By Steve Beseke, beseke1@earthlink.net

Life can be a true joy or such a paradox in so many ways for all of us.

Take me, for example…

- As I very humbly become known nationally and internationally for my resiliency writings, speeches and conversations, life has moved in a very terrific direction over the last year.

- I am getting use to a walking aid – a cane – that I’ve never needed in adapting to a lifelong Cerebral Palsy physical disability in my 50 years.

- My wife and daughter are doing great, and warm weather has finally decided to make a sustained appearance in Minnesota.

I also had two important speeches/conversations last week that went superbly. Life was good.

That is, until I became very sick with food poisoning last week after a resiliency speech at a local hotel. Talk about running up against a brick wall, or remembering when I smacked my head against an unforgiving marble floor after falling at a work conference a couple years ago. Nothing prepared me for this last week…and I felt like I was going to die.

One thing was re-emphasized, however, and a point for all of us: Be ready to stay nimble and grateful for life because, in an instant, your world could detrimentally change – even if it is only a short period of time.

A good friend just told me that a young person he knows was just diagnosed with cancer. Life can be unmistakably unfair sometimes. That definitely tempers my challenges of last week.

I am finally recovering and Godspeed to my colleague’s young friend.

But what about you? Are you going through a dramatic change – and worrying about your job or where your next great work adventure will surface? Has your health suffered or changed in some way?

A recent study showed more than 30 percent of us are acutely stressed by these challenging times, which has created an inordinate amount of health issues for us. The stress of life is causing us to get run down and become susceptible to many health concerns.

All of us, of course, need to stay as healthy as possible without the everyday life challenges pointing us down an unhealthy road. Before unhealthy stress or anxiety can cause your body to react negatively, I’d suggest trying to understand what stress can do to our bodies. If not managed properly, it can lead to many health problems that might derail your successful journey in navigating the undercurrents of staying healthy in these challenging times.

The following resiliently healthy tips are part of a managing stress regimen that has helped me keep mostly in control of my health – despite the recent food poisoning. It has provided me a process to keep cruising down a healthier road. I hope it does the same for you.

Thanks, again, to my local health provider, for information about understanding how unhealthy stress can compromise your body. While I was stressing about the food poisoning, I was making it worse because I was also had anxiety about the work/life actions my illness was preventing me from accomplishing last week.

Here’s what I need to remember, and I hope you keep in mind to stay “healthy.”

Stress and your body

A stress response can set off all kinds of complicated activity in different parts of your body. And it can all happen as quickly as the flip of a healthy switch.

A closer look

What you feel as stress actually starts in your brain the moment you perceive a stressor. Say, for example, a mean-looking dog growling at you while you stroll down the sidewalk.

Here’s what happens:

-      Your eyes send a dog image to your brain.

-      Within a split-second, your brain registers that image as “stressful.”

-      Stress hormones are released into your in your brain. They’re like little boosters that help your body respond to the stressor with the classic flight or flight response.

The classic fight or flight response? Yes — this is your response to stress hormones that release from your adrenal glands after a signal occurs in your brain. The purpose of stress hormones is to get your body ready to react — fight or flight.

Here are some examples of how your body prepares:

• Heart rate speeds up
• Blood pressure rises
• Muscular strength increases (or tightens)
• Brain activity increases
• Breathing rate quickens
• Metabolic rate speeds up
• Potential energy sources — sugar and cholesterol — release into your bloodstream

Now you’re ready to give that stressor your best shot. Or, if you see that the mean dog is behind a fence and can’t hurt you (phew!) — your body realizes it no longer needs the heightened state of readiness. You then return back to your normal state.

Why prolonged stress is bad – and unhealthy

Stress hormones are useful for short periods of time. But if you’re under stress much of the time (chronic stress), stress hormones and their effects are present, too.

Let’s take a look at how chronic stress and a build-up of stress hormones can be bad for you.

Know the signs of stress

Not surprisingly — with all that potential for harm — unmanaged stress tends to leave its evidence behind.

Here’s a chart showing some of the most common signs of stress. If you find these signs of unmanaged stress look familiar, you probably have some work to do. Your overall health may depend on your actions.

Signs of unmanaged stress	Signs of managed stress
Physical	Physical
Fatigue	Good energy level
Insomnia	Feeling rested
Emotional, mental and behavioral	Emotional, mental and behavioral
Negative thinking	Positive self-image
Mind racing Worry	Setting realistic limits Feeling calm or reassured
Lack of motivation Anger	Sense of accomplishment Feeling content or happy
Overeating	Eating balanced meals
Sedentary lifestyle	Being physically active

Meet your stress hormones

- Adrenalin increases your breathing, heart rate and blood pressure.

- Cortisol increases the amount of blood glucose (sugar) to your brain (helping you think fast and focus your attention) and to your muscles (helping you run fast and boost your strength).

Mean dog or microphone: The response is the same

Here’s something you may not realize. Once the stress message leaves your brain and the stress hormones start to do their job, your body only reacts in one way. Regardless of the situation, your body’s reaction is the same whenever you sense a stressor. It might be good stress or bad stress. It could be a dangerous dog or standing up to give a speech. To your body, it doesn’t matter. The physical responses are the same, and it all counts as stress.

Tracking stress

Learn to stress less — track it! Awareness is the first step… so keep a stress log.

Once you take a minute to write things down, you will have a clear idea of your stressors and how you respond to them. The first step in managing stress is to identify its source.

When this triggers, your body gears up for action.

While I was worrying about my health last week, I was not thinking about any of this. I just wanted to get well. But if your health is suffering from your job or unfortunately lack of one right now, please think through how stress can lead you down a bumpy – and unhealthy road. A road that may not give you the opportunity to use your tremendous resilience…

I truly appreciate your ongoing readership and look forward to our chats in the future. Please let me know if you’d like to talk about other specific resiliency topics. Take care.