental health during two years of intensive caregiving, I was setting myself up for a breakdown that woul...

If you've ever felt your insides twist in knots before a big speech, you know the stomach listens carefully to the brain. In fact, the entire digestive system is closely tuned to a person's emotions and state of mind, says William E. Whitehead, PhD, a professor of medicine and co-director of the Center for Functional GI and Motility Disorders at the University of North Carolina. People with irrit...

Albert Patterson arrived in Vietnam on his 21st birthday, an eager young man fairly bursting with ideals. For his tour of duty in the late 1960's, the U.S. war veteran was showered with medals of honor. "I was doing my duty for my country as an American," recalls Patterson. Yet, when the soldier returned to his hometown in Northern California after a year in the Vietnam war, he came back a changed...

Parenthood is the hardest job you'll ever have, and like any new job, it takes practice to get good at it. In the old days, we had our parents and aunts and uncles nearby to help us learn (and to help take care of the kids). Now we're apt to live thousands of miles from our first families, and often we're trying to be the "village raising a child" all by ourselves. Of course, your kids take priori...

What is meditation? Do you ever feel like your brain is too stuffed with thoughts? Between the errands that you need to do tomorrow, the lingering issues from yesterday, and the work in front of you today, it can be hard to find room for a positive emotion or a moment of peace. Meditation is a mental exercise that tries to tune out the mental clutter, giving the brain and body a chance to relax. A...

What is biofeedback? Biofeedback is a tool that helps people gain more control over their bodies. It works by translating subtle physical changes into easy-to-read signals. Through biofeedback, patients can learn how their state of mind affects their circulation, tension, and pain. In the end, they often feel more relaxed and more in control. Biofeedback is often used in combination with other rel...

Poets aren't the only ones who see a connection between the mind and the heart. Many scientists now believe that anger, depression, and other forms of mental distress can help ignite heart disease. If you want to avoid heart trouble, exercising and watching your diet are a good start. But for ultimate protection, you may also need to ease your mind. How can emotions affect the heart? Negative fee...

Given the Herculean task modern couples face each day as they race between jobs, children, aging parents, and myriad social and civic activities, stress has become a fact of life, as much a part of our environment as the air we breathe. And our sex lives may be suffering as a result. What hurts sex lives? In a random phone survey by Yankelovich and Partners, 1,000 Americans between 18 and 65 w...

We all know what stress feels like. The jittery stomach and sweaty palms when you walk into an important job interview. The soaring blood pressure when you're stuck in an endless traffic jam. The adrenaline coursing through your body when you get into a heated argument. Stress is a normal reaction to threats, changes in routine, or long-term challenges. Some stress can be positive: it can give us...

Spurred on by family instability, violent crime now touches millions of young lives. The control of crime in the streets, in the schools, and in the home ought to be the preeminent 'children's issue.' --Karl Zinsmeister, "Growing up Scared," Atlantic Monthly, June 1990 Karl Zinsmeister's words are 20 years old, but the message still resonates. Although violent crime rates had been dropping stead...

You don't need a PhD in physiology to know that stress can be hard on the stomach. We've all done our own experiments on the subject, intentionally or not. Remember how you felt the last time you spoke in public? Those butterflies weren't in your head. The impact of stress on the stomach goes far beyond indigestion, however. In recent years, doctors have uncovered a remarkably complex connection ...

The idea that psychological stress can make us -- or at least rats -- more vulnerable to illness was inadvertently proven by an eager yet clumsy physiologist back in the 1930s. Hans Selye, an Austrian-born endocrinologist working in Canada, was trying to prove that he'd discovered a new hormone by injecting lab rats daily with an ovarian extract. As the story goes, Selye was an inexperienced techn...

Ding Dongs and Doritos have never solved anyone's problems, but that doesn't keep us from seeking solace in food. When work gets hectic, when plans fall apart, when relationships founder, we often try to calm our minds by filling our stomachs. "Everybody has their own comfort food," says Marci Gluck, PhD, a research clinical psychologist with the National Institutes of Health. A bag of chips, a b...

If you're married, you already know that your spouse is an enormous influence on your life. What you may not realize is that he or she also can also have a profound effect on your health. A study published in the journal Physiology and Behavior noted that the simple act of being married can add years to a person's life. Marriage can even lower the risk of all sorts of diseases, including cancer, ...

For couples struggling with infertility, "just relax" may be the most aggravating two-word phrase in the English language. "Those are fighting words," says infertility expert Sandra Berga, MD, chair of the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics at Emory University in Atlanta. Couples don't need or appreciate any suggestion that infertility is "all in their head," she says. They also don't need t...

Ask any woman, especially one with children and a mortgage, and you're likely to get an earful on stress. In fact, studies show consistently that women score higher on the stress-o-meter than do men. In a survey conducted in 2006 by the American Psychological Association (APA) fully 51 percent of women -- compared to 43 percent of men -- reported that stress had an impact on their lives. Other ...

It's hardly surprising that tough times can stimulate the brain. Back in our hunter-gatherer past, quick thinking was a survival skill. Whether tracking a gazelle or meeting a deadline, we need to stay mentally sharp in times of stress. As Stanford University stress expert Robert Sapolsky explains, stress can literally energize the brain. The body responds to stress by releasing sugar into the bl...

Stress can be annoying, aggravating, and maddening. But more than anything else, it can be depressing. Talk to a person who has fallen into the first major depression of her life, and the conversation will often turn toward a recent upheaval, perhaps a death in the family, a lost job, or a divorce. Sometimes depression can strike without a particular trigger. But stress that accompanies a severe ...

Many people equate "domestic violence" with an angry husband hitting his wife. In reality, that's only one possible scene. Although women are much more likely to be victims of domestic violence, it's not so uncommon for wives to hit husbands, boyfriends to hit or verbally abuse girlfriends, girlfriends to hit or abuse boyfriends. There's more than one way for a relationship to turn violent or abus...

At any age, stress is a part of life. Young and old alike have to face difficult situations and overcome obstacles. While young adults struggle to establish a career, achieve financial security, or juggle work and family demands, older people may face failing health or dwindling finances -- or simply the challenges of retaining their independence. Unfortunately, the body's natural defenses against...

Child abuse casts a long shadow. A long-term study published in the Journal of Child Abuse and Neglect found that by age 21, up to 80 percent of child abuse survivors had developed a psychiatric illness, including depression and anxiety disorders. In recent years, experts have discovered another disturbing consequence of childhood trauma: People who were abused or neglected as children also appea...

In Truckee, California, 25-year-old Timothy Brooks flew into a rage after another car cut him off on the highway. He followed the offending car to a bagel shop where the driver, 47-year-old Robert Ash, had stopped to eat. After yelling at the older man, Brooks attacked him, stabbing him to death with a knife. Brooks was convicted of second-degree murder. In Little Falls, New Jersey, May Lee and h...

In this high-tech, high-pressure age, multitasking has become a national pastime. No matter where we are or what we're doing, we can always add one more ball to the juggling act. Many people regularly check emails on their Blackberry while talking on the cell phone, pausing only to yell at other drivers. "Because of all of the new electronic gadgets like cell phones, Palm Pilots, and other person...

Friends and family can be life savers -- and not just when you need an emergency babysitter or an extra hand during a big move. Although exercising, not smoking, and maintaining a healthy weight are crucial, many recent studies have found that good company can prolong life just as surely. A study of nearly 3,000 Dutch people between 55 and 85 years of age published in the American Journal of Epid...

Anybody who has ever tossed and turned after a rough day at work knows that stress can make it hard to get a good night's sleep. But the connection between sleep and stress is a two-way street. Just as surely as stress interrupts sleep, lack of sleep can be an uncomfortably large source of stress. People working night shifts could be Exhibit A in the trial of sleep vs. stress. Humans aren't meant...

More than 140 million cats and dogs currently make their homes in backyards and living rooms across America. That adds up to a lot of dug-up flower beds, vet bills, and ruined upholstery. It also adds up to a lot of happiness. Why do we put up with pets? We certainly value their companionship and enjoy their antics. At a deeper level, pets help us connect to our own animal nature, the carefree pa...

Dashing to the mall, in a run-down Chevrolet. Into debt we fall, for the 10th straight holiday. Bill and Bob and Kate, arrive on the next flight. Why can't they go to a Super 8 'stead of crashing here tonight? --To the tune "Jingle Bells" Are your holidays full of sleigh bells, good cheer, warm gingerbread, and Peace on Earth? If so, it may be time to turn off the Claymation television special a...

Your job leaves you frazzled, your bank account is shrinking, and the paper is full of bad news. Rather than breaking into an (unhealthy) sweat, why not try smacking a tennis ball, going dancing, or taking a long walk? Exercise won't make stress disappear, but it can prepare your mind and body to deal with life's difficulties. In fact, many doctors are prescribing exercise to battle stress as well...

Despite the talk about the "stages of grief," there's no real guide to mourning. Each person reacts to loss in his or her own way. Still, there is one universal component of grief: Almost every loss, no matter how expected, will be accompanied by stress and disorientation. In the words of a report from the National Mental Health Association, "The loss of a loved one is life's most stressful event....

During the downhill ski competition at the 2006 winter Olympics, American Lindsey Kildow took a crushing fall that landed her in the hospital for a day. Her competitor Michaela Dorfmeister of Austria was in a pitched battle for the first gold medal of her life. The night before the decisive downhill race, both women slept fitfully, the New York Times reported in its Olympic coverage. Kildow had a...

When getting pregnant doesn't happen easily, it may come as a surprise. But when pregnancy is unattainable after repeated fertility treatments, the stress can precipitate a crisis among even the most loving couples. Each time a treatment is unsuccessful, many couples begin to doubt the value of going through further procedures, especially if they are expensive, as in vitro fertilization (IVF) can...

Barring some unexpected scientific breakthroughs, pregnancy will always be a woman's job. A man can feel a baby kick and love it before it's born, but he can never truly know what it feels like to have a life growing inside him. Likewise, men often have trouble understanding the pain felt by women who are struggling with infertility, says Diane Clapp, RN, a fertility counselor and director of med...

In the United States, each percentage rise in unemployment leads to 6,000 deaths. In her previous life, Ellen Rood watched over 3,000 head of Black Angus cattle on a sprawling ranch in central Montana. But even 50,000-acre spreads have to downsize sometimes, and Rood found herself laid off. Like so many other people who lose their jobs, Rood had to downsize her life. Now she lives in an Airstream ...

After a lifetime of denial, one pivotal moment forced Dan G. to confront a painful truth: He was addicted to his work. Exploding in rage after some bad news delivered by his boss, he snapped, screaming at his secretary and punching the walls of his office with his bare fists. "I knew I was cracking up," he says now. It was 1982, and Dan had been saddled with starting a new business venture for th...

Helen Burnett* starts each workday with 15 minutes of prayer and meditation. In her line of work, every moment of relaxation helps. As a nurse in a Midwestern psychiatric hospital, Burnett faces all of the typical hassles that can make the modern workplace so maddening: office politics, tedious paperwork, long hours, and a pace that barely gives her a chance to breathe. Throw in a steady stream of...

Walk along any metropolitan street café or subway car, and you're likely to find many of the people around you are texting or scrolling through emails from work. It's getting harder to get away from work, especially if you're issued a cell phone or laptop from your employer. Some feel so compelled to work they keep the cell phone near the bed to check office email in the night and get on th...

Helen Burnett* starts each workday with 15 minutes of prayer and meditation. In her line of work, every moment of relaxation helps. As a nurse in a Midwestern psychiatric hospital, Burnett faces all of the typical hassles that can make the modern workplace so maddening: office politics, tedious paperwork, long hours, and a pace that barely gives her a chance to breathe. Throw in a steady stream of...

Joseph Barnum* couldn't believe it. After working 24 years as a service technician for a communications company in Maryland, he was fired for having to pick up his kids after school. A single parent, Barnum had told his supervisors that he needed to retrieve his two small children from school every day by 6 p.m. At first, he says, his supervisors were willing to work with him. "But then they came...

What is guided imagery? Guided imagery (also called guided visualization) is a therapy that harnesses your imagination to help you handle stress and illness. With the assistance of a psychotherapist, nurse, or doctor, patients visualize positive images that can lift their mood and reduce their stress. If they can picture themselves in a mountain meadow or on a beach instead of in a hospital bed or...

Here's a joke: A man tells his friend about a dinner party he had at his house the night before. "I made a real Freudian slip," he says. "I meant to tell my mother-in-law to pass the butter, and instead I said, "You silly cow, you ruined my life!" Is humor good for my health? You've probably heard countless warnings about the dangers of negative emotions. Stress, anger, and depression can sap yo...

Time-outs aren't just for kids with temper tantrums. Sometimes adults in a tense situation need to step back and take stock, especially if emotions are running high. One strategy is to take a time-out: a temporary break from a tense situation that will buy you the time to calm down. The key to taking action is recognizing the warning signs -- physical and emotional -- that could signal that an exp...

Stress happens, no matter how much we might try to avoid it. Whether we're stuck in a dead-end job or merely stuck in traffic, we all face aggravation from time to time. Any major change in our lives -- from the loss of a loved one to the arrival of a new baby -- can also cause stress. Whenever we're stressed, our bodies and minds go on alert, a remnant of the bygone days of our distant ancestors,...

Doctors once believed that the body and mind were completely separate, a belief that has gone the way of the 8-track tape player. There's no longer any question that chronic negative moods and emotions can encourage disease or that positive thoughts can speed healing. See how much you know about the mind-body connection. 1. A 13-year study of 1,500 people found what remarkable connection between...

Whether you're at the top of the career ladder or a few rungs down, chances are you've felt some stress on the job. In a survey reported by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 40 percent of Americans said their jobs were "very or extremely stressful." The strain isn't just aggravating -- according to NIOSH, job stress can be hazardous to your health. If you're gnashing your ...